Pope Francis signed these two bottles of Bourbon in support of charities in Kentucky

When Catholic priest Jim Sichko visits the Vatican, he always brings a gift for the Pope. Since Sichko is from Lexington, Kentucky, bourbon is usually his drink of choice. (He made headlines a few years ago for giving the Pope a rare 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle.)

During a trip in May, Sichko presented Pope Francis with two bottles of bourbon, but this time he did not let the religious leader keep them. He asked Pope Francis to sign the ghosts and then return them so he could auction them off for charity. Catholic News Agencyby Daniel Payne. Pope Francis was happy to do that, but not without making a joke first.

“Which one is mine?” he asked Sichko.

On December 7, the signed bottles will be sold at a live auction at Sotheby’s in New York. Each bottle is expected to cost between $1,000 and $10,000, although predicting the final retail price is more of an art than a science.

“These estimates vary because we expect Pope Francis’ name and signature to be of incredible value around the world,” said Zev Glesta, Sotheby’s assistant vice president and whiskey specialist. Whiskey lawyerby Sean Evans. “Plus, those few lucky buyers can truly say they have a blessed whiskey shelf.”

Proceeds will be donated to several nonprofit organizations, including an animal shelter and the Maxwell Street Legal Clinic, which provides legal assistance to immigrants in Kentucky. Sichko selected these targets because of their connection to the Pope. Pope Francis is named after Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals; he has too advocated for the compassionate treatment of migrants.

Both bottles are filled with bourbon made at Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. They are ‘barrel picks’, meaning that Sichko has visited the distillery and selected a specific barrel of whiskey for bottling. Sichko donated the majority of both barrels goes to charity. But he kept the first bottle of each bottle to be signed by the Pope and auctioned.

One bottle commemorates Pope Francis’ tenth anniversary as pope and features the papal coat of arms. The bourbon inside is made from Willett’s original recipe and aged for ten years.

The other honors the 2025 anniversary – a 12-month period during which Catholics can ask for forgiveness of sins for themselves or deceased loved ones. (Anniversaries typically occur only once every 25 years, and this year’s theme is “Pilgrims of Hope.”) The bottle, which is also aged for ten years, bears the official anniversary sticker.

Why did Sichko put so much effort into raising money for charity? In 2016, Pope Francis chose Sichko as pope missionary of mercya small group of priests who can forgive certain sins. More broadly, they are also tasked with “spreading a message of hope and kindness through acts of compassion,” writes Tom Wilmes for Garden & Rifle magazine.

Pope Francis receiving his 23 Year Old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon as we shared our love for My Ole Kentucky Home! pic.twitter.com/mWereczKs9

— Father Jim Sichko (@JimSichko) April 10, 2018

Sichko has taken that mission to heart. He often performs random acts of kindness, such as donating 10,000 N-95 masks during the pandemic and helping a flooded supermarket rebuild. He’s been paid funerals And funeral expensessupported laid off miners and has made large donations food banks.

“One of the things Pope Francis said to us missionaries is that we should smell like our sheep,” Sichko said. Esquire‘s Dave Holmes in 2018. “We gotta get dirty. We have to go into the trenches.”

The bourbon auction is just his latest project, even if he doesn’t drink much himself.

“Kindness costs nothing,” says Sichko WLEX TV‘s Drew Amman. “It costs nothing to be kind.”