Pope Saint John Paul II famously loved sports, believing that they could serve as preparation for the spiritual life and aided the cultivation of virtues and values conducive to the Christian journey.
The late pope once said to a group of competitive athletes that, “the expressions of the language of sport are not unfamiliar to Christ’s disciples: terms like selection, training, self-discipline, persistence in resisting exhaustion, reliance on a demanding guide, honest acceptance of the rules of the game.”
His conviction proved true once again on a playing field in Hanceville, Alabama, which was the site of a recent, inter-diocesan young adult retreat that culminated in a soccer tournament, the “Copa Católica,” featuring seven teams from five different states. A group of energetic 20-somethings gathered in early November at this ministry retreat co-hosted by Catholic Extension Society and the Southeast Pastoral Institute (SEPI), which serves Latino Catholics in 30 dioceses of the Southeast U.S.
Many participants traveled hundreds of miles to be there from Nashville, Tennessee, to Mobile, Alabama, for two days of talks, team building, Mass and Eucharistic adoration at the Lourdes Grotto of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pictured below.
Then came the “Copa Católica” – the Catholic Cup soccer tournament. By Saturday afternoon, these young adult leaders were ready to showcase their talents on the field. It was a tournament filled with underdog stories, teamwork, inspiring wins, and gracious losses. Below, a team prays together before their game.
“Throughout the weekend the guys were waiting to play,”said SEPI’s Giovanni Abreu, one of the tournament’s organizers. “And what a beautiful way to end it with playing the beautiful game as brothers and sisters. No matter the result, both teams were embracing each other.”
The underdogs
Since many of the players came from smaller or under-funded communities, Abreu’s idea was to change the format from traditional 11v11 players on the field to 7v7, or “fútbol rápido.”
The shift to this fast-paced style of playing soccer along with fewer players had teams signing up immediately across the southeastern dioceses. Watch a short video of footage from the tournament captured by SEPI below.
Six of the seven teams hailed from Extension dioceses, including Birmingham, Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, Knoxville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, Lafayette, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi. They had creative or spiritually inspired team names such as Knoxville’s “Renewed by Christ,” or Lafayette’s “Latin Cajuns.” But perhaps none were more inspiring than the under-dog and under-manned “Saints” from the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi.
The “Saints” team, primarily comprising players from the young adult group at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Madison Mississippi. They had some players who had to pull out in the days leading up to the conference. However, at the conference, the remaining five players met some others from their diocese eager to compete from St. Anne’s in Carthage.
The two faith communities in Madison and Carthage are an hour away from each other. The players had just met that weekend, and had never played together, contrasting from many of the other teams that had practiced with each other for weeks ahead of the Copa. But the beauty of both sport and spirituality is the ability to come together and learn from each other and grow closer to one another.
And that can create something magnificent to watch. Despite having a team of players that hadn’t practiced together and carried just two substitutes, the Jackson “Saints” (pictured below) ended the round robin portion of the tournament as the second-best team in the field, which included a 4-0 shutout victory in their first match.
It was quite the accomplishment for a makeshift team that had just met 36 hours before.
The beautiful game
In the end, the Jackson Saints’ magic run fell short. They and the Latin Cajuns from the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, fell in the semis, paving the way for an all-Tennessee final between the Extension-supported Dioceses of Nashville and Knoxville, which the “Exodo F.C.” from Nashville took home, 2-1, giving them the Copa Católica title. They are pictured below to the right, with the runner ups from Knoxville, ”Renewed by Christ,” on the left.
What was most impressive about the tournament was the incredible sportsmanship on display. Even after Nashville and Knoxville had played each other in a highly competitive, 2-1, championship finish, decided in the final minutes, both teams and their supporters were cheering on each other equally as they received their first and second place trophies.
It was the culmination of a weekend that sharpened leadership skills, fostered teamwork, and created lasting relationships and memories. Anyone that attended this ministry retreat will tell you it was special because they were drawn closer to God, and had a spiritual encounter through soccer, the game they love.
Pope St. John Paul II is, no doubt, proud of these players. But, even more so he is proud of the faith and energy that they bring to the Church.
