St. Louis Cardinals players David Eckstein, John Rodriguez and Jeff Suppan, do not often tout their Catholic in public. But they believe their actions on and off the field define them as Catholics.

All three were born into the faith, attend Mass regularly and make prayer a key part of their daily lives. This week, the Cardinals --- defending National League champions --- will face the Houston Astros for the right to play in the World Series.

Eckstein, who became a Cardinal this season after several years with the Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels, treats his faith like he plays shortstop --- very seriously.

"I make sure I attend Mass every week," he said. The only time he has missed Mass during his five years in the majors was in Toronto, during the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) scare, and players could not leave the hotel except to play ball.

Before every game, Eckstein asks for the grace "to be the best I can be, and be the best team player I can be to help the team be successful on that day."

When in St. Louis for a weekend series, Eckstein likes going to Mass at Busch Stadium, where Mass is offered for club personnel and stadium employees.

Eckstein calls himself a "typical" Catholic. He does not push his faith on others, believing his actions will show them the way. "If people know who you are, they know you're a believer," he explained.

As a professional athlete, Eckstein, 30, is aware that people, especially children, look up to him. He strives to be a good role model.

Eckstein goes home during the off season to Sanford, Fla., about 20 miles north of Orlando. The youngest child of Whitey and Patricia Eckstein, he has two brothers and two sisters. In November he will marry Ashley Drane of Orlando at All Souls Church in Sanford, the parish where he and his family have long been members.

Rodriguez, a rookie outfielder, wears his faith under his hat, under whose brim he has written "God. No. 1." When children ask him why he kisses his cap before the start of each game, "I show them, it's God. God is on my hat, and I kiss him because I thank him for me being in this situation right now that I'm in."

The 27-year-old native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent was brought up to the Cardinals in mid-July after eight years in the minor leagues, but he hopes the experience will not change who he is. Fame and money can change a person's lifestyle, but "it shouldn't change the person that you are inside," he said.

"I go about my day as God would want me to go about my day," added Rodriguez. "I try to follow in his footsteps as much as possible."

He prays every day, before and after every game --- not for God to give him anything, but to thank God for, among other things, his food, friends, life and "the privilege of wearing this uniform," he said.

During the season Rodriguez attends Mass at Busch; he also attends Bible study and "baseball chapel," an ecumenical prayer service offered at major league parks. In the off-season, he goes to churches in New York City, where he lives, and Puerto Rico, where some of his family lives.

Californian Jeff Suppan, who joined the Cardinals' pitching rotation in 2004, and his wife Dana are members of St. Joseph Church in Clayton, Mo. A star at Crespi High School in Encino, Suppan credits his close-knit family, and his mother, in particular, with giving him a strong faith.

As a professional baseball player, Suppan said his faith "has been challenged all the time, through other, maybe fundamentalist Christians, or other people in baseball that kind of, for whatever reason, were trying to maybe lead me in the wrong way. And that's where my faith really grew the most into what it is and what it's becoming."

"I just basically try to follow Jesus every day," he added. "I try to improve my prayer life every day, and I feel the more I pray, it really keeps me focused on him."

"I pray to accept the outcome, whatever it may be, as long as I'm doing God's will. And sometimes it's hard. You go out there and you give everything, and you lose, and it's sometimes hard to handle, so I pray about that a lot. I basically give all my worries to God, and I try to forget the past and focus on what lies ahead."

As he's gotten older, the 30-year-old said he also has "prayed a lot for wisdom to make the right decisions."

---CNS