A follow-up, of sorts, to Tolton, racism, and Rome

Just a little over a month ago, I wondered what the Servant of God Father Augustus Tolton would think today of the city of Rome, especially considering a disgusting piece of graffiti which - as of yesterday morning - has still not be removed:

An article published today by the International Business Times suggests that "Italians be [sic?] racist sometimes," particularly in the area of football (or soccer, for my American readers).

While the article is not directly related to the Eternal City, it is an interesting read, if for no other reason than, as Carlo Tavecchio says, "Soccer mirrors the social tensions faced by Italy, as well as other nations."

Professional soccer player ordained a priest

A few years I shared with you story of Chase Hilgenbrinck, a former professional soccer player who entered the seminary (you can also read his Wikipedia page). I was happy to see this morning that he was ordained a priest yesterday by Bishop Jenky:

Soccer player now Fr. Chase Hilgenbrinck ordained 5/24/2014 a priest for Catholic Diocese of Peoria #ESPN #foxsoccer pic.twitter.com/OGkFhlrSnW
— Bishop Jenky, CSC (@Bishop_Jenky) May 24, 2014

Please remember Father Hilgenbrinck, and all of the newly ordained priests, in your prayers.

A season ended

The Rochester Rockets defeated the St. Anthony Bulldogs 2-1 in last night's sectional match in Edwardsville. It was a game well-fought by both sides.

Bulldogs coach Scott Demers summarized the game thus, with my emphases and comments:

In 2006, St. Anthony faced Rochester in Sectional finals and the game went to penalty kicks. St. Anthony lost in 2006 and although the SAHS Bulldogs have played their share of overtime periods and won the Regional Title against Harrisburg in penalty kicks, they were hoping to win in regulation this time around.

In every competition, there is a winner, and there is a loser. Today, St. Anthony closed a great season that brought them to the 'Sweet Sixteen' for just the second time in program history and one of the best season records of 11-5-5.

St. Anthony did their best. They kept a good team out of the goal, but Rochester was able to beat St. Anthony on set plays, 2 goals, both corner kicks.

The first half began with Rochester hitting the ball into the corner of the spacious Metro-East Lutheran High School field (80 x 120 yards). St. Anthony defenders worked the ball forward but lost the ball on an intercepted pass and that began Rochester's offensive push. From the beginning of the game and through half-time, Rochester was able to control the ball and the game. But, not until the 20th minute, were they able to find a crack in St. Anthony's 'Iron Curtain' defense and put one in the goal. Rochester was awarded a corner kick when a St. Anthony defender cleared the ball across the goal line.

Rochester played the ball just outside the goal box area (a 6 x 20 yard box in front of the goal). St. Anthony defenders moved to play the ball out but a Rochester forward moved to the ball, struck it, and it hit SAHS keeper, Scott Deters in the face. The ball ricocheted and Rocket midfielder, Lucas Brubaker, hit the rebound into the back of the net. Tested by many tough matches, the SAHS Bulldogs were not ready to give up. Just six minutes later, in the 26th minute, Aaron Wall took a pass from Ryan Willenborg, who played in various positions throughout the match. A-Wall rocketed the ball past an out of position Rochester goal-keeper to equalize the game 1 - 1.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs made adjustments and seemed to gain momentum against a tough Rochester midfield and defense. "Rochester midfielders were able to keep us out of their half until we switched a couple of our guys in the middle and changed our strategy." Despite the changes and more scoring opportunities, the Bulldogs were shutout the second half and the Rochester Rockets scored again in the 23rd minute on yet another corner kick. The rest of the game saw St. Anthony moving the ball very well but when they got near scoring range, the Rochester defense closed in and cleared the ball.

"We never gave up. We played as hard as we could until the final whistle blew." [That's very true; I was quite pleased to watch the boys play to the end.]

St. Anthony was the 'underdog' and were playing against a more experienced, more physical squad, bias officiating [it always baffles me when I see officials not making even calls, especially at such a high level game; last night it was quite apparent], and the ever present winding down clock. But despite all that was against them, the SAHS Bulldogs never gave up and in the last 10 minutes saw at least 4 scoring opportunities that were within inches away from the back of the net.

