Written for the October 2024 Grand Rapids FAITH magazine by Sara Davies Aldworth | Photo by Heather Abram
Before he became a priest, a pope and a saint, John Paul II was an athlete. From biking and hiking and soccer and skiing, he extolled the merits of an active life and athletics as a means of cultivating Christian virtues. In his 1990 address to the conference of Sports and Ethics, he noted, “Christian life is like a rather demanding sport, combining all a person’s energies to direct them towards the perfection of character, towards a goal which realizes in our humanity ‘the measure of Christ’s gift’” (Eph 4:7).
Perhaps it is no surprise then that during his pontificate, Pope John Paul II developed Theology of the Body (TOB). Originally delivered as a series of homilies during his weekly audiences between 1979 and 1984, TOB teaches about our true identity and dignity as persons made in God’s image and illustrates the place of human life and love in light of God’s divine plan.
At Immaculate Heart of Mary School (IHM) in Grand Rapids, Theology of the Body is woven into the curriculum at every grade level. As chair of the school’s Mission Effectiveness committee, Marc Sink and his team faced a tough question: Are there any gaps in how we live out this teaching? As Marc says, “Theology of the Body is about living your faith in all its aspects – at work and at leisure.”
The answer came unexpectedly when committee member and parishioner Karen Weber began to share the idea of incorporating the language of virtue into sports.
“I thought, ‘That’s it!’” says Marc. “Athletics consume a large chunk of family time. Unless we focus on Jesus during sports, he’ll be left on the sidelines.”
VIRTUES OF GREATNESS
From that “a-ha!” moment, the committee began planning what a Theology of the Body-inspired athletics program should look like. Committee member and parishioner Elizabeth Beams worked with Marc to research similar existing programs. While they drew some ideas from the collegiate level, ultimately, they created the “Virtues of Greatness” program from scratch and began encouraging IHM’s coaches to apply it in the school’s athletics.
“The whole idea is to catch our kids acting virtuously,” Elizabeth says. “The program is simple by design. We pair the four cardinal virtues – prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance – with humility and generosity. Coaches receive an email each week, highlighting a particular virtue. They are encouraged to speak to their athletes about it during practice. It’s not meant to be a full-blown lesson, but a quick definition of that virtue and how it relates to the sport being played.”
Once student athletes are on the field or court, coaches are asked to observe and positively reinforce the virtue of the week when they see it being demonstrated.
Marc adds, “Students learn about the virtues in school. But applying virtue to sports can make it more practical for kids. We see this program as a tool helping parents, coaches and kids win the ultimate prize: heaven.”
FOLLOWING THE SIGNS
For Elizabeth, embedding virtues into sports couldn’t have come at a better time. She and her husband, Chris, are raising three children, all with athletic aspirations. Sons Christopher, 10, and Collin, 7, are already strategizing which MLB teams will draft them. Daughter Katie, 5, has her eye on cheerleading, with a goal to have the biggest hair bow.
“Our family has been fortunate to have phenomenal coaches to date,” Elizabeth says. “But I’ve heard many stories from friends and family where sports are not a blessing, and priorities are misplaced. It’s great to be an athlete, but we need to be children of God first.” Putting God first was the reason Elizabeth’s family ended up in Grand Rapids. After living in Los Angeles and working in the entertainment industry for years, the Beams realized that raising a family in Southern California wasn’t the best way to get each other to heaven. Elizabeth began scouting out supportive, faith-filled communities in which the family could put down roots.
“The Holy Spirit was definitely at work in our lives,” she recalls, thinking back on her first visit to West Michigan. “I was pregnant with Katie, and I had the two boys with me. We flew into Grand Rapids, explored Reeds Lake and instantly fell in love with the area.” While waiting for her husband’s flight to land later that evening, Elizabeth and the kids attended Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.
“Father Troy Nevins was celebrating Mass,” Elizabeth remembers. “His homily was all about listening for signs from God.” Those signs came quickly. That evening, after picking up Chris, they discovered the perfect home for their family. Providentially, the schedule aligned for their cross-country move.
The Beams have called Immaculate Heart of Mary and Grand Rapids home for six years. Elizabeth credits the parish and school community for making an incredible impact on her faith life.
