This article is the fourth in a five-part series on Donahue Academy’s identity. (Part IV)
Over the last three weeks, we have explored the Catholic, classical, and artistic aspects of Donahue Academy’s identity. Today, we will explore its athletics program and how it builds on the school’s faith, character, intellectual, and artistic formation efforts to form the whole person. It probably comes as no surprise that we continue to look to the teachings of the Church to underpin our work in the realm of physical formation.
The Catechism teaches: “That man is rightly called a king who makes his own body an obedient subject and, by governing himself with suitable rigor, refuses to let his passions breed rebellion in his soul, for he exercises a kind of royal power over himself. And because he knows how to rule his own person as king, so too does he sit as its judge. He will not let himself be imprisoned by sin, or thrown headlong into wickedness. [St. Ambrose]” (CCC 908) And at the same time:
“If morality requires respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute value. It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote the cult of the body, to sacrifice everything for its sake, to idolize physical perfection and success at sports…” (CCC 2289)
Consider also the magisterium of two Popes:
“Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator.” (Pope Pius XII) And then, “Sport runs the risk of degrading man if it is not based on and supported by the human virtues of loyalty, generosity and respect for the rules of the game as well as respect for the player. These are virtues that harmonize well with the Christian spirit because they demand a capacity for self-control, self-denial, sacrifice and humility, and therefore an attitude of gratefulness to God, who is the giver of every good and therefore also the giver of the necessary physical and intellectual talents. Sport is not merely the exercise of muscles, but it is the school of moral values and of training in courage, in perseverance, and in overcoming laziness and carelessness. Besides, it is an antidote for weakness, discouragement and dejection in defeat. There is no doubt that these values are of greatest interest for the formation of a personality which consider sports not an end in itself but as a means to total and harmonious physical, moral, and social development.” (Pope St. John Paul II)
Thus, Donahue Academy’s sport program exists to further the school’s mission to help young people encounter Christ, grow in virtue, and pursue excellence especially by developing discipline and mastery over their bodies. Hence, sport is not an end in itself; it does not amount to wins and losses. Every opportunity to play interscholastic sports is an opportunity to bring Christ to the world and to witness to His Love in word and deed. Go Shamrocks!
