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A short prayer is now being said at center court prior to Catholic Youth Organization basketball games by coaches and players. Players do not need to participate and can remain on the bench if they choose.
CYO previously had prayer before volleyball games and just last week had its first basketball game with the prayer after warm-ups and before the game started.
CYO has an FAQ on their website about prayer before the game, which includes the short prayer and information about why and how it was implemented before all games.
According to the CYO website, the prayer is being implemented in order to help enhance players' overall growth:
The intention of introducing prayer into CYO Athletics is to more deeply promote the mission of CYO Athletics to help young people integrate their physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual strengths through sports. The use of prayer enhances the overall well-being of young athletes by helping to put sports into a broader perspective; emphasizing not only the number of games won or lost, but impacting participants’ attitude in victory and defeat.
But, some people are getting up in arms.
Richard Sloan, trustee for the Lagunitas School District who co-owns the San Geronimo Valley Gym, was recently quoted in the Marin Independent Journal on Jan. 7 as saying,
“I understand that if we rent to one religious group, we have to rent to them all. But I still don't like it, I'm going to put up a sign in front of the gym: 'If you don't pray in my school, I won't think in your church.’”
If I’m Mr. Sloan, I’m immediately and publically removing my foot from my oversized mouth and swiftly kicking myself in the behind as I genuflect in front of the Lagunitas School District Board of Trustees and ask for their forgiveness for speaking out of turn.
Or is it the school district’s opinion that the CYO should be actively and aggressively discouraged and dissuaded from allowing prayer before games? Perhaps the school board is doing so well financially that they don’t need the revenues from renting out the gym to the CYO, and they’d prefer the CYO take their business to the other side of the hill where another school district might appreciate and need the additional revenue more?
I’m not saying I’m for or against the issue of public prayer, but I’ve seen a lot more offensive public behavior, like Mr. Sloan weighing in on the subject in the first place. I’m offended by his lack of business sense and religious intolerance.
Mr. Sloan is fortunate he’s dealing with the CYO, who are likely to turn the other cheek. They aren’t looking for a fight or a hard time, and neither am I. If anyone has a right to complain about prayer before games it is the parents who signed up their kids for Catholic sports, not realizing prayer might take place at some point. Those families should be allowed to quit and get their money back if they are so inclined, but I doubt anyone is going to pull their kids from the Catholic league over pre-game prayer. My daughter’s coach has heard nothing to that effect.
Tom Vogelheim, who coaches at St. Anselm's, also said he hasn't had any feedback from kids or parents yet.
"As far as changing anything, I heard that even though they said the prayer, the kids still missed some open shots, so apparently no change," joked Vogelheim as well.
My 10-year-old daughter is playing in the CYO for the first time and we had no idea prayer would be involved. She recently wrote an essay in the Elk’s Lodge contest about why she is proud to say the Pledge of Allegiance. One thing I’d like to add to her essay: that her father is proud to say the Pledge of Allegiance because people have religious freedom in this country and the right to practice their beliefs in public places. Last time I checked, the Lagunitas School District gymnasium is a public place. It’s far out in the valley, but it’s not that far out.
Or maybe it is. Perhaps Mr. Sloan would like to annex a section of the valley from Marin County and set up boarders where people are forbidden from public prayer? The only problem, I wonder how he’s going to fund such a place? He won’t be renting a gym to the CYO, or likely anyone else.
- Additional reporting was done by Kelly Dunleavy O'Mara
CB
9:42 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I'm all for it! CYO is a fantastic organization. We are all interconnected no matter what our backgrounds and religious faiths. A moment to acknowledge a higher power and center the kids focus is awesome! (Key words there, the kids DO NOT have to participate.)
LP
10:44 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
First, the "C" in CYO stands for Catholic. The organization has been around as far as I can remember. Second, they prayer is there for those who wish to join (those who don't are just to be respectful). Third, just read the prayer, take out the word God. It has a lo of useful advice for parents and kids.
kathleen
11:12 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Hope! A world without hope is a dark place. All the negativity in the news and in the
behaviour of people takes away hope, takes away the desire to try. Prayer promotes hope. No one ever died from prayer. All the nay sayers could build a church where they can worship each other. I wonder how many will join... CYO teaches children more than prayer. Respect and compassion... something these
anti religion groups seem to lack! Bless all who believe! I am all for GOD!!! K
Andy Falk
11:36 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I'm really please to have put this out there and to have such a positive response on this Patch. The response on the San Rafael Patch interestingly was much more mixed. The poll numbers ran roughly 60/40 for the prayer, where here the no prayer contingency seems to almost not exist. What's wrong with allowing a Catholic organization to pray? It would be a shame if they couldn't.