“I’ve always sought out wisdom and wanted to be surrounded by people whom I can learn from,” Elizabeth says. “I was raised Catholic but poorly catechized as a child. Joining this parish has developed my faith in ways I never could have imagined. Between Father Troy and the friendships I’ve made with Marc, Karen and other parishioners, I have the support I need to live a life for Christ.”
GIVING BACK
While Elizabeth’s foray into youth sports is on the upswing, Marc comes to the Virtues of Greatness from a different age and stage: retirement.
“When I retired three and a half years ago, I felt like I hadn’t given enough back to the community,” Marc says. He joined the IHM school board and then accepted an assignment to chair the Mission Effectiveness committee.
A convert to Catholicism since 1988, and a parishioner of IHM since 1990, Marc credits his wife Barbara for helping develop his faith.
“I grew up Protestant and Barbara was Catholic. Twelve years after we married, I joined the Catholic Church. It just felt like the right thing to do for our family. At first, I was fairly naive and didn’t have a deep understanding of Scripture or the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But in this parish, we are surrounded by fantastic friends who are very strong in their Catholic faith. I see them as mentors. Now that I’m retired, I do more reading and often attend daily Mass in addition to Sunday Mass. I feel like I have a much greater handle on my Catholic faith.”
As parents to seven (now grown) children, the Sink family has plenty of experience with youth sports. Marc coached basketball and softball for years. “It was fun,” he says with a smile. “I really enjoyed being with my children and their friends on the team. I think it would have been great if somebody had started sending me these weekly emails about virtue in sports. Connecting little discussions of virtues alongside things that happened in practice or during a game would have been helpful. I’m excited we can provide that to this generation of coaches.”
GAME ON
Marc and Elizabeth are excited about what the future holds for Virtues of Greatness. After a successful rollout with IHM’s athletic teams, they approached Brad Sturgell, program director of GRACEAC (Grand Rapids Area Catholic Elementary Athletic Council), with it. Brad immediately recognized the value of the program.
“If our student athletes can learn the virtues during their elementary years, they will be equipped to deal with tough situations and make wise decisions throughout their lives. Our ultimate goal is to raise disciples of Christ, and we believe the Virtues of Greatness program can help them get into heaven.”
With Brad’s support, the Virtues of Greatness program is now incorporated into GRACEAC’s playbook, impacting coaches, parents and student athletes in 20 Catholic schools, as well as five Christian schools that partner with GRACEAC.
But Marc and Elizabeth are just getting warmed up. “We think there is an opportunity to bring the program on a deeper, more mature level to high school students,” Elizabeth says. They are already in talks with both Catholic Central and West Catholic high schools, brainstorming on what a seamless integration into existing athletics programs might look like.
“To be good at anything, you’ve got to persevere,” Marc says. “When I think about what we’re trying to accomplish here, I keep coming back to 2 Timothy 4:7: ‘I have competed well, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.’ That’s our goal. Christianity is not easy. We are here to help kids persevere and keep the faith.”
Elizabeth agrees. “Virtue is the habitual choosing of the good. The more we can instill virtuous habits into our children from a young age, the easier it will be for them to keep living out those habits in every aspect of their life. Pope John Paul II said it best: ‘If played as they should be, sports become … an ideal context for practicing many virtues.’”[1]
Let the games begin!
A WINNING STRATEGY
What do coaching legends Lombardi, Wooden and Krzyzewski have in common? They all prioritized building character over winning games. Paradoxically, by focusing on virtue, their teams achieved incredible success.
For Jeff North, athletic director at Holy Trinity School in Comstock Park, the Virtues of Greatness program is nothing short of a slam dunk. “I’ve always encouraged my coaches to weave faith into athletics,” Jeff says. “But I think some coaches are uncomfortable or unsure of how to talk about faith, so they don’t prioritize it with their teams. The beauty of this program is its simplicity and structure. There’s a different virtue each week and the content is provided.”
Jeff didn’t just ask his coaches to use the program – he used it himself. While coaching his daughter’s fourth grade basketball team, Jeff introduced a new virtue at the beginning of practice. He then asked the girls to try to recognize that virtue in their teammates or coaches during the practice, and eventually, during games. The result? “They loved it,” Jeff reports. “They enjoyed guessing what the virtue of the week would be and figuring out what it meant. It also helped them appreciate each other more as teammates and in turn, they became better players.”
[1] ADDRESS TO THE ROMA SPORTS ASSOCIATION, Nov. 30, 2000