March Madness- Catholic Style!

We are finally here. The week of the NCAA tournament. Right now, 68 teams have a shot at winning a National Championship but in the end, there will be just one winner. And if you are like a lot of people, you filled out bracket and know exactly who you will be cheering for in the coming weeks. Hopefully you have done your homework and will be successful.

There are several Catholic Universities who have punched their ticket to the big dance. Since we will be hearing a lot about their teams, their players, and their coaches, I thought it would be good to look at the holy Catholic men and women who these schools are named after. I not saying any of them are a lock to get past the first round but maybe this information can help you know more about these people who allowed the light of Christ to shine through them.

Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH)- St. Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta (7 April 1506 – 3 December 1552) was a pioneering Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre (Spain) and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits who dedicated themselves to the service of God at Montmartre in 1534. He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time. He was influential in the spreading and upkeep of Catholicism most notably in India, but also ventured into Japan, Borneo, the Moluccas, and other areas which had thus far not been visited by Christian missionaries. In these areas, being a pioneer and struggling to learn the local languages in the face of opposition, he had less success than he had enjoyed in India.

Gonzaga University (Spokane, Washington)- Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (March 9, 1568 – June 21, 1591) was an Italian Jesuit. (You'll find out that that Jesuit Universities tend to have good basketball teams!) He was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga. In November 1585, Aloysius gave up all rights of inheritance when he became a priest and a Jesuit. Purity was his notable virtue; he never looked even upon his mother's face and never looked at his queen so that he could only recognize the queen by her voice. St. Maria Magdalena de Pazzi saw him in a vision in a great glory because he had lived a particularly strong interior life. Pope Benedict XIII declared him to the patron saint of young students in 1729. In 1926, he was named patron of Christian youth by Pope Pius XI. Owing to the manner of his death, he has always been considered a patron saint of plague victims.

Villanova University (Philadelphia, PA). St. Thomas of Villanova (1488 - September 8, 1555), was a preacher, ascetic, writer and Spanish friar of the Order of Saint Augustine. Thomas grew up and was educated in Villanueva de los Infantes, in the province of Ciudad Real, Spain, where his parents owned a prosperous estate; therefore the name Thomas of Villanueva. Part of the original house still stands, with a coat of arms in the corner, beside a family chapel. In spite of his family's wealth, as a young boy he often went about naked because he had given his clothing to the poor. Even though he studied Arts and Theology at the University of Alcalá de Henares and became a professor there, he decided to enter the Augustinian order in Salamanca in 1516, and in 1518 was ordained a priest. He was well known for his great personal austerity (he sold the straw mattress on which he slept in order to give money to the poor) and for his continual and untiring charitable efforts, especially towards orphans, poor women without a dowry, and the sick. He possessed, however, an intelligent notion of charity, so that while he was very charitable, he sought to obtain definitive and structural solutions to the problem of poverty; for example, giving work to the poor, thereby making his charity bear fruit. "Charity is not just giving, rather removing the need of those who receive charity and liberating them from it when possible," he wrote. In 1533, he sent out the first Augustinian friars to arrive in Mexico. He began to experience mystical ecstasies during Mass and when reading the psalms.

University of Notre Dame (South Bend, IN)- Mary, Mother of God. Okay, this is a big one! For the other schools, I'll admit, I used the internet to research some but this one I have a good base of knowledge on. "Notre Dame" is French for "Our Lady." The Virgin Mary was a young girl when the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth to tell Mary, "Behold, you will conceive in womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus." (Lk 1:31) I think you know the rest of the story. Often times, Protestants believe that Catholics worship Mary but that is not correct. We venerate her and ask her to intercede on our behalf. We also look to as an example of someone who said yes to God and was faithful enough to allow His will be done with her. Mary has been discussed in a couple of my post already and will be in the future. For more information on Mary, click here.

St. John's University (New York, NY). After extensive research, and even a call to the University's Campus Ministry office, I could not determine which St. John the University was named after (there are many "St. John's" in the Catholic Faith... St. John the Baptist, St. John of the Cross, St. John Neumann, and many more). What I was able to find out is that St. John's University was founded by the Vincentian Fathers. St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) was from southern France, Vincent pursued the priesthood as a way to assure a comfortable life. Through a profound conversion experience in his early ministry, Vincent unraveled a central paradox of life: it is in giving that one receives. In a Paris marked by great affluence enjoyed by a few as well as by dire poverty endured by the masses, Vincent discovered that one finds God and oneself in service to others. A man of deep faith, keen intellect, great business acumen and enormous creativity, he was at home in the hovels of the poor and in the palaces of royalty. Respected by the powerful and loved by the poor, Vincent bridged social classes through his works of charity and his advocacy for the disenfranchised. Vincent organized hospitals for the poor; founded asylums for the orphaned; opened workshops for the unemployed; championed literacy for the uneducated; advocated for the incarcerated; established local charities; and reformed the education and formation of the clergy throughout France where his community of priests and brothers undertook the spiritual care of the poor, particularly those in rural areas.

St. Peter's College (Jersey City, NJ)- St. Peter's College is yet another Jesuit institution. While I could not completely confirm, I believe that this school is named for Simon Peter, our first pope. St. Peter was the Apostle who denied Jesus three time times before Christ was crucified. However, God is merciful and still worked though St. Peter (which means 'Rock'). During his public ministry, Christ said, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church." (Mt 16: 18) Thus the Church of Christ was founded on St. Peter who later went to Rome and was killed for his belief in Jesus Christ. Simon... a simple fisherman would go on to be Saint Peter, our first Pope (a great fisher of men).

There are at least two other Catholic/Jesuit schools in the dance... Georgetown (based in Washington D.C.) and Marquette (Wisc.)

In no way am I claiming that all of those who are associated with these schools and their basketball teams are saintly 24/7 but it is worthwhile to learn about the lives of our Saints. They lived amazing lives and are in heaven now praying for us. You should get to know them!

Let the Madness begin!