"When you have competitors like Nate Gray, Doug Field, Aaron Wall, and Scott Deters, you have a chance to win any game."

SAHS Coaches would like to recognize the 2010 Regional Champions, the St. Anthony Bulldogs, all 34 of them. Thank you for a great season and a great run towards State Tournament.

The St. Anthony Soccer Team expect to have 26 returning players next year with some additions yet to be realized [about 1/4 of the boys in the school].

"With the core of players we have that are returning, we will be fighting to bring home the Regional and Sectional Titles to the SAHS Trophy Case next year."

Congratulations, Bulldogs, on a season very well played! Keep up the good work next season!

Regional Champions

Last evening, I witnessed one of the best soccer games I have ever seen played between the St. Anthony Bulldogs and the Harrisburg Bulldogs for the Regional Final.

St. Anthony Coach Scott Demers sent out the following summary of the well-fought match (with my emphases and comments:

I'm not quite sure how to report the final score for the match. To simply put it, WE WON!!

We finished our regular season with one of the best records ever (8-4-5) For post season, we were seeded #3 and we faced #6 Altamont and won 1 - 0. We then faced the #2 seed, Mt. Carmel and won in double overtime (1-0). Tonight, we faced the #1 seed, Harrisburg, and yes, we won.

What a game. After 2 hours of play, over 45 shots (Harrisburg) against our 21 shots, 27 saves (Scott Deters) to their 8 saves, it all came down to penalty kicks [talk about pressure and unbelievable excitement and anticipation]and one kicker making his shot and one goal keeper making a great stop. A kicker 12 yards away from the goal against a goal-keeper. Harrisburg had their keeper, but we have Scott Deters [Scott's had an amazing season, and is a first-time keeper]. St. Anthony players that stepped up under intense pressure were Doug Field, Hayden Esker, Aaron Walters, Michael Kabbes, Alissandro Di Girolamo, Rory Woods, and Aaron Wall. They all made their shot. As in every win, it took the whole team to pull out a win. In this case, a dramatic upset.

Regulation (2-40 minute halves): Harrisburg (0) - St. Anthony (0)
Over time Periods 1, 2, 3, 4 (each 10 minutes) Golden Goal or Suden Death: Harrisburg (0) - St. Anthony (0)
Penalty Kicks: Round 1 (5 kicks each team) Harrisburg (5) - St. Anthony (5)
Penalty Kicks: Golden Goal (1st team that misses loses) Harrisburg (1) - St. Anthony (2)

St. Anthony wins by Penalty Kicks - Harrisburg (6) - St. Anthony (7)
St. Anthony is now 11 - 4 - 5
Sectional Semi-finals are Thursday 5:00 PM at Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran
St. Anthony will face their toughest competition of the season against Rochester (seeded #1)

--------------------------------------------------
Game Commentary:

The first half began with both teams finding their way to getting shots on goal. But after 25 minutes of both teams testing each others defense, Harrisburg began to control more of the pace and conrtol the ball more effectively. Rahul Patel, Harrisburg central defender, was able to keep St. Anthony forwards out of scoring opportunities with great speed and positioning. But similarly, Nate Gray and St. Anthony goal-keeper, Scott Deters, were able to stop every Harrisburg attempt on goal. The first half ended with the score tied.

The second half also ended in a tie and was similar to the first half with the exception that Harrisburg took command of play and dominated possession of the ball and effectively putting the ball on goal. But, as in many games, St. Anthony's stellar goal-keeping and solid defense kept Harrisburg from getting uncontested opportunities to score.

There was a coin toss and both teams set up for 'Golden Goal' over time. Basically, the first team that scores, wins. Each Golden Goal period is 10 minutes long with teams switching sides of the field at the end of each period. At the end of four 'Golden Goal' periods, the score was still deadlocked at 0 - 0.

The next step to determine a winner is penalty kicks. Each team chooses 5 players that alternately take shots against the opposing team's goal keeper from 12 yards away. The first round ended with the score tied agains, 5 - 5. That leads to "Golden Goal' Penalty Kicks. The winner is decided when one team makes the goal and the opposing team misses. In the final round that was played, St. Anthony shot first and Harrisburg shot second.

