Bishop Robert Barron delivered the keynote lecture at the Cultures of Formation conference hosted by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame. The lecture is just over one hour in length. It is worth your time to hear Bishop Barron address this important topic.
Bishop Barron, the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, referenced a report by sociologist Christian Smith on the reasons youth and young adults are leaving the Catholic Church. Find the report here.
We depart from our usual salute to all the Catholic colleges qualifying for the NCAA basketball tournament, also known as March Madness, to focus on one particular school and team: the Loyola University Chicago Ramblers who will be making their first appearance in the tournament since 1985. The Ramblers finished the regular season 28-5 and recently got an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning their own conference championship.
Loyola's qualification recalls a significant other Loyola Rambler team in both college basketball and US History. It was the 1963 National Championship team that defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 50-48 in overtime. Share a brief look at the highlights of the finish of the game.
The game was significant basketball wise as it is Loyola's only national championship and the only national championship for a team from Illinois. Share a pictorial and written history of the team with your students.
It was significant from a US historical perspective because at the height of the Civil Rights movement Loyola started four black players. (Cincinnati started three black players.) The game was known as a game of change, yet the team faced significant prejudice along the way. In 2015 President Barack Obama honored the 1963 Ramblers at the White House.
To conclude, share some information about the current 2017-2018 Loyola Ramblers, their record, and their road to March Madness.
Assignments
Research the basketball history of another Catholic school in this year's tournament.
By seeding, rank the Catholic schools participating in this year's tournament.
Research the founding religious order of one or more of the Catholic colleges in this year's tournament.
Research and write a report on what happened to the players on the 1963 Loyola Ramblers.
