History took place on Nov. 1 when the men’s and women’s basketball teams from the University of Notre Dame and Villanova University held their season openers in Rome, Italy, in the Eternal City Tip-Off. But, before the games got started, Catholic actor Michael Iskander, known for his role playing King David in the hit series “House of David,” led those in attendance in prayer.
Iskander led the pregame prayer presented by Hallow. The popular prayer and meditation app served as an official partner in the 2026 Eternal City Tip-Off.
Here is the full text of the original prayer:
“Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this incredible opportunity today as we gather in the Eternal City. Father, we ask for your blessing over everyone who is competing today. We pray that you help us run the race that you have set before us, with faith and endurance. And on this All Saints’ Day, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, we pray that you help us remember that we do not compete for earthly glory but for your Heavenly crown. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
A day before this historic event, on Oct. 31, Iskander also had the opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV during the general audience held in the Pope Paul VI Audience Hall in Rome. Roughly 7,000 team members, students, and fans from the universities were in attendance.
Iskander told ChurchPop:
“Meeting the Holy Father and having the opportunity to lead the prayer at the Tip-Off Game in Rome on behalf of Hallow has been an extraordinary honor and a deeply meaningful experience for me personally.”
“These moments are especially profound for me. I see them as gifts from God, and I’m incredibly humbled and grateful for the blessings He continues to pour into my life,” he added.
During the meeting, Iskander and the Holy Father shared a brief conversation and Iskander presented the Pope with a sling from “House of David.”
In a post shared on Instagram, Iskander wrote:
“Pope Leo you are a role model to me! Thank you for everything you do! Forever a moment I will never forget.”
In 2025, Iskander announced that he had converted to Catholicism. The 25-year-old actor, who was born in Egypt but came to the United States as a child, was born and raised as a Coptic Orthodox. He told our sister agency, EWTN News, that he did not see his conversion as a rejection of his roots; instead, it was “answering a calling from God.”
Iskander is currently in Greece filming season three of “House of David.” The first season of the series alone garnered over 44 million views. Season 1 and 2 of “House of David” can be watched on Prime Video.