You are not basketball players. You are not volleyball players. sad to say you are also not cheerleaders… and you do not dream to be. You are seminarians… and basketball is the least of your worries. If you play basketball, it is not because you are basketball players… it is because you are seminarians.

We are not basketball players… but we play anyway… Why? Because we are seminarians.

 

Seminarians are in formation, and everything we do here in the seminary is for formation. So what has formation have to do with basketball, cheering or volleyball?

 

The moment basketball ceases to be formative then there is no point for seminarians to be playing basketball at all. If cheering is not formative then there is no point for seminarians to be doing it. In other words, we play basketball because it is part of our formation. Everything we do when we play basketball, volleyball or other games. all these should be helpful to our formation. The moment they stop being formative, they become a total waste of time. So How? How is basketball helpful to formation?

 

This is what this event is all about. It is sports for your formation, not just formation to become better basketball players or cheerleaders but formation to become better seminarians and persons as well. Sports is practically a practice of virtues. It is a practice of respect and generosity, of contribution and organization, of prudence and courage, of temperance and patience, and many more. It teaches us drills and lessons for the bigger game called life.

 

If you want to become a professional basketball player then I recommend you get out of the seminary. This is about sports for seminary formation… this is more than just sports… this is seminary formation.

Thus, I welcome you all to this meaningful event… winning or losing is not really important… what is important is being formed… as Msgr. Dan used to say, win with honor, lose with dignity… or it could be the other way around… thank you..