To the Band of Brothers: March 25, 2021
Good morning!
I have written several emails about the pride and joy we feel with the accomplishments of various groups of our school. From soccer to thespians, the young men who this year have put the time and effort to perfect their craft in representation of their alma mater have netted extraordinary results. Add to it the fact it is being done during the great limitations of the pandemic and you can’t help but be impressed.
This morning, though, I want to give a shout out to one of the newest and fastest growing sports in Belen and South Florida: lacrosse.
La-what? Isn’t lacrosse that fancy line of clothing from France that uses the alligator as its emblem? Isn’t it the breathing exercises they teach you for birthing a child? No, it’s a northeastern sport that has slowly, over the years, trickled down into Florida and captured the fascination of kids from Key Biscayne to Kendall. Like the lionfish, it has invaded our state without too much hype or holler and is now a clear presence.
The kids love it and why not? Who wouldn’t want to play a sport that lets you run around with sticks clobbering people? From what I understand, the ball is almost insignificant, but then again what do I know. I figure that if our boys were going to be playing the game, I should do some research and see what it’s all about. What I found was nothing short of extraordinary.
Originally, lacrosse was played by North American Indians, mainly the Iroquois and Huron. It was part of a religious ritual, even though it was played for fun as well. It involved hundreds of players on very large fields. If you think about it, lacrosse is actually the oldest American sport. Look out baseball, maybe lacrosse should be named the all-American sport.
Here’s the best part. In 1637, St. Jean de Brébeuf, S.J., a French Jesuit missionary and martyr, saw the Iroquois playing the sport and wrote about the game. He was the one who first called it lacrosse because he said the sticks looked like the staff bishops use during mass. In French, the bishop’s staff is called la crosse. Brébeuf’s promulgation of the sport helped it spread throughout the various regions of North America.
So, there you have it. Lacrosse has to be played at Belen because lacrosse is a sport that is tied to the Jesuits. It has to be an integral part of our program because it is directly tied to the history of the Jesuits.
This year, our varsity team is undefeated. Yesterday we honored our seniors and their parents at the game. We took the opportunity to applaud the young men who play for the blue and gold. We recognized their parents who have entrusted their sons to our school, knowing that we make a good team in the formation of their children. We thanked them for their trust and openness.
Congratulations to them all.
Auspice Maria,
Fr. Willie ‘87
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.