During this stage of play, the players have played non-stop for 2 hours and now must face the opposition's goal-keeper in tight quarters. With pressure mounting, St. Anthony's Rory Woods, a junior, stepped up and found the net on his kick. Harrisburg's kicker likewise found the net on his shot. The score was tied 6 - 6 in penalty kicks. That's St. Anthony's leading scorer stepped up and blasted a shot past Harrisburg's keeper and that put great pressure on Harrisburg's next kicker. Before the referee set the play, Harrisburg shot and the missed wide. St. Anthony players rushed the field thinking they had won the match. But because the play had not been started by the referee, a 're-kick' was awarded. The Harrisburg player shot and Scott Deters, St. Anthony's Goal Keeper, guessed right and found the ball. He stopped the shot. St. Anthony won, 7 - 6 in Penalty Kicks.

With all of the drama, with all of the excitement, it all came down to nerves and composure. As in the 120 minutes of play, Scott Deters came up big, real big. If there was a most valuable player award, Scott Deters would get it. With 27 saves during regulation and overtime play, he made the difference and completed his 9th regulation shut-out.

"Harrisburg was a good team and they play a physical style of soccer that we haven't faced and the boys held up.

Our team's true character showed when we were able to shut them (Harrisburg) out and pull off a dramatic win.

St. Anthony coaches would like to recognize the great play of Michael Nosbisch, Ryan Willenborg, Nate Gray, and keeper, Scott Deters. We also should recognize those that stepped up and finished with a bang. Parents, let your sons know how great they are, they shoed it tonight.

Thank you all for your support. Our next big challenge is Thursday against Rochester. We play at 5:00 PM at Metro-East Lutheran in Edwardsville. See you there.

The Pope and soccer

Over at the Hermeneutic of Continuity, Father Finnigan points us to a few words then-Cardinal Ratzinger wrote about football:

Football requires one to order that which is one's own to the needs of the team; it unites by means of the common objective. The success and failure of each one is based on the success and failure of the team; freedom is maintained through the order and discipline in which we learn to act together.

The end of a season

Regular readers of these pages will be familiar with my involvement with the soccer team at St. Anthony high school, which began a few years ago.

At the time, I used Tuesdays as my "day off". One Tuesday afternoon I happened into the high school office to drop something off as the soccer team was about to leave for a game about an hour away. One of the boys saw me and asked, "Are you coming to the game with us, Father?" Since he knew I had nothing else to do that day, how could I refuse?

From that question one thing led to another and before I knew it the boys told me I was their "assistant coach," even though they knew I knew very little about the game and nothing about coaching. Since then I've learned a little bit about soccer.

This year's soccer season started off with a great boost of morale to the team with the addition of a new coach, Coach K, who brought with him a new confidence and enthusiasm to the team. Yet after coaching the team for only a week and a half he collapsed on the field at practice and died of heat exhaustion.

His coaching method revolved around a focus of the basics of the game, as I noted in the homily I preached at his funeral liturgy.

The experience of Coach K's death brought the team together in a most profound way, as only the experience of death can do. I was privileged to be there with them that night and to pray with them and journey with them through the season, and for a short time I became, by default, their coach, with the capable and necessary assistance of a few alumni.

We soon found a new coach for the team, Scott Demers, who has proved an excellent fit with the boys. I cannot thank him enough for all that he has done for them. Once he became the coach, I happily reverted to the "assistant."

Scott coached the team to the second round of regionals and submitted the following report on yesterday's game at Olney:

The St.Anthony High School Soccer Team made it to the second round of Regional play against Mt. Carmel after defeating Olney this past week. And as the Olney, East Richland match ended in the third suden-death overtime, today's match ended in similar fashion.

St. Anthony started the scoring with an early goal by John Kay on a feed from Riley Wesendorf at the 4:50 minute mark. St. Anthony scored again when Riley Westendorf passed to Michael Kabbes who drilled a shot past the Mt. Carmel goalie at the 25:24 minute mark.

The scoring favored St. Anthony for five minutes when Mt. Carmel was awarded a penalty kick on a questionable call. Mt. Carmel forward, Pete Condol, converted the penalty kick and that made the score 2 -1 in favor of SAHS. Then in the 39:40 minute mark, Gabriel Tennis of Mt Carmel scored on a misplayed ball by the Bulldog defense and tied things up.

