Tag: Clericus Cup

Collar & cleats: seminarians compete for the Clericus Cup title

clericus cup Italy 2010jpg.jpgThe other day the NY Times had a positive story about happenings in the Catholic Church. Yes, it’s possible that a good human interest story dealing with Catholic seminarians!

The annual soccer tournament known as the Clericus Cup is an association of seminaries and houses of formation in Rome who have a friendly competition. This is only the 4th year of competition.

The Church is a longtime fan of sport, especially a fan of soccer because it’s not only fun but sport promotes good social interrelations, brotherhood among the international students, skill, healthy mind, body & soul and good sportsmanship. So, it is true that seminarians are more than just students….
The author brings out that a number of popes have had an appreciation for soccer

Read Gaia Pianigiani’s story “Shedding the Collar to the Lace Up Cleats.”
The Pontifical North American College seminarians pulled together a handy website for the Clericus Cup.

Clericus Cup 2010: learning to work with athletes, seminarians take to the field

Today begins the 2010 Clericus Cup (soccer tournament) for Catholic seminarians and young priests studying in Rome teaching values of good sportsmanship. 16 international seminaries or religious houses participate in the Cup. The Pontifical North American College Martyrs represent the USA. 

NA Martyrs team 2010.jpg

The games are co-sponsored by the Vatican’s Council for the Laity and various other organizations. The Vatican has backed the games for the last 4 years. President of the Clericus Cup said: ” The Church is close to those in the sports world, those who work hard, and train, making sacrifices to show that through sports, common rules are shared and new friendships are made.”

Friendship among the seminarians –future priests– is the point of this tournament.

This year there are 373 players representing 65 nationalities. The Mexican seminarians are a favored team over the Italian. May 22 is the final game.
The story can be viewed here.
The Zenit article can be read here.
The CNS article can be read here.

Cricket, anyone? Seminarians exercise for a cause


Cricket.jpgRome Reports reports that the seminarians from the Pontifical International College Maria Mater Ecclesiae and players from the Fellowship Team from Holland played cricket to collect funds for 240 children in an Indian orphanage. The story is here.

Do you know what cricket is? I don’t. But I did have a cricket in my room the other night making so much noise that I was kept awake for hours. Just in case you don’t know what cricket is –like me– have a read of this wiki article on cricket.

AND now we look forward to the Clericus Cup in 2009.

610x2.jpgTeam USA from the Pontifical North American College lost the spring 2008 game 4-0. The Clericus cup is Vatican-sponsored and is an international soccer tournament for priests and seminarians studying in Rome. The games are played at the Oratorio San Pietro, a center with a field maintained by the Knights of Columbus since the 1920s.

Rome Reports is religious-based group of journalists reporting on the Catholic Church.  Based in Rome, Rome Reports is proximate to the source happenings in the universal Church. While many of their stories are centered in the Eternal City they do report on global matters. The TV version of Rome Reports is carried on EWTN on Sundays at 10 a.m EST.