Engaging Faith

While we at Ave Maria Press our disappointed our own Notre Dame Fighting Irish are not part of this year’s NCAA Men’s or Women’s March Madness basketball tournaments, that is not stopping us from presenting profiles of other Catholic colleges who did make this year’s tournaments. As always, use the information for an exit assignment, a classroom quiz, or as an extra credit assignment based on information of your choosing around these Catholic colleges, their founders, and their histories. Here is some basic information to get you started. Men’s Tournament School: Gonzaga University Location: Spokane, Washington Year Founded: 1887 Religious Community: Society of Jesus (Jesuits) Chapel: St. Aloysius Church Conference: West Coast Conference Team Nickname: Zags Coach: Mark Few Seeding: 1 (West) Total NCAA Appearances: 22 NCAA Championships: 0 School: Creighton University Location: Omaha, Nebraska Year Founded: 1878 Religious Community: Society of Jesus (Jesuits) Chapel: St. John’s Team Nickname: Bluejays Conference: Big East Coach: Greg McDermott Seeding: 5 (West) Total NCAA Appearances: 21 NCAA Championships: 0 School: Mount St. Mary’s University Location: Emmitsburg, Maryland Year Founded: 1808 Religious Community: Independent Chapel: Chapel of the Immaculate Conception Conference: Northeast Team Nickname: Mountaineers Coach: Dan Engelstad Seeding: 16 (East) Total NCAA Appearances: 6 NCAA Championships: 0 School: St. Bonaventure University Location: St. Bonaventure, New York Year Founded: 1854 Religious Community: Franciscans Chapel: University Chapel Conference: Atlantic 10 Team Nickname: Bonnies Coach: Mark Schmidt Seeding: 9 (East) Total NCAA Appearances: 8 NCAA Championships: 0 School: Georgetown University Location: Washington, DC Year Founded: 1789 Religious Community: Society of Jesus (Jesuits) Chapel: Dahlgren Chapel Conference: Big East Team Nickname: Hoyas Coach: Patrick Ewing Seeding: 12 (East) NCAA Appearances: 31 NCAA Championships: 1 School: Iona College Location: New Rochelle, New York Year Founded: 1940 Religious Community: Congregation of Christian Brothers Chapel: Blessed Edmund Rice Chapel Conference: Metro Atlantic Athletic Team Nickname: Gaels Coach: Rick Pitino Seeding: 15 (East) NCAA Appearances: 14 NCAA Championships: 0 School: Villanova University Location: Villanova, Pennsylvania Year Founded: 1842 Religious Community: Augustinians Chapel: St. Thomas of Villanova Conference: Big East Team Nickname: Wildcats Coach: Jay Wright Seeding: 5 (South) NCAA Appearances: 39 NCAA Championships: 3 School: Loyola University Chicago Location: Chicago, Illinois Year Founded: 1870 Religious Community: Society of Jesus (Jesuits) Chapel: Madonna della Strada Chapel Conference: Missouri Valley Conference Team Nickname: Ramblers Coach: Porter Moser Seeding: 8 (Midwest) NCAA Appearances: 6 NCAA Championships: 1 Women’s Tournament School: Mount St. Mary’s University Location: Emmitsburg, Maryland Year Founded: 1808 Religious Community: Independent Chapel: Chapel of the Immaculate Conception Conference: Northeast Team Nickname: Mountaineers Coach: Maria Marchesano Seeding: 15 (Hemisfair) NCAA Appearances: 3 NCAA Championships: 0 School: Marquette University Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Year Founded: 1881 Religious Community: Society of Jesus (Jesuits) Chapel: Church of the Gesu Conference: Big East Team Nickname: Golden Eagles Coach: Megan Duffy Seeding: 10 (River Walk) NCAA Appearances: 19 NCAA Championships: 0 School: Gonzaga University Location: Spokane, Washington Year Founded: 1887 Religious Community: Society of Jesus (Jesuits) Chapel: St. Aloysius Church Conference: West Coast Conference Team Nickname: Zags Coach: Lisa Fortier Seeding: 5 (Mercado) Total NCAA Appearances: 10 NCAA Championships: 0

In this Year of St. Joseph celebrating 150 years since being proclaimed the Patron of the Universal Church, one of St. Joseph’s two feast days will be celebrated this month on March 19. The Church offers a plenary indulgence for those who participate in established prayer practices with special devotion to St. Joseph. You may also consider inviting your students to prepare for and consecrate their lives to St. Joseph. A thirty-three day preparation leading to a consecration on May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker begins on March 30. The Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception offer more explanation along with resources to assist anyone who wishes to make an act of consecration to St. Joseph. Share these words of reflection on St. Joseph with your students: In the Gospel according to Luke, Saint Joseph is portrayed as a discreet man, conscious of the immense responsibility he must accept without quite understanding it. He trusts in God, to be sure. Still, he shows great humility in accepting the role into which he is cast. He is a faithful, silent servant and a servant so retiring that he was almost forgotten for several centuries, even by the church. In short, Joseph’s existence is justified only by the Child he serves. He accompanies Mary, he protects his Son, he works in silence. He fulfills his mission, that of being God’s most docile instrument as he reveals his love to the world. Joseph is the man forgotten when we revere those he served. Joseph stands aside to make for those greater than he is. He works ceaselessly, and yet never a word is spoken about him. Joseph is Jesus’ first friend, Mary’s loving companion: a true family man, who would do anything for those he loves. Joseph is not a doctor of the law or a scribe. He is an uneducated laborer, working with his bare hands. Joseph is an exile, struggling to survive in a foreign land. He is an ever-watchful confidant, listening and giving counsel. We go to Joseph, without being overwhelmed by awe, when we want to converse with the Mother and Child. Joseph is the mediator, the link, the bridge. --excerpt from Brother André: Friend of the Suffering, Apostle of Saint Joseph by Jean-Guy Dubuc

Engaging Faith

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