Share the list of Catholic colleges in this year’s Men’s and Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournaments. As an assignment, have the students explore each college’s website and make a list of one interesting fact they discovered about each school.
Men’s Tournament
College
Seed
Founded
Sponsor
Location
Website
Dusquesne
11 E
1878
Congregation of Holy Spirit
Pittsburgh, PA
www.duq.edu
Saint Mary’s
5 W
1862
Christian Brothers
Moraga, CA
www.stmarys-ca.edu
Dayton
7 W
1850
Marianist
Dayton, OH
www.udayton.edu
Marquette
2 S
1881
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Milwaukee, WI
www.marquette.edu
Gonzaga
5 MW
1887
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Spokane, WA
www.gonzaga.edu
Creighton
3 MW
1878
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Omaha, NE
www.creighton.edu
Saint Peter’s
15 MW
1872
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Jersey City, NJ
www.saintpeters.edu
Women’s Tournament
College
Seed
Founded
Sponsor
Location
Website
Sacred Heart
16 (1)
1963
Diocese of Bridgeport
Bridgeport, CT
www.sacredheart.edu
Fairfield
13 (1)
1942
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Fairfield, CT
www.fairfield.edu
Marquette
10 (1)
1881
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Milwaukee, WI
www.marquette.edu
Notre Dame
2 (1)
1842
Congregation of Holy Cross
Notre Dame, IN
www.nd.edu
Gonzaga
4 (4)
1887
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Spokane, WA
www.gonzaga.edu
Holy Cross
16 (2)
1843
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Worcester, MA
www.holycross.edu
Portland
13 (2)
1922
Congregation of Holy Cross
Portland, OR
www.up.edu
Creighton
7 (2)
1878
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Omaha, NE
www.creighton.edu
In honor of Catholic Schools Week 2024 share these photos with your students and have them finish the captions!
My name is Billy. I am sitting in the middle of the photo. Let me tell you why I don’t have my school uniform on today.
Of all the kids in our class, can you believe ________ has turned out to be the most successful? ________ is pictured ____ from the left in the ______row from the top. _________ is known today for ______________.
They talk about class size today? Can you believe we had ____ students in our fourth grade class?
“Rhonda was pretty smart. But sometimes she just _______.”
Photo Credit: St. Paul Catholic School
Here's a moral case study you might present to your students with an assignment to follow up. For more case studies along with information and discussion questions related to the Ten Commandments, see: The Ten Commandments: Case Studies in Catholic Morality by Eileen Flynn.
Steve’s parents recently lost their jobs. They both worked at an overnight package-delivery facility, and the business went bankrupt. Most of the other people in the community also worked for the same employer, and they, too, are out of work. There are no other major employers in the area and prospects for finding jobs in the region are bleak. Many of their neighbors who are unemployed have listed their houses for sale. They want to sell their homes and move to other places to find work and begin anew.
Steve’s parents tell him what is going on. Steve is fifteen, and they feel he is old enough to understand the family’s situation. Steve’s four- and seven-year-old siblings are not part of the conversation because his parents think that they would not be able to grasp the reality that confronts them.
His parents tell Steve that the family is now living on unemployment insurance that will run out within a year. After that, there are some savings, but the savings will not last more than six to eight months. They tell Steve that he will need to find part-time jobs like landscaping and snow shoveling to help out. Things will have to change, and they will have to cut back. His parents tell Steve that they are canceling cable TV and Internet service, and that they will not be able to take the family vacation they planned. Also, the family food budget is going to be cut; there will be no expenditures for clothing; the thermostat will be turned down; and he will have to leave the school he is attending and transfer to the local public school because they cannot afford the private school tuition.
Steve is shocked by what he hears. Over the next few days he becomes sad and angry. Why should his life take such a harsh turn? He envies his best friend Mark, whose wealthy grandparents subsidize that family’s income. There are no changes in Mark’s family’s lifestyle. Steve becomes increasingly moody and thinks about running away from home. Anything to avoid looking for work mowing lawns for elderly neighbors.
