Bourbon, UK basketball blessed by Pope sold to raise money for Kentucky tornado relief

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A bottle of rare bourbon and a basketball blessed by Pope Francis helped a Lexington priest raise nearly $17,000 to help with tornado recovery in western Kentucky.

The Rev. Jim Sichko decided to auction off the items to do his part of help victims of the December tornadoes. The auction featured a bottle of Ofc. Vintage 1995 Buffalo Trace bottle and a University of Kentucky basketball signed by head coach John Calipari that had been blessed by Pope Francis. The same person won both auctions and paid a total of $16,698.

After the tornadoes ripped through Mayfield, Dawson Springs, Bowling Green and many small towns in western Kentucky, Sichko called on the Pope to help. During a trip to the Vatican, he gave the bourbon and basketball to Pope Francis, who gave them back with a blessing for the basketball.

YOU CAN NEVER SAY THANK YOU ENOUGH!!$16,698 was raised from my WESTERN KY TORNADO AID AUCTION! The same recipient won both the OFC VINTAGE 1995 - Buffalo Trace & the COACH CAL SIGNED POPE FRANCIS BASKETBALL!!#missionaryofmercy #weallcandoourpart pic.twitter.com/PbBNPW8ytR
— Father Jim Sichko (@JimSichko) January 5, 2022

Sichko posted on Twitter on Wednesday that "you can never say thank you enough!!" with the hashtags #missionaryofmercy #weallcandoourpart.

The UK game ball wasn't easy to come by, according to a post from Sichko.

"I want to thank Coach Cal because I bugged the hell out of him to get it, I'm just being very honest," he said.

"It's just another form of ministry," Sichko told LEX18. "It's another form of compassion and human heart. We can all do something."

FATHER SICHKO AUCTIONS BASKETBALL BLESSED BY POPE - COURTESY 1-5-2022 1.jfif — Lexington Priest Father Jim Sichko presents Pope Francis with University of Kentucky basketball signed by coach John Calipari. Image courtesy Father Jim Sichko on Twitter.

After media and social media coverage of the auction, the mission to help tornado victims is reaching beyond the Vatican. Sichko told the Lexington station that he's received checks from people who couldn't afford to bid in the auction, including a bunco group of ladies in Florida.

Sichko plans to travel to Mayfield, Kentucky, this week to help with tornado relief efforts and donate the money raised in the auction.

Sichko is based in the Diocese of Lexington. In February 2016, Pope Francis commissioned him as one of his Papal Missionaries of Mercy, of which there are only 1,000 in the world, 100 in the United States.

Sichko has also embraced social media. He has made headlines for random acts of generosity and kindness, giving away thousands of dollars to people most in need. He also raises money for charity with his "Miss Marie's Spaghetti Sauce," which is based on his mother's recipe. To learn more about Sichko on his website, click here.

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