Fans that attended the Regional match in Olney saw both teams not allow a goal for the entire second half and two over-time periods. The SAHS Bulldogs attempted 26 shots in which the Mt. Carmel goal-keeper made 14 saves. Mt. Carmel attempted 19 shots and the SAHS goalie made 14 saves.

It was in the third, sudden-death overtime period that Mt. Carmel ended the match on a shot by Armand Brisard which found the back of the net. Despite being dominated by the Bulldogs, Mt. Carmel players never gave up. St. Anthony had many scoring chances that weren't converted and continued to give the Golden Aces of Mt. Carmel a chance to stay in the match.

SAHS coach, Scott Demers, stated, "If we could have scored on effort, we won by a lot. But, it's goals that count." SAHS defender, Nate Grey, was a player that "left it all on the field." Grey played with a bruised knee that made it difficult to walk but somehow was able to perform exceptionally during game-play. Other players that went above and beyond the call of duty were Michael Nosbisch, Josh Wall, Charles McGuire, Cody Sandschafer, and all of the substitutes that kept pressure on Mt. Carmel throughout the entire match.

"The Mt. Carmel Golden Aces were in the right place at the right time too many times and they took advantage of their opportunities, our hats go off to them," said SAHS Coach, Scott Demers. SAHS would also like to thank all those that made the long trek to Olney to support the Bulldogs, especially the players from Teutopolis.

Overall, the boys played notably better than they ever played last year and have greatly improved. I am certain this is due, in no small part to two things. For much of the season the boys played their games for the team but for Coach K. And after my transfer to Virden and Girard they played their games for me.

I am immensely proud of all they have accomplished this season, and am certain Coach K would be equally proud.

Well done, boys, well done!

Victory!

Last night we had our first non-tournament soccer match of the season. I'm delighted to say that Vandalia Vandals fell to the St. Anthony Bulldogs on Bulldog Field. Well done, boys!

Our coach wrote up the following for the local newspaper:

The St. Anthony High School Soccer Team hosted the Vandalia High School Vandals in Varsity and Junior Varsity soccer matches.

In the Varsity game the Bulldogs opened scoring when Riley Westenforf passed to Doug Field who then passed it back to Westendorf who placed an outside shot into the corner of the goal. St. Anthony led 1 - 0 until about the 15:00 minute mark when Doug Field placed a "direct, free kick" past the waiting Vandalia goal keeper. The free kick was awarded after a Vandalia player pushed off a St. Anthony player. The foul resulted in a 2 - 0 lead for St. Anthony.

Riley Westendorf scored again on a cross from Michael Kabbes when the ball deflected off of a Vandalia player. Vandalia then posted their first goal when a St.. Anthony player accidentally stopped the ball with his hand inside their penalty box. When a team commits a foul or hand-ball inside their own penalty box, a penalty kick is awarded to the opposing team. The ball was placed 12 yards from the goal and it was one vs one, Codey Norris (Vandalia) vs Gary Hanner(St. Anthony). Codey Norris shot a driving shot to Gary Hanner's right side which was too much for the senior goal keeper.

St. Anthony later added three more goals from John Kay, Michael Kabbes, and Aaron Wall to end the match St. Anthony 6, Vandalia 1.

The Junior Varsity Match was an evenly matched bout between the same schools. St. Anthony was able to squeak out another victory for the JV squad led by sophomore Ryan Willenborg and Junior, Hayden Esker.

St. Anthony's next match is this Thursday at 4:30 Varsity and 6:00 Junior Varsity against East Richland. Come out and support the 2009 St. Anthony Soccer Team.

A weekend tournament

This weekend St. Anthony High School hosts a soccer tournament, beginning this afternoon and lasting through tomorrow evening.


The schedule is as follows:

Friday

:

4:30 p.m.: Greenville vs. Salem

6:00 p.m.: St. Anthony vs. Lincoln

Saturday:

10:00 a.m.: St. Anthony vs. Mt. Carmel

11:20 a.m.: Altamont vs. Salem

12:40 p.m.: Lincoln vs. Greenville

2:00 p.m.: Mt. Carmel vs. Altamont

3:30 p.m.: Third Place Game

5:00 p.m.: Championship Game

I fully expect our boys to do well in this tournament. They have worked hard this summer and are in much better shape to play - both physically and mentally - than I've seen them before.