Evaluation
1. Comment on how Steve’s parents are approaching the family’s economic crisis. Can you suggest a different, or better, approach?
2. What makes Steve feel so sad and angry? Does his emotional reaction indicate that he has a spiritual problem?
3. Is it fair that Mark’s family is not in economic crisis and Steve’s is? What responsibility, if any, does Mark’s family have to Steve’s and to others in the community?
4. Steve’s parents tell him that he will have to change to a public school, because they can no longer afford to pay tuition. Are there any steps that authorities at private schools can take to assist students like Steve?
Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 Encyclical, Spes Salvi, which takes its name from Romans 8:24, “Spes salvi facti sumus” – in hope we were saved, is dedicated to the theme of Christian hope. The following citation is from paragraphs 10 to 12, a section subtitled “Eternal Life—what is it?”
Make copies of the text and pass out to each student. Lead a discussion on eternal life based on this reading. Discussion prompts are listed below.
We have spoken thus far of faith and hope in the New Testament and in early Christianity; yet it has always been clear that we are referring not only to the past: the entire reflection concerns living and dying in general, and therefore it also concerns us here and now. So now we must ask explicitly: is the Christian faith also for us today a life-changing and life-sustaining hope?
Is it “performative” for us—is it a message which shapes our life in a new way, or is it just “information” which, in the meantime, we have set aside and which now seems to us to have been superseded by more recent information? In the search for an answer, I would like to begin with the classical form of the dialogue with which the rite of Baptism expressed the reception of an infant into the community of believers and the infant's rebirth in Christ. First of all the priest asked what name the parents had chosen for the child, and then he continued with the question: “What do you ask of the Church?” Answer: “Faith”. “And what does faith give you?” “Eternal life”. According to this dialogue, the parents were seeking access to the faith for their child, communion with believers, because they saw in faith the key to “eternal life”. Today as in the past, this is what being baptized, becoming Christians, is all about: it is not just an act of socialization within the community, not simply a welcome into the Church. The parents expect more for the one to be baptized: they expect that faith, which includes the corporeal nature of the Church and her sacraments, will give life to their child—eternal life. Faith is the substance of hope. But then the question arises: do we really want this—to live eternally? Perhaps many people reject the faith today simply because they do not find the prospect of eternal life attractive. What they desire is not eternal life at all, but this present life, for which faith in eternal life seems something of an impediment. To continue living for ever —endlessly—appears more like a curse than a gift. Death, admittedly, one would wish to postpone for as long as possible. But to live always, without end—this, all things considered, can only be monotonous and ultimately unbearable. This is precisely the point made, for example, by Saint Ambrose, one of the Church Fathers, in the funeral discourse for his deceased brother Satyrus: “Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning; he prescribed it as a remedy. Human life, because of sin ... began to experience the burden of wretchedness in unremitting labor and unbearable sorrow. There had to be a limit to its evils; death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing”. A little earlier, Ambrose had said: “Death is, then, no cause for mourning, for it is the cause of mankind's salvation”.
Whatever precisely Saint Ambrose may have meant by these words, it is true that to eliminate death or to postpone it more or less indefinitely would place the earth and humanity in an impossible situation, and even for the individual would bring no benefit. Obviously there is a contradiction in our attitude, which points to an inner contradiction in our very existence. On the one hand, we do not want to die; above all, those who love us do not want us to die. Yet on the other hand, neither do we want to continue living indefinitely, nor was the earth created with that in view. So what do we really want? Our paradoxical attitude gives rise to a deeper question: what in fact is “life”? And what does “eternity” really mean? There are moments when it suddenly seems clear to us: yes, this is what true “life” is—this is what it should be like. Besides, what we call “life” in our everyday language is not real “life” at all. Saint Augustine, in the extended letter on prayer which he addressed to Proba, a wealthy Roman widow and mother of three consuls, once wrote this: ultimately we want only one thing—”the blessed life”, the life which is simply life, simply “happiness”. In the final analysis, there is nothing else that we ask for in prayer. Our journey has no other goal—it is about this alone. But then Augustine also says: looking more closely, we have no idea what we ultimately desire, what we would really like. We do not know this reality at all; even in those moments when we think we can reach out and touch it, it eludes us. “We do not know what we should pray for as we ought,” he says, quoting Saint Paul (Rom 8:26). All we know is that it is not this. Yet in not knowing, we know that this reality must exist. “There is therefore in us a certain learned ignorance (docta ignorantia), so to speak”, he writes. We do not know what we would really like; we do not know this “true life”; and yet we know that there must be something we do not know towards which we feel driven.
