Archbishop honors CYO volunteers and shares a poignant reminder about sports

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson poses for a photo with the recipients of the St. John Bosco Award, the highest honor given by the archdiocese’s Catholic Youth Organizations. The honorees are Kevin Sowinski, left, Thomas O’Gara, Dennis Southerland, Jerry Ross, Edward Tinder, Antoinette Maio Burford, John Gause and Frankie Medvescek. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

On an evening when the archdiocese’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) celebrated the contributions of its outstanding volunteers, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson offered his praise too, while also sharing the best advice he has heard recently.

“Christians aren’t called to be like other Christians. Christians are called to be like Christ,” the archbishop said in repeating that advice. He then added that true success comes in sports and life “when we strive to be Christ-like, when we keep Christ at the center of our lives.”

That message captures the efforts of the youths and adults who were honored in the CYO’s Volunteer Awards Ceremony at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis on May 14. (Related: CYO recognition highlights volunteer efforts of adults and youths)

Noting the volunteers’ impact, Archbishop Thompson focused on the incredible teamwork of CYO staff members, volunteers, coaches, parents and referees who work together for the benefit of children and youths, saying, “We remember how many people it takes to make things happen, and how we work together and not rely upon ourselves. We rely upon each other to build on each of our gifts and talents, and trust in God’s grace.”

The archbishop then offered a gentle, poignant reminder about the perspective that must be kept by everyone involved in the CYO.

“The CYO is an important facet of the ministry of service in the archdiocese, but it’s only effective to the point that we remember to keep the focus on the child and not on folks trying to relive their childhood,” Archbishop Thompson said. “Parents and coaches, the focus has to be on the child. If we want to keep them in the game, we have to keep the focus on them and not ourselves.”

Toward that goal, the archbishop said that while competition is good and needed, the emphasis should be on “friendly competition” that doesn’t endanger relationships or the person. Instead, it should be focused on developing children and youths “in mind, in body and spirit.”

Those reminders dovetailed nicely with the Gospel that was shared during the ceremony, from Matthew 18:1-5.

When the disciples asked Christ, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”, he called to a child, placed the child in their midst and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

“And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.”

During his homily, Archbishop Thompson also tied together the celebrations of Christ’s resurrection, his ascension into heaven and the Holy Spirit’s outpouring on the Apostles at Pentecost—and how they all impact our lives today.

“Immediately after Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples had to discern where God was leading them, what the Spirit was asking them to do,” the archbishop said. “They had to constantly discern how the Lord God was calling them and how they would continue to carry on the mission of Jesus. They could not do that without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

“We live on the other side of that. We live in a time where the Holy Spirit has come down upon us, hopefully in the parents, coaches and referees who work so hard for CYO, who are living out the baptismal call to be Christ-like. We do that in many ways in our vocations as priests, religious, deacons, married life. But also in the various ways we serve” other people.

At the same time, the archbishop stressed, Christ is still with us in our lives, continually offering himself in the Eucharist, giving us his body and blood “that continues to nourish us and sustain us in our ministries like CYO and all of our schools and parishes and health care, and all the ministries that we do.”

That message connected to the words that Archbishop Thompson shared with the volunteers, their families, their friends and several parish priests at the beginning of the ceremony.

“As we come together,” he said, “we call to mind we are indeed the body of Christ, united together as one.”
 

(During the ceremony, eight individuals were honored with the CYO’s highest honor, the St. John Bosco Award. The Criterion will feature these recipients in an upcoming issue.) †