Facebook statuses clearly show the boys are playing this weekend for Coach K and they'll be wearing wristbands in his memory.


I'm very proud of them and wish them well.


If you're in the area and are free, please come out and cheer us on!

Homily for the Funeral Liturgy for Coach K

My brothers and sisters,

May the Lord give you peace.

The death of our brother Karol has stunned us all. His death came too soon, we say; too young, he was, to die. Today we can make the words of the Psalmist our own, “I believed, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted” (Psalm 116:10). We are afflicted this night with grief, yet we have gathered here in faith, for “whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8).

The reality of his death reminds us of the fragility of human life and calls to mind the things that truly last: faith, which comes from and leads us to God; hope, which leads us to trust in the Lord’s mercy; and love, which binds us together in friendship with God and with one another (cf. I Corinthians 13:13).

To die doing what a man loves is a rare privilege given only to a few. Karol’s love of soccer – and of those he coached – was no secret.

Though I only knew him a short time, I am certain that he learned much about life from the sport he loved.

When he returned this summer to coach the boys at St. Anthony’s, Karol brought with him a focus on the basics of the game. On several occasions, he reminded the boys that unless they had the fundamentals of controlling the ball down, they could never hope to pull off any tricks. A match is won not with fancy footwork, but with basic skills.

The mark of a successful coach – like any teacher - is not found simply in whether his team wins often, but on the lessons he gives and impresses upon the hearts of his players. As it is with soccer, so it is with life; Coach K taught us not only about soccer, but about life, as well.

We know that our only true and lasting happiness lies in God and that the way to him is found in faithfully and fervently following after Jesus Christ. If we do not have the basics of discipleship down, we cannot hope to achieve the ultimate goal of soaring to the heights of spiritual perfection.

The basics of the Christian life – the love of God and the love of neighbor – are simple, but they are not easy. Just as the basics of controlling the soccer ball must be practiced and rehearsed so, too, must the love of God and of neighbor be practiced with dedication if they are too take root, grow and flourish. They are expressed through daily prayer and the reading of the Scriptures; through the reception of the Sacraments and the frequent confession of sins; through the genuine concern for others over and above myself and the living of a just life. These fundamentals of the Christian life, of living a good life, are most important because “each of us shall give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

It was this focus on the basics, I think, that helped form Karol as the generous, gentle and patient man we knew and loved. It was this simplicity that drew others to him and that led to the only description I have heard of him: “He was a good man.”

We have come together today to pay our respects to this man who won our deep affection and to commend and entrust him into the hands of God. So it is with mixed emotions that we have come. We say with the sacred author,

Remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast within me. But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have hope: the favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent. They are renewed every morning, so great is faithfulness (Lamentations 3:21-21).

We have come both in sadness and in hope, and both of these are right and good.

Only five days before he died Karol asked me which version of the Bible he should purchase because he wanted to read from the Bible every day and wanted a good and readable translation. He wanted to know the Lord better, to encounter him in the Sacred Writings and to hear his voice. We are told, “Good is the Lord to one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:25-26).

At the end of his life, Karol waited for the Lord; at the end of our lives, may each of us be found doing the same, that he who sits enthroned above all creation may say to us when we stand before the “judgment seat of God,” “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Romans 14:10; Matthew 25:34).

Let us now entrust our son, our father, our brother, coach and friend into the merciful hand of God. May the Lord receive his humble servant. May he forgive his sins and raise him up “to eternal life” to “walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living” (Matthew 25:46; Psalm 116:9).

May we, having learned from his example, likewise seek the Lord, striving always to live the authentic fundamentals of life, that we might live with our brother forever. Amen.

Days in hiding

Yesterday turned out to be a most restful and refreshing day. I didn’t see a single soul after 7:30 a.m. until I saw my Pastor this morning about 7:30. It was wonderful!

It isn’t that I don’t like people, but from time to time I need to get away from everything and hiding in my suite yesterday proved to be just what I needed. It’s the curse – or the blessing – of the introvert.

Though I was in Effingham yet today and will be so tomorrow – though I considering a quick trip to St. Louis – I will largely remain in hiding.

