Not lost in the shuffle of Catholic Schools Week last week was one of the highlights of the seminary calendar every year: the annual seminary basketball tournament at Mundelein Seminary. Today, Joshua Leeuw, one of the candidates at Moreau Seminary, reports on the tournament, the antics of our fans, and the “brothership” shared by all.
January 28-30, the men of Old College and Moreau Seminary traveled to Mundelein, IL for the 11th Annual Seminary Shootout. Hosted by the University of St. Mary’s of The Lake, Mundelein Seminary, the shootout brought together 11 seminaries from across the Midwest for a weekend of fun, brotherhood, and faith.
Our own team was coached by Keough Hall rector and former Mundelein champion himself, Fr. Pete McCormick C.S.C. Friday night, we battled a tough Sacred Heart Major Seminary from Detroit, and Saturday we played an excellent Mt. St. Mary’s of the West and an equally good Conception Seminary. Our guys put up a good fight against these three teams; however, we walked away with no victories from the tournament.
Our basketball team cannot say that they did not feel encouraged. The remainder of us who lack in basketball skills and talent were the enthusiastic cheering section complete with signs with quips such as “God, Country, Nick Senz” or “Geaux Moreau.” A few of us even got into the spirit of fanatical fans with face paint!
Despite the losses, we had an excellent time enjoying the Mundelein campus and the community time spent together. After our second game on Saturday, a few guys went to the movie theater in the town and some others enjoyed board games in the lounge of our dormitory. That evening, all 32 of us went to Kaiser’s Pizza, a local eatery and enjoyed a ridiculous amount of food and had an enjoyable time of “brothership” together.
Sunday morning, following an 8:00 AM Mass at the Main Chapel of the campus, we loaded back up and made our journey back to Notre Dame. Overall the weekend was a good reminder of the blessings of our community and brotherhood.