I think that in this very precise and permanently valid way, Augustine is describing man's essential situation, the situation that gives rise to all his contradictions and hopes. In some way we want life itself, true life, untouched even by death; yet at the same time we do not know the thing towards which we feel driven. We cannot stop reaching out for it, and yet we know that all we can experience or accomplish is not what we yearn for. This unknown “thing” is the true “hope” which drives us, and at the same time the fact that it is unknown is the cause of all forms of despair and also of all efforts, whether positive or destructive, directed towards worldly authenticity and human authenticity. The term “eternal life” is intended to give a name to this known “unknown”. Inevitably it is an inadequate term that creates confusion. “Eternal”, in fact, suggests to us the idea of something interminable, and this frightens us; “life” makes us think of the life that we know and love and do not want to lose, even though very often it brings more toil than satisfaction, so that while on the one hand we desire it, on the other hand we do not want it. To imagine ourselves outside the temporality that imprisons us and in some way to sense that eternity is not an unending succession of days in the calendar, but something more like the supreme moment of satisfaction, in which totality embraces us and we embrace totality—this we can only attempt. It would be like plunging into the ocean of infinite love, a moment in which time—the before and after—no longer exists. We can only attempt to grasp the idea that such a moment is life in the full sense, a plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy. This is how Jesus expresses it in Saint John's Gospel: “I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (16:22). We must think along these lines if we want to understand the object of Christian hope, to understand what it is that our faith, our being with Christ, leads us to expect.
Do the following prior to a class discussion:
Put a question mark near two sentences you don’t understand or would like more information about.
Underline three sentences caused you to muse about eternal life. Be able to explain your thoughts regarding these sentences.
Write your response: How do you understand the meaning of “eternal life”?
You don’t see your students during summer vacation, but there are likely events for teens at local parishes that your students may benefit from. Just as important, you have students who would likely make excellent leaders of parish youth ministry programs.
Take some time to drop a note to local parish youth ministers and/or directors of religious education and do the following:
Inquire about summer events.
Ask how your former and future students might participate.
Provide the parish leaders with names and contact information of your students who may not be already enrolled in parish programming (if possible).
Share information about the course content your students covered this year with the parish leaders that they might enrich it in offerings over the summer.
Encourage parish leaders to send prospective students to visit your school. List yourself as a contact.
Recommend students who may be excellent members of a parish youth council or ministry team.
Eleven Catholic colleges are in this year’s March Madness NCAA field of 68 men’s teams beginning play on Wednesday, March 16.
Enjoy having your students research information about these colleges as a way to spur interest in their applying to one or more of them!
WEST REGIONAL
Gonzaga University
Founded: 1887
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Spokane, Washington
Conference: West Coast
Seeding: 1
University of Notre Dame
Founded: 1842:
Religious sponsorship: Congregation of Holy Cross
Location: Notre Dame, Indiana
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Seeding: 11
EAST REGIONAL
Marquette University
Founded: 1861
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 9
St. Mary’s College
Founded: 1863
Religious sponsorship: De La Salle Brothers
Location: Moraga, California
Conference West Coast
Seeding: 5
University of San Francisco
Founded: 1855
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: San Francisco, California
Conference: West Coast
Seeding: 10
St. Peter’s University
Founded: 1872
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Jersey City, New Jersey
Conference: Metro Atlantic Athletic
Seeding: 15
SOUTH REGIONAL
Seton Hall University
Founded: 1865
Religious sponsorship: Archdiocese of Newark
Location: South Orange, New Jersey
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 8
Loyola University Chicago
Founded: 1870
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Conference: Missouri Valley
Seeding: 10
Villanova University
Founded: 1842
Religious sponsorship: Augustinians
Location: Villanova, Pennsylvania
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 2
MIDWEST REGION
Creighton University
Founded: 1878
Religious sponsorship: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 9
Providence College
Founded: 1917
Religious sponsorship: Dominican Province of St. Joseph
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Conference: Big East
Seeding: 4
Note: There are five Catholic colleges in this year’s Women’s Basketball tournament: DePaul, Creighton, Gonzaga, Villanova, and Notre Dame.