Today I was able to work on the homily I will preach tomorrow for Coach K’s funeral. I worked on it before I met with his family this afternoon to talk about the services. They asked what I had in mind and were very happy with the thoughts I’ve put together. That came as a great relief because this will not be easy.

I enjoy celebrating funerals and find them rather peaceful. Perhaps it’s because I’ve encountered death many times over the course of my years. Death does not frighten me; I rather look forward to my own death. Still, tragedy still affects me and the shock of his death will likely return tomorrow evening.

The soccer team played a scrimmage match this evening against Effingham High School. Our boys played well, though they wore out easily. A number of our older players were unable to make the game. In the end, Effingham won 2-1, scoring the winning goal with a sweet shot. Even so, I think our boys had a good time.

Sometimes a sign says it all

A well played tournament

The boys played extremely well in this weekend’s soccer tournament at Effingham High School.

In their first game Friday afternoon against Altamont, the Bulldogs won 2-0.

In their morning game Saturday against Teutopolis, the boys won 1-0.

They lost their third game of the tournament Saturday afternoon against Effingham 1-0. As they played this match, I could tell they were very tired; nevertheless, they played well.

Naturally, the boys were very excited about the two victories and a bit upset about their loss. Nevertheless, they remarked, “We’ve already tied our record for last season.” It’s sad, but true. I think Coach K would be proud of them; I know I am.

It apparently poured down enough rain Friday night to soak the soccer field on which we played. The ground squished enough to soak through to your socks, which made me glad I chose to wear sandals or, as they call them in Hawaii, slippas.

Not a few times a player would give the ball a high kick and when it hit the field the players kept looking around for it circles, wondering where it went. Some of the puddles in the field were deep enough for the ball to float on the field! One of our boys took a bit of a forward tumble and landing face down on the field; his jersey was thoroughly soaked.

When returned from lunch for the second game, much of the water was now sitting on top of the grace.

Three of our alumni soccer players are back in Effingham for the summer and took on the coaching duties for the tournament and they’ll continue to coach the scrimmage games held through the summer. They enjoy the coaching, the boys like having them back, and I like not having to do something that I have no real knowledge about.

I brought my camera along with me to the tournament and took quite a few pictures during the games (Friday and Saturday).

A day of rest much needed

Thanks to the generous help of our retired priest, I finally have a chance to reflect on the events of this past week following the sudden death of Coach K, who collapsed Wednesday evening on the soccer field toward the end of practice.

The days following have been extremely busy for me, filled largely with arrangements about the soccer program. There was much to be done and boys to be cared for.

Shortly after the boys left the church following the prayers for the dead, one of the players sent me a text message, saying, “Hey all the soccer players want to have this tournament don’t let em cancel it”. That was all I needed to know. They wanted to play in the tournament held this weekend in honor of Coach K. He was only their coach for about two weeks, but he taught them much.

I’ve slept precious little since Wednesday, but with each passing night I have slept a bit more (five hours last night). The shock of it all and the work to be done has largely kept me from reflecting on the events as I know I need too.

This morning I was to leave to with some of the high school students on a work camp. With Coach K’s services set for Tuesday, I knew I would have to stay behind and hoped to join them Wednesday evening and return with them on Saturday. For reasons that elude and baffle me, I am told it is not possible for me to arrive late. As frustrating as this is – and as much as it angers on me on account of the kids as they were very much looking forward to my being with them (some are still trying to convince to go so they can “sneak me in”) – it is also affording me, at long last, a couple of days to process what has occurred.

I stopped by to visit our retired priest Friday evening and explained the situation to him, asking him to take my Masses for the next few days as originally planned, even though I would remain in Effingham. I simply lacked the emotional, spiritual and physical strength to keep going as I had been. So much of my energy has been expended for others since Wednesday – especially for the soccer team – that until today I had spent little on myself. Friday I especially began to feel the weight of it all. I simply could not minister more to others until I gave the Lord the time to minister to me.

Our retired priest graciously agreed to celebrate the Masses as planned. May the Lord reward him for his goodness!

This has been a lesson well learned. My first instinct is always to give all that I have for others. In the future I must also remember to give some time for myself as well. If I know myself as well as I think I do, I will need to continually be reminded of this. Intellectually I know the truth of this need for me, but my heart would break if I didn’t care first for others.

