By LANDON SEARS | Digital Journalist, Published: October 11, 2009
Father Andrew Trapp, an assistant pastor and priest at St. Michael Catholic Church in Garden City Beach, won $100,000 on a poker television show. Trapp says he was lucky to be chosen to appear on the show after winning an online poker tournament and following up on an audition call for interested contestants to send an audition tape to the shows producers.
The show paid for Trapp to fly out to Los Angeles and the episode he was in was recorded last week. Im going to give every cent that I win to the church, said Trapp.
Trapp says all of the prize money he won will be used to build a new church building for his congregation.
Its very much a temporary structure. Its not adequate for our current needs. Its not big enough, especially during the tourist season and during the winter months when a lot of the snow birds as they come back from up north, said Trapp.
Trapp says he hopes to teach people that gambling in moderation is acceptable in Catholicism, by appearing on the show.
The Catholic Church teaches that theres nothing morally wrong making a bet or games of chance, Trapp said.
Father Trapp will be on the show again in December, as he aims for the one million dollar grand prize.