At Nolan Catholic, we train, coach, and mentor through the lens of a Catholic, classical liberal arts perspective. We do this in order to foster Christian moral and spiritual growth in our student-athletes. In line with this tradition, our athletes progress through purposefully designed stages to help build the wisdom necessary to function as upright Christian leaders in their communities and the world. Going forward, our athletic programs will be characterized and supported by these four pillars outlined below.
INTELLECTUAL & MORAL TRADITIONS
Our Athletic Pillars
FAITH
The foundation of Christian leadership starts with faith and obedience to God. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). As Christian athletes, our students grow to understand how God’s grace and mercy can be found through the arena of competition. As a result, one key area that our program leaders focus on is prayer and thoughtful reflection. Our expectation is that all our coaches will create time and maintain a focus on prayer before and after every practice, game, or team event. Through prayer, students can better understand God’s will for their lives and how their relationship with Him can be strengthened. As faith grows, student-athletes gain a greater appreciation for how God uniquely uses their gifts. Faith in God brings peace and joy, allowing us to love one another the way God loves us.
“We walk by faith, not by sight”
2 Corinthians 5:7
TALENT
Through our athletics program, student-athletes can sharpen their skills, knowledge, and confidence in their abilities. Our program helps students understand the equation: the sum of hard work plus practice equals virtue i.e., human excellence. Focusing on achieving this excellence through developing one's talents is a great way to glorify God's design. Athletics provide students with a safe opportunity to explore and refine their talents while learning how to apply them to their everyday lives. The Bible tells us that “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). This verse reinforces the fact that God has given us certain talents and abilities, and it is our responsibility to cultivate these gifts to glorify Him. We are dedicated to the daily commitment of practicing with the purpose of helping to hone our student-athletes' talents into virtues. Coaches will have program plans with stages of development for pre-season, in-season, post-season and off-season with daily practice plans designed to strengthen their mettle and teach perseverance through designed adversity.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”
Ephesians 2:10
COMMUNITY
We encourage students to be active members of their community. Our athletic programs help foster the Nolan Catholic community mindset by allowing student-athletes to work together in harmony with one another. Although every program will differ in how they build this community, we have a set of expectations for all our coaches to provide opportunities for team-building, such as parent meetings before the start of their seasons, team Masses, and other activities. Our main goal is for our student-athletes to build strong leadership tools in communication, collaboration, and problem-solving while interacting within their communities and beyond. Our athletes will understand the importance of friendship and being a positive influence in the lives of others, just as we are commanded biblically to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (James 2:8).
“Love thy neighbor as yourself”
James 2:8
COMPETITION
Through competition, our student-athletes forge their God-given talents to strive for excellence in a healthy and safe environment while incorporating the moral lessons taught by their coaches. A valuable learning experience for student-athletes is overcoming adversity with grace and humility—something much needed in our world. Additionally, competition teaches athletes the importance of sportsmanship, respect, and reflection. We will always aim to maintain the highest standards of competition and be gracious in the face of victory and defeat. Our coaches will be dedicated to showing love throughout this process while intentionally working to help increase our athletes’ mental toughness. “And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2:5). Coaches will clearly define the rules and guidelines for all members in their programs. We believe in competing with honor in order to one day be crowned with God’s glory.
Building anything takes time and collaboration. We look forward to working with our student-athletes to become the men and women God created them to be so they may go into our community and be the Christian leaders we need . Thank you in advance for believing and trusting our process.
“If you compete in athletics, you will not receive a crown unless you compete according to the rules”
2 Timothy 2:5