Seminarians from around the country gathered at the weekend for the annual inter-seminary soccer tournament, hosted by Corpus Christi College, the regional seminary for Victoria and Tasmania.
Last week’s inaugural NFL game wasn’t the only highly anticipated match to take place this September. Seminarians from around the country gathered at the weekend for the annual inter-seminary soccer tournament, hosted by Corpus Christi College, the regional Seminary for Victoria and Tasmania.
Teams competed in a round-robin tournament held at Marcellin College in Bulleen on Saturday 12 September. In addition to the hosts, other players included seminarians from the Seminary of the Good Shepherd (Archdiocese of Sydney), Holy Spirit Seminary (Archdiocese of Brisbane), Vianney College Seminary (Diocese of Wagga Wagga), Holy Spirit Seminary (Diocese of Parramatta), Saint Charles Seminary (Archdiocese of Perth) and Redemptoris Mater (the seminary for the Neocatechumenal Way, with players from both their Perth and Sydney campuses).
Inter-Seminary Soccer Tournament Brings Seminarians Together
‘This competition has been going for 30 years,’ said Fr Daryl Montecillo, a formator at Corpus Christi College. ‘Some say that Sydney wanted to play rugby and Melbourne wanted to play AFL, so soccer was what we settled on!’
The teams arrived at Corpus Christi on Friday and gathered for vespers and an evening BBQ before the big draw and fixture announcement.
‘It’s all drawn out of a hat, and there’s a lot of excitement for that,’ said Fr Daryl.
‘It gets pretty competitive. But as soon as that whistle blows, they’re brothers and they’re working for a common cause.’
30 Years of Soccer and Fraternity
The inter-seminary soccer tournament has brought seminarians together for around 30 years.
Saturday’s event was the second time that Sydney-sider and fifth year seminarian Cronan took part in the tournament.
‘The Archbishop [of Sydney, Anthony Fisher OP] wanted all the Sydney guys to come down and experience the camaraderie,’ he said.
Their team was quite disciplined, he said, with training every week.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet, God willing, future brothers in the priesthood.
‘I’m competitive and I love playing football so for me, this is a great opportunity to just have a bit of fun and to keep fit.
‘There’s also the other aspect of fraternity, which is so beautiful. I think as seminarians, very rarely do we get to spend time with those from neighbouring dioceses in Australia, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet, God willing, future brothers in the priesthood.
‘And who doesn’t like travel?’ smiled Cronan. ‘Melbourne’s a lovely city. I love the coffee down here!’
His teammate Lawrence, a first-year seminarian from the Maronite Eparchy, said it was the fraternity that drew him to join the team.
‘The fraternity is the most beautiful thing here. We all have a specific calling to serve God and to serve the people. We can put the soccer aside any time, but that thing we don’t put aside. And that’s what really brings us together.’
After five rounds of competition, it was Good Shepherd versus Redemptoris Mater in the final, with the Sydney-siders emerging the victors on 1-0 at the siren.
Good Shepherd Wins the Final
On Saturday evening the seminarians gathered back at Sacred Heart Church in Carlton for a vigil Mass celebrated by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli, followed by the tournament dinner and trophy presentation.
The best and fairest award went to Kieu from Good Shepherd Seminary and it was a three-way tie for the golden boot (awarded for most goals), shared by Phuong (Perth), Pancho (Parramatta) and Daniel (Redemptoris Mater).
Lawrence and Cronan from the Seminary of the Good Shepherd (Archdiocese of Sydney).
Building brotherhood through the priestly vocation
The annual inter-seminary soccer tournament offers seminarians an opportunity to strengthen relationships with men discerning the priesthood across Australia.
Getting to know others who are discerning for the priesthood is ‘very encouraging,’ said sixth-year seminarian Nicolas Calandra. He says the annual tournament is vital for building brotherhood among seminarians across Australia and fostering teamwork locally.
‘It’s an incredible opportunity to get to know other men who are giving their lives to God in the priestly vocation,’ he said.
And while some may be naturally skilled in the sport, Nicolas said the main thing was just to ‘give it a go.’
‘It’s about developing the skills, constantly practicing and learning where we can improve. I think that’s why this soccer competition is such a good exercise because I’ve noticed over the course of training how some guys have improved in their skills. And if we can improve in soccer skills, you can improve at anything in life.
I feel like that’s the lesson … to not be discouraged by setbacks and defeats.
‘I feel like that’s the lesson … not to be discouraged by setbacks and defeats.
‘At the end of the day, this whole competition was never about soccer. It was all about the brotherhood and picking yourself up after you fall and keep going. It’s a school of life.’
Beyond the results, the inter-seminary soccer tournament gives seminarians an opportunity to build friendships and strengthen their sense of brotherhood.
This article was first published by Melbourne Catholic and has been adapted and republished by EWTN Australia.
