Utah faiths unite in thanks-giving

Jeff Hornacek would choose shooting free throws in front of a large crowd over speaking in public any day — that's a given. On Sunday, he probably could have done both had he really wanted to.

The former Jazz star was the featured speaker at one of the Thanksgiving Interfaith services that took place Sunday.

The congregation packed the Holladay South LDS Stake Center chapel, where Hornacek spoke, and overflowed into the gymnasium. It seemed appropriate that the crowd hearing his remarks was mostly seated on a hoops court and underneath basketball standards.

The setting was much different at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, but hundreds of participants eager to find some common ground for gratitude also filled its pews. They didn't let Sunday's soggy cold snap dampen their spirits.

Messages at the interfaith services were intertwined. Gratitude and unity were major topics, and proclamations were made by elected officials.

Lt. Gov. Olene Walker read Gov. Mike Leavitt's proclamation, designating Nov. 24 as Interfaith Thanksgiving Sunday in Utah. Holladay mayor Dennis Larkin summoned residents to be "champions of religious freedom," to give thanks and to unify.

In his invocation at the cathedral, the Rev. France Davis of Calvary Baptist Church acknowledged the vast differences represented by those attending, "yet we have so much in common . . . bless this place . . . so that as we depart we will know that we have been with thee."

Hornacek joked that he has more experience reading cue cards in his America First commercials and talking to kids at basketball camps, so he was a little nervous about speaking to this gathering. "You probably don't want to learn how to shoot baskets or set picks."

He didn't address these issues or put on a free-throw shooting clinic. He shared something that has helped him keep a proper perspective throughout his life — on and off the court.

When he was a boy, Hornacek was deeply moved by the classic movie, "Brian's Song." It portrays the relationship between National Football League legend Gale Sayers and his teammate and unlikely friend Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer. Sayers shared lessons about this tragic yet touching tale in his book, "I Am Third."

Hornacek, an active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, urged the congregation to live by this selfless set of priorities: "God is first. Family and friends are second. And I am third."