With St. Valentine’s Day approaching, here’s a simple and fun icebreaker to get your students in the mood for a more serious presentation on the topic of love or St. Valentine himself.
Preparation
Provide blank bingo cards with nine squares to each student. Write entries having to do with love on each square (see sample entries below). The center square can be a free blank square.
Sample Entries
Can name three famous questions in love.
The word that came to mind when you experienced your first crush.
Can recite a love poem or verse.
Can say “I love you” in a language besides English.
Will describe my perfect Valentine.
Can sing a lyric of a song having to do with love.
With a partner, can enact first meeting a date’s parents.
Knows where the nearest bridal shop is.
Can give the place where Jesus performed his first miracle.
Directions
Pass out the bingo cards and a pencil to each student. Tell them to move around the room and get signatures for each square. A person can only sign one square on each player’s card. Say: “When you have all the squares signed call bingo.”
Take the card of the person who called bingo. In order for him or her to be declared winner, all the people who signed the card have to verify the square they sign for. Check a few of the signatures before the whole class. For example, say: “Mark can you sing a couple of lyrics from your favorite son? Yvette, will you describe your perfect Valentine?”
If all the signers check out, you have a winner. If not, continue playing the same way as before.
Erica Hunckler, a senior at Guerin High School in Noblesville, Indiana, wrote this poem to support the right to life of unborn children. Read the story of her family's long history in the pro life movement here. As an assignment, nearing the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision on January 22, have your students write their own pro life poems or journal entries.
At ten weeks
I have ten fingers
And ten toes.
I have two eyes,
Two ears,
One mouth,
And one nose.
I have a beating heart
That will continue to grow,
With love for you,
And the world I have yet to know.
This body of mine-
Yes- it is my own. Uniquely made,
By God, I was sewn
Into my mother’s womb
So, let it be known:
I was made
In the Image of God, The only One
Who sits on the throne.
With Him reside the Angels, Saints, and souls,
Who lost their lives,
As they were torn,
Part from whole.
Let us not forget,
The parents filled with regret, And their need to be consoled.
No rally, protest, or political poll Can prepare a mother or a father, For the toll,
That abortion takes,
On their immortal soul.
To those who know
Of the lies that spread:
Share the truth with them instead.
No woman needs abortion,
To be a woman of ambition.
It is through this detestable invention,
That misogyny continues to be written, In our laws and in the hearts,
And in the minds
Of young gentlemen.
There is a popular pro-choice claim:
“Old white men are those to blame.”
With tongue in cheek
I say this is true,
For the justices in favor,
Of a woman’s “right to choose”
Nine justices
On the bench.
Nine white justices
Were appointed,
So they went.
To fulfill their duty,
Regardless of by whom they were sent.
Nine white male justices
And just two of them would
dissent.
From this decision came, Legalization
Of an incorporation
That inflicts pain.
I prefer to use their name,
Because Planned Parenthood,
Is seemingly unashamed.
Spreading lies for personal gain.
Exploiting women to boost their fame.
Stand up! Be not afraid!
Our bodies are not Planned Parenthood’s domain.
They prey on the marginalized, Marketing specifically in their location,
Establishing their disservice
With countless health violations.
Did someone forget to mention? Racism is their foundation-
Abortion’s minority is Caucasian.
48 years pass.
Generations are heartbroken Alas, hearts burst into shards Like a pile of shattered glass, Because the deafening silence, Of aborted children en masse, Thunders in the hearts
Made of glass.