David
12:54 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
A couple of thoughts:
1) This is a new policy that wasn't posted on the registration form. It wasn't shared with the teams, via the Athletic Directors, until after the sign ups were completed, money was paid, and the teams were formed. CYO could have been more upfront about this change.
2) As a family that believes in prayer and God, we're okay with the idea. But there are many folks who don't believe, and their discomfort needs to be recognized. We also believe that prayer is a private matter, and making it mandatory trivializes it.
3) We are talking about 2nd-8th grade kids. The pressure to conform is enormous. Please don't act like it's an easy thing for a kid to "opt out".
Cathy
2:19 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
All of the publicity and discussion here and that I've seen elsewhere is about the "Game Prayer". I followed the link at the top of the article to CYO and found that in addition to the "Game Prayer" there are 10 Prayer Options for Practice. These options include the Lord's Prayer and for publicly sharing of good and bad actions during practice, kneeling in circles,.... As an agnostic, I found the Game Prayer innocuous and ecumenical....pretty hard to get riled up about, it seems more like an affirmation or pledge of good sportmanship than a prayer.
It's different in regard to the "Practice Options" several of which, IMO, verge on proselytism.
Sara
3:48 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Of course individual private citizens have a right to pray when ever they wish, within certain legal boundaries designed to protect those who do not have the same cosmology. But the question that arises is, "Does the CYO have the right to use a public school auditorium for organized Christian prayer".
I have my own opinion on that question, but it's probably influenced not only by the purely legal aspect but also by the Pope stating at his Christmas breakfast that some people I love should be "removed from the human ecology" simply for being gender variant.
Let's face it, the Catholic Church does not have the greatest current or historical record at following the teachings of Jesus Christ. From the pedophile priest problem to the funding of H8 groups, some of the people they attack probably feel they are not much better than any other self-serving cult (and the oft-used argument of the "good" they do...well, that good can just as easily be done by groups that truly believe in and take to heart the teachings of Jesus). If it comes down to, "if the public school district doesn't want our pieces of silver, we'll take them elsewhere", I can see an honest discussion of the matter may be somewhat elusive.
kathy
11:48 am on Thursday, January 19, 2012
I disagree very strongly with this requirement, which we only learned about by observing the mysterious circle before my daughter's first volleyball game this fall. I wish more parents would speak up, but even those I know oppose it haven't been willing to bring attention to their kids about it. (I complained to the CYO and got no response. I also complained to the coach but he had no choice). Let's not fool ourselves about the degree of pressure it imposes on kids -- they do not feel able, and are not willing, to sit separately on the bench awaiting the prayer to finish. This is a big group prayer in the center of the court, w/the coaches and both teams, w/papers containing prayers being handed out. Some kids who don't want to, still read them just to avoid feeling out of place, and to get on w/the game -- which game is after all the reason they are there. And per what the CYO posts on its website -- it is not optional for the coaches, they must have the kids do it. Yes, it is the "Catholic" youth organization -- but it is open to all families, who pay for the privilege, and uses publicly funded gyms. This requirement wasn't advertised upon signing up, nor brought to parents attention before everyone was committed -- indeed, suited up and ready to play. Freedom of religion, yes of course, in this country, but part and parcel of that is also freedom from religion in the public sphere. Kids' sport is fabulous, it shouldn't be made into a religious battleground.
Tina McMillan
9:38 am on Monday, January 23, 2012
http://athletics.cccyo.org/info/marin/What%20Is%20Catholic%20Youth%20Sports.pdf
Game Prayer
CYO Athletics provides an atmosphere of sportsmanship for youth that fosters their physical, intellectual, emotional and
spiritual strength. Although it is not mandatory, we invite athletes, coaches, parents, and officials to take a moment to
remember that God is present in each of us as we come together not just as competitors but as brothers and sisters.
Please stand as we pray:
God, we pray that our hearts be open to see your presence in and through sports:
We pray for athletes…
who, through sports develop character and values.
We pray for coaches…
who place players before winning and value sportsmanship.
We pray for parents…
who love their children for who they are, not for how they perform.
We pray for officials…
who inspire fair play.
We pray in God’s name.
Amen.
It will be interesting to see if prayer is a deciding factor in young people participating in CYO. When I grew up there was still prayer in schools. Coming from a family with two religions I was taught that belief in God is a choice and how you practice that belief also a choice. In those days people often said a prayer before meals so when you at a friend's house you would bow your head in respect. I think what most concerns me about this issue is Richard Sloan's comment implying religion is practiced without thought. Clearly he knows very little about religion….