WMBFNews.com | Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC | News, Weather, SportsChurch looks back at poker playing priest's run for $1 million

Church looks back at poker playing priest's run for $1 million

GARDEN CITY, SC (WMBF) - 'Thank you' echoed through the hallways of St. Michael's Catholic Church Sunday evening, as its parishioners gathered one last time to recognize their very own poker playing priest who is putting his mark on the history of the church.

St. Michael's Catholic Church, located off of US-17 Bypass in Garden City, is in the midst of a four-year, $6.5 million fundraising marathon to build a new church. The centerpiece of the campus at St. Michael's, many say a new place of worship is long overdue for a facelift.

"Our church family has grown. We have over 3,000 [people] and 400 families," said Candy Griffith, who has been a member of St. Michael's for more than 20 years.

Overcrowding isn't the only pressing issue at the Garden City church. Should a strong hurricane blow through the area, there's a possibility St. Michael's wouldn't be standing in the aftermath.

As of December 25, members have raised nearly $4 million towards the construction of a new church that will be at par with safety codes, can withstand hurricane-force winds and hold more than 900 people.

Physically, it's a big upgrade to the current church. Spiritually, the project hopes to bring new hope to those who worship at St. Michael's.

"When you enter in [the current sanctuary], I don't think it quite has that 'Wow! I'm stepping into heaven on earth [feeling]," said Father Andrew Trapp, a priest at St. Michael's.

Trapp, however, has played his role in delivering a new church to his parishioners. The local priest was catapulted into the national spotlight after appearing on the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge. He was shooting for the big $1 million jackpot that would allow St. Michael's to immediately break ground on the multi-million dollar construction project.

Unfortunately, the man now known as the 'poker playing priest' says the $1 million just wasn't in the cards. After traveling to Los Angeles twice to appear on the nationally-televised competition, retired New York Police detective Mike Kosowski won the $1 million top prize.

"If there was anyone [other than myself] who deserved to win, it was [Mike]," said Trapp.

His prayers, however, were left half answered. Trapp lost in the final round of the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge to poker pro Danny Negreneau, but still walked away from the televised competition with $100,000.  The cash, he says, is going straight to who needs it the most -- his parish.

"The parishoners have all been really generous and digging down deep - especially in a time of recession," he said.

The poker playing priest's winnings from Hollywood is putting quite the dent in construction costs for a new and improved St. Michael's. There's just $1.5 million to go, and those who gather at St. Michael's each week say they're more than thankful for such a generous donation to their future.

"We all have such tremendous faith," said Griffith. "God's [going to] show us the way and it is [going to] happen."

Now that his 15 minutes of fame has come to a close, what's next for Trapp and the parish at St. Michael's? The poker playing priest says the answer is a simple one -- fundraising, fundraising and more fundraising.

"It's [going to] take a lot of sacrifice. I think, hopefully sometime in the next few years, we'll finish raising that money," Trapp predicted.

Until then, many like Griffith say they'll look back with a good laugh knowing a poker playing priest helped make their dream church a reality.

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