Today and tomorrow I intend to keep a low profile in Effingham and I am even considering turning off the phones for the afternoon so I don’t have to answer questions about the evening Mass that we haven’t had here in nearly a decade. (If any emergencies arrive, those who would need me have my cell number.)

The quiet morning has already borne much fruit for me. It is very rare that a priest is able to take Sunday as a true day of rest, a special gift given me today. The Lord knows I needed it and in his love arranged it to be so.

I celebrated the evening Mass yesterday and preached from a quickly sketched outline. I may get around to typing it out more fully for you this afternoon, and I may not. Either way, you now know why a homily has not yet been posted this weekend.

A great way to start

I have just returned from the first game of this weekend's Effingham Tournament. The clouds came in after the game began and cooled the temperatures a bit. It is amazing how different 91 degrees feels under the sun and under the clouds. We also had a good, strong breeze throughout much of the game.

Before the game against Altamont began, we took a brief moment of silence in honor of Coach K.

I'm beyond delighted to say the boys played very well, better than I've seen them play in quite some time. The St. Anthony Bulldogs scored the only two points of the game. Congratulations, boys!

We had a good number of fans come out to support the team who commented that it looked as though we had enough coaches to field a time. Several of our alumni players came out to help the boys, and for their help - and the support of the fans - I'm truly grateful.

In just over an hour I will celebrate Mass for the De Colores community in the Effingham area and then begin working on Sunday's homily.

Who's in the mood for a good game?

If you're in the Effingham area - and even if you're not - consider yourself invited to the Effingham Tournament this weekend. Come on out and support our soccer team!

We play at the field of Effingham High School Friday afternoon at 4:00, Saturday morning at 9:00, and Saturday afternoon at 12:30.

We'd be delighted to have a large fan base!

A strange day

Times of grief are always very strange and disconcerting. Though much has changed, life must continue.

I slept very little last night – two hours at most, I think. I spent the night in prayer for Coach K and his family, but most of all for the soccer players. These twenty-four hours later, I am still stunned , really, at what has happened.

Fortunately, the little sleep I had last night came just before my alarm went off to prepare for the 6:30 a.m. Mass.

After Mass I prepared a bit for a radio interview at 7:40. It seemed very strange to be doing such a thing when a friend had just died only the night before, yet commitments were made and had to be kept. Grief usually seems to pull me in two separate directions: either toward duty or toward introspection. Today was spent mostly toward duty. I hope to be able to turn toward introspection tomorrow.

After the radio interview I had to at least pretend to take up the role as head soccer coach and see to some arrangements to prepare for the tournament this weekend and to do so I met with the athletic director. Together we were able to arrange a few things, but there is still much to be done tomorrow. I thought having to assume the role of pastor would be difficult; compared to having to take up that of head coach, being pastor seems simple.

Fr. Kyle Schnippel, the Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Cincinnati and author of the blog Called By Name, stopped in this morning for a visit on his way to his brother’s. He’s much taller than I would have imagined. Either that, or I’m just short.

We had originally planned to visit with each other for a few hours over lunch, but with the circumstances of the day we were only able to visit for about an hour. I wish that we could have spent more time together and trust that the Lord will arrange such in the future. (Thanks for the stopping in, Fr. Kyle!)

One of the secretaries at the high school called me and asked that I come immediately. I wasn’t sure what to expect it and apologized to Fr. Kyle and asked him to excuse me. We hadn’t even lunch and I’d only shown him the parish center and the church. He was very gracious and understanding.

It turns one of the local television stations had apparently sent a reporter to the high school who would be arriving shortly and wanted to interview me. I think this was my second television news interview, the first having taken place in Sydney during the World Youth Day 2008.

Afterwards I spoke with a reporter for the Effingham Daily News for an article that I believe will be published tomorrow.

I then visited with the secretary and the athletic director before grabbing a bite to eat.

At 2:45 a parishioner stopped in (we had already arranged the time yesterday afternoon) to have my give a rough translation of a Latin document in his possession that came with a relic. It turns out he has a first class relic of Saint Thomas Aquinas; it is a piece of one of his bones.

