When news broke that LeBron James was heading to the Philadelphia 76ers, the sports-crazed region did what it does best: it went completely wild.
Across social media, photo-shopped images instantly flooded every feed. Lebron James was suddenly spotted grabbing a hoagie at the local deli, ordering a whiz-wit at the neighborhood steak shop, and hanging out on the streets of Philly.
Watching the digital frenzy unfold, Father James DeGrassa, pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church just north of the city, saw more than just viral memes. He saw a prime pastoral opportunity.
“I started seeing everybody posting pictures of him. ‘Oh, he’s at our deli,’ or ‘Oh, he’s having our cheesesteak,’” Father DeGrassa told my colleague Zelda Caldwell at the National Catholic Register, adding: “I jumped on the hype.”
Why let the local sandwich shops have all the fun? Why not capitalize on LeBron fever to get people into the pews?
Father DeGrassa started by updating the roadside parish marquee: “Welcome LeBron; Mass for Feast of Saint James; Tomorrow at 8 am.”
Then came the main event. On Saturday — the actual feast day of St. James — he shared an AI-generated image on Instagram featuring himself and the NBA icon posing together right in front of the altar. The caption read: “LeBron James came out to Mass for the Feast of Saint James this morning.”
Local parishioners, well-accustomed to their pastor’s playful sense of humor, immediately got the joke. What Father DeGrassa didn’t expect was for the algorithm to take the post and run a full-court press across the internet.
The image rapidly exploded to over 4 million people worldwide. Suddenly, the church office phone began ringing off the hook with calls from confused fans across the country. One caller earnestly asked, “When is the LeBron James Mass?”
“I’m like, ‘Don’t people realize it’s a joke? He’s not even in the area yet,’” Father DeGrassa said.
Eventually, the deluge of calls turned the viral moment into “a monster,” prompting the priest to take the photo down. But back home in the parish, the stunt was a slam dunk.
“Everybody from the 99-year-old woman to the 10-year-old boy was coming out of Mass saying, ‘That’s hilarious. We love that picture of LeBron.’”
This isn't Father DeGrassa’s first time riding the wave of pop culture. When Taylor Swift brought her Eras Tour to town, he posted a sign advertising “Swift” Masses.
“I try to catch on to whatever’s happening in the area and build up the hype,” he told Zelda Caldwell at the Register.
Behind the viral jokes lies a very intentional ministry strategy — one specifically aimed at reaching men who might otherwise spend their weekends glued to the TV.
“I just try to do whatever’s good to get people to come to church,” Father DeGrassa said. “I just feel like [the men] are the ones that are kind of lost in this area because most of the sports are on the weekend and the guys are watching football all day.”
The strategy is working. Women in the parish frequently tell him their husbands are finally returning to church after years away.
As for the viral LeBron post? Father DeGrassa has zero regrets, pointing out that the Gospel reading following the viral uproar happened to be the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. “I’m going to talk about how it got multiplied, about how this post got so crazy,” he said.
And if Lebron James — or anyone else inspired by the viral fake photo — decides to drop in one Sunday? The doors are wide open.
“Everyone got the joke around here, but it went to like 4 million people,” Father DeGrassa smiled, “so God knows who’s going to show up.”