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Tom Cancelmo, co-founder of Fans of the Kingdom, poses with his dog while wearing apparel featuring the company\u2019s crown-of-thorns logo. Inspired by a desire to show the Catholic faith as visibly as sports-team pride, Cancelmo launched the brand to encourage everyday evangelization through clothing. (Courtesy Photo)<\/p>\n
By Jay Sorgi \u2022 Posted October 13, 2026 <\/p>\n
For Tom Cancelmo, a Philadelphia-area marketer and avid runner, the idea began with a question: If people can proudly show their allegiance to their favorite sports teams, why not do the same for their Catholic faith?<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt the Holy Spirit tapping me on the shoulder,\u201d Cancelmo said.<\/p>\n
The tap has turned into Fans of the Kingdom<\/a>, a partnership between two devout Catholic men creating sportswear that are designed to look at home alongside Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, Penn State, or Villanova gear. But instead of a beloved bird, Nittany lion, or wildcat, Fans of the Kingdom features a crown of thorns as its logo.<\/p>\n \u201cYou spend a lot of money on Eagles and Phillies garb, hats, t-shirts and things like that, [so] the Lord was asking, \u2018Why aren\u2019t you doing the same thing for My kingdom?\u2019\u201d Cancelmo said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t use the term kingdom, but the idea that I have so much energy and enthusiasm to be a fan of a sports team. Why can\u2019t we do the same thing for the most important fandom we have?\u201d<\/p>\n Tom hooked Chris Murray, his partner at BTC Marketing and a fellow Catholic, into the concept, and they launched Fans of the Kingdom this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cKnowing that owning a marketing agency, a marketing communications firm, that we had resources and talent here that could help truly create and launch a brand from soup to nuts, everything from the naming and logo development to the messaging and apparel design,\u201d said Murray.<\/p>\n The result is a brand that occupies a space between faith-based workout and golf apparel and more casual everyday sportswear, Murray said.<\/p>\n At first glance, the logo may not immediately appear to be explicitly Catholic.<\/p>\n Yet when you look at the logo, in time it becomes apparent that it\u2019s the crown of thorns \u2014 a reference to Christ\u2019s Passion and the events of Good Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cHis kingdom obviously is a little different than our kingdom here on earth, and his death and resurrection is the foundation of our faith,\u201d Cancelmo shared.<\/p>\n The crown of thorns emerged after the company considered numerous logo designs and names.<\/p>\n Murray believes that when people see the logo on someone, it literally becomes a place where people see someone\u2019s faith on their sleeve at a time when clothing today expresses more about a person than ever before.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it\u2019s when you\u2019re golfing, working out, just casually wearing clothing to a game. I think people do want to represent things that matter in their life,\u201d Murray said.<\/p>\n The company began with brand colors of navy and white on t-shirts and hats and have since expanded into Kelly green. They\u2019ve now thrown in hoodies and quarter-zips.<\/p>\n Mockups of Fans of the Kingdom\u2019s signature navy and white T-shirts featuring the brand\u2019s crown-of-thorns logo.<\/p>\n But these items reflect something more important than the sports teams they love, and they\u2019re marketing their wares to Catholic audiences like the thousands who traveled to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa<\/a> for the recent AbbeyFest<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got a lot of positive feedback at AbbeyFest, a Catholic and Christian concert,\u201d Cancelmo said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe feedback just from people [was] \u2018Wow, we\u2019ve never seen anything like this. It\u2019s really neat to have it.\u2019 We sold a couple thousand dollars\u2019 worth of merchandise and apparel, so I would say it was very well received.\u201d<\/p>\n The partners plan to add more women\u2019s apparel and develop additional lines featuring messages such as \u201cThy will be done.\u201d<\/p>\n For Cancelmo, however, the clothing is ultimately about something larger than branding.<\/p>\n Chris Murray wears a Fans of the Kingdom hat featuring the brand\u2019s crown-of-thorns logo and a sun shirt bearing the message \u201cThy Will Be Done.\u201d Murray and co-founder Tom Cancelmo launched the apparel line to help Catholics visibly express and share their faith in everyday life. (Courtesy Photo)<\/p>\n He acknowledges that he\u2019s not the most verbal in evangelization, but said Catholics are called to bring their faith beyond the walls of the church.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there are some Christians that more outwardly promote their faith and how they live their faith. I feel like as a cradle Catholic that, you know, we go to church on Sunday and we kind of stay in that sphere, but that\u2019s really not what our faith is about,\u201d Cancelmo said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about, you know, not hiding it under a bushel basket and being more proactive.\u201d<\/p>\n They are actively seeking more avenues to share what they\u2019re doing, reaching out more to parishes, archdiocesan and other Catholic schools.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FOTK-Mockup_Final-21.jpg\")
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