Afterwards I saw to a few more soccer details before spending some time in prayer before going to soccer practice at 5:00.

One of our parishioners spoke briefly with the boys about grief and mourning and I reiterated some of what she said from my own experience.

I spent much a practice talking with our principal while two of our alumni took care of the light practice. These young men will help coach the tournament this weekend and will also help when they can throughout the summer. I am very grateful for their help!

This has reminded me that I am happy to do what I do well and only all to happy to hand over to others things I don’t do well. I can see to the organization of practices and to communication, but when it comes to leading a practice I’m very happy to have others to help who know what they’re doing.

After soccer practice I met with a few students and their parents to talk about the next World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011. Afterwards I visited with a few of them who have become good friends over the past year or so and arranged a time to visit with them and have dinner at one of their homes next weekend.

Tomorrow I have the early Mass again and a burial later in the morning of an Effingham native who died in Florida. Fortunately, the afternoon is free until the soccer game at 4:00. At 7:30 I will celebrate Mass at our mission parish for the De Colores community.

I don’t expect I’ll sleep much again tonight, though I certainly hope to do so.€

News updates on Coach K

WCIA TV has a brief story on the death of Coach K. The reporter and videographer came down this morning to interview me.

WAND TV has also a brief story.

You have to suffer through an advertisement prior to each.

WXEF radio has this story.

Soccer returns

This summer, a former coach of our soccer team is hosting practices for our soccer players each Tuesday and Thursday evening through July and the team will also play in several pick up games. Our first practice was held just two days ago.

Prior to practice the weathered seemed threatening but we had practice nonetheless, with about a dozen players in attendance. Halfway through practice the rain began to fall, so we simply continued in the rain. I found it rather enjoyable.

Toward the end of practice, the coach had the boys practice their guarding skills and, since we had an odd number of players, had me guard one of the boys, an incoming freshman less than half my age.

As I ran about trying to keep up with him (many times I just gave up) I couldn't help but think the situation rather unfair. Then the coach had me switch to guard one of our visiting players who graduated two years ago. And who as a member of the team that made it to the sweet sixteen. That certainly was unfair, but much fun.

At one point as I ran toward the ball I received a good push from behind and missed the ball. I turned to the player who gave the push and said, "You're not supposed to shove the priest!" He answered something to the effect of, "Father, this is the soccer field; that doesn't matter here." Fair enough.

As the grass was very wet yesterday and I was in tennis shoes I was sliding about all over the place. I fully expect the coach to me to more such use as the summer progresses so a short while ago I went out and bought a pair of cleats. Now I'm ready for practice in two hours.

Hmm...

Throughout the day I've received a couple of questions relating to the remaining schedule for the soccer season. It seems some parents want to plan ahead and were asking the dates, times and locations of possible future games, presuming we do well in the first regional game, and then in the second, etc.

Looking through the possible games and consulting also with my own calendar I was quite surprised to see that every time we might play in a match that my calendar was free each and every time, even in the afternoon leading up to the evening games, often some distance away.

If you've ever tried to schedule an evening with a priest you know how very difficult it can often be. We have too many - and, often enough, pointless - meetings and other such things to attend to. Could this be the hand of Providence writing through my calendar? I hope so.

I wonder if the Lord will grant us - and if the boys will play well and hard enough - to keep advancing? I do hope so.

Saints Anthony of Padua, Sebastian and Christopher (he's apparently the patron saint of soccer; perhaps Sr. Mary Martha could verify this for us [I'm sure the saints don't mind this little interlude]), pray for us!

A sad defeat

This evening the Bulldogs played their archrival, the Wooden Shoes, at Teutopolis.

The JV team played first in a very tight match, resulting in a tie of 1-1. The Wooden Shoes scored first and the Bulldogs had a bit of a struggle matching the goal managed to pull it off at the end of the second half, with 0:0 remaining on the clock. That was quite an exciting goal!

The varisty team played an excellent first half, keeping the Wooden Shoes - who only lost one game this season - from scoring. In the second half, however, the Wooden Shoes managed six goals, ending the game 6-0.

Tuesday the Bulldogs play their first regional game in Greenville.

During the games I gave my camera to a couple of the boys to keep them occupied when they weren't playing.

Here are a few shots they took: