top of page
Writer's pictureProfiles in Catholicism
Apr 28, 202332 min read

Sports

Updated: May 2, 2023



A Message from the Editor


I played football in high school. It wasn’t until years later that I appreciated what team spirit is. There was a connection unlike anything I have experienced since. There is a lifetime bond with the people that I played with.


I am a Cubs fan. However, I secretly cheer whenever the White Sox have a victory because the White Sox recognized Father Greg Sakowicz in the fifth inning of its game against the Miami Marlins with the team’s “Tip of the Cap Moment” in 2019.


We continue to have mass murders in the United States that often include children and souls of many of the children are scared for life. Ethicists need to speak out of the sharing of guilt for these deaths by those U.S politicians who fail to support the banning of assault weapons when we know that such legislation saves lives.


After more than twenty years in helping organizations care for people with HIV/AIDS, it was a joy to learn that the American Medical Association predicts that World on Path to Eliminate AIDS as a Global Threat by 2030,


I am saddened to learn of the resignation of Father Hans Zollner, S.J. who has significantly reduced clerical sexual abuse especially among younger priests. He could have done more but may have been blocked by Vatican politics. Father Zollner stated that “ongoing concerns regarding how the commission operated that went unanswered, despite several attempts to engage his superiors on the issues.” His leadership will be sadly missed.


Archbishop Robert Zollitsch in Germany who covered up child abuse cases which contributed to 250 child abuse cases should be demoted


The Vatican also needs to sanction those in the San Diego Catholic diocese who transferred assets to avoid paying sex abuse claims.



Donald Trump keeps arguing that when charges are made against him, that it is a Witch Hunt. He should be calling it a Warlock hunt which according to some people has been successful since the warlock was indicted. Witches and warlocks used to be burned at the stake.



A Quote to Remember


“Give thanks to God for the gift of sport, in which the human person exercises his body, intellect and will, recognizing these abilities as so many gifts of his Creator.”

by Pope Paul II


Prayers


Prayer for Athletes


O Christ, we fix our gaze on you, who offer every person the fullness of life. Lord, you heal and strengthen those who, trusting in you, accept your will.

Today, during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, athletes throughout the world are gathered here in spirit, above all to renew their faith in you, man’s only Savior.

And those, like the athlete, who are at the peak of their strength recognize that without you, O Christ, they are inwardly like the blind man, incapable, that is, of seeing the full truth, of understanding the deep meaning of life, especially when faced with the darkness of evil and death.

Even the greatest champion finds himself defenseless before the fundamental questions of life and needs your light to overcome the demanding challenges that a human being is called to face.

Lord Jesus Christ, help these athletes to be your friends and witnesses to your love. Help them to put the same effort into personal asceticism that they do into sports; help them to achieve a harmonious and cohesive unity of body and soul.

May they be sound models to imitate for all who admire them. Help them always to be athletes of the spirit, to win your inestimable prize: an imperishable crown that lasts forever. Amen

by Pope John Paul II


Prayer for the return of stolen children


May the power of spiritual enlightenment come upon the Russian officials holding prisoner the 16,500 Ukrainian children.

That they might have a change of heart and mind, that they will feel compassion, concern .May they recognize the rights of the

children to their parents love and care, too their own home in Ukraine, that they be free to grow and live in peace in their own land

In their own home. Reunited with friends and relatives.

Lord of life, bring awareness and commitment to the world to continue the campaign to return the stolen children to their

Parents, families, relatives and friends. Amen

by Father Shay Cullen Profiles in Catholicism

A Prayer for Those Who Have Experiences Loss from Tornadoes


Lord of heaven and earth, we are sometimes stunned by the force of nature. Tornadoes have ripped through our land, carving a path of destruction and destroying so much of what we held dear. Our loved ones have died; our homes have been flattened; the mementos of a lifetime have been scattered in the wind. We are stunned. Everything looked so solid, so secure only a moment ago. Now it is no more. Help us, Lord, to thread our way through the shock, the grief, and the despair. Touch the hearts of those who can aid us and never let us lose hope. Help us to cling to you as our rock of safety. And, Lord, urge those who are not suffered as we have to mourn with us. After all, you promised a blessing to all who mourn. Amen

by Father Joseph Chamblain, O.S.M.Profiles in Catholicism



Prayer for the Deceased Mexican Immigrants


Dear Merciful God

We mourn the lives of the 39 immigrants who died after fire broke out at the Mexican immigration center. Receive in your loving hands their souls and bring comfort to their families and love ones. We ask you to heal those who are injured and are still struggling to survive. Give them the means to find a safe home and a dignified way to make a living. Make our hearts more like yours, so we can welcome migrants and refugees with joy and generosity. Give us the grace to look at their needs and to respond graciously to them. Help us to realize that whatever we do to one of them, we do it directly to you. We thank you, we praise you, we love you. Amen! by Margarita Carreon Profiles in Catholicism


Querido Dios Misericordioso

Lamentamos la vida de los 39 immigrants que fallecieron tras el incendio en el centro de inmigración mexicano. Recibe en tus manos amorosas sus almas y trae consuelo a sus familias y seres queridos. Te pedimos que cures a los que están heridos y todavía luchan por sobrevivir. Dales los medios para encontrar un hogar seguro y una forma digna de ganarse la vida. Haz que nuestros corazones se parezcan más al tuyo, para que podamos acoger a los migrantes y refugiados con alegría y generosidad. Danos la gracia de mirar a sus necesidades y responder con gracia a ellas. Ayúdanos a darnos cuenta de que cualquier cosa que hagamos a uno de ellos, lo hacemos directamente a ti. Te agradecemos, te alabamos, te amamos. ¡Amén!

por Margarita Carreon Profiles in Catholicism


Dear Lord

Embrace these beautiful children into the eternal joy of your love.

Comfort their families and friends and protect other children from this harm.

by Gordon Nary Profiles in Catholicism


Prayer to End Gun Violence


God of mercy and of life,

help our human family that struggles to move forward

with compassionate mercy and with a deep respect for life.

As we face an ever-present threat of gun violence,

enable us to live mercifully with each other

and to do whatever we can to foster the lives of others.

Give us discernment to forge a path

that will halt the violence and establish harmony

among all your children. Amen

by Father Louis Cameli Profiles in Catholicism


A prayer to end violence in Nigeria


“Strung to Play Together”

Dear Lord, prayer seems like such a fragile thread, so taught with

Expectations of change and so fraught with failures of our faith.

But you Lord, are the bridge that builds bridges, the relationship To

the Father that founds all relationships: to Him and to all.

So what will take our slight and wavering, flickering and all too

Easily waning and crushed pleas to beyond our falls and failures?

Just as a suspension bridge can be made from many strands of Wire,

so we need to call together Holy Mother Church to pray.

Just as a musical instrument has many strings and, along with Other

instruments, makes up an orchestra, so we need many gifts.

So while our own efforts are frail and strung to a tension too much

For us, so gather us together as an ensemble of helps and hopes.

Let the music of our frail sound come together like the great sounds

of the ocean just as many waters have a greater impact.

Let the sound of our heart reverberate in the hearts of all, young And

old, afflicted and broken, bruised and deadened but alive.

So that single, slight, too slender string upon which resounds the

Torments of a country, drums upon the far and wide to come.

Then we will see and hope in the help of many who had not heard of

Us before, because you, Lord, amplify our weak notes and melody.

Then we will think of you, Lord, as gathering us around the globe,

Each preoccupied with what concerns us all but each in need of all.


So we will swell the song to rise, like the sound carried by a

Rounded cry, to rise and soar and sound about the world to see.

For you, dear Lord, are the gatherer, par excellence, of all the calls

That cannot be heard but that you let them sound in your depths.

For you, Lord, are that place of last resort, that “stop” at the end of

The cliff, that beach upon which rolls the unremitting cries of need. by Francis Etheredge Profiles in Catholicism


We have raised over half the money we need to go on the World

Youth Day pilgrimage to Lisbon, Portugal; if you would like to

contribute to the remaining £6000, kindly go to the following "Just

Giving Page": https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/etheredge-

wyd-2023?utm_term=J7jd3vxx3


Prayer for the Children of Nigeria


Oh Lord, the children in Nigeria are starving to death.

We join together with all Catholics, with all Christians,

with all people of faith.

Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists.

All who pray to you. The One God,

Lord of all humanity.

We pray that these innocent children

will have the sustenance, food, medicine, care

so that they may grow and flourish and help their communities

and all whom they may see who also will need the help that they need now.

We pray that the religious peoples of the world may come together to provide food

for these children,

and that the nations of the world may unite to send them what they need

to survive

and thrive.

And together we pray Amen. Let it be so!

by Dr. Eugene Fisher Profiles in Catholicism


Sports Interviews

General Interviews

Sports Articles/Commentaries

Global Month in Review: April 2023


General Articles/Commentaries

Featured Report

Featured Report

Contests

Please support one of our organizations, colleagues, and friends who need help

Books, Book Reviews, Commentaries, and Excerpts

Film Reviews/Commentaries

Theater Reviews/Commentaries

Television Reviews/Commentaries

Theater Reviews/Commentaries

  • Strike! Reviewed by Catriona Gray Irish Post

Music Reviews/Commentaries

Radio Events

  • 7 Commentary by Exaudi

Cartoon of the Month


Videos


If You Laugh, You LOSE


Anthony Volpe's two-run homer


Women's Uneven Bars Final London 2012 Olympics


10 Things You Didn't Know About Kylian Mbappé


The Top 100 Plays of 2021


bottom of page