College football players find teamwork on field and in Bible study

By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

Some teammates from the Morningside University football team in Sioux City gathered for food and conversation on Nov. 19, a regular weekly gathering.

But these young men didn’t do so to talk solely about their stellar season or merely just to hang out. They shared a meal and some heartfelt conversation before breaking into the word of God.

Six to nine young men commonly attend the weekly men’s Bible study on Tuesday evenings at Mater Dei Parish’s Immaculate Conception Church located just blocks from the university campus. While all of the men who attend regularly this year happen to be football players at Morningside, it is open to all male college students – Catholic or not.

Brady Schlaeger of Spencer, a senior at Morningside, explained he has been participating in this group since it was started by one of his roommates – Jon Andreason – last year. Upon graduation last spring, Andreason went on to become a seminarian with the Diocese of Lincoln.

“John and I were pretty close and would talk about morals and values,” noted Schlaeger, who was a product of Sacred Heart Grade School in Spencer. Even though he attended Catholic school, he acknowledged he hasn’t always followed through with building his relationship with Christ but the Bible study has helped him do so. “I’m growing in that aspect.”

Staying committed
Jaylen Burch, a junior from Kansas City, Missouri, pointed out that while he attended Catholic high school he was non-Catholic at the time. He joined the church last spring thanks in part to some family members who were Catholic but also Andreason who encouraged Burch to attend Mass with him.

Jaylen Burch opens his Bible.While Burch had wanted to attend the Bible study last year, he was taking part in RCIA that was held at the same time. This year coming off of RCIA classes from last year, the Bible study has been a nice way for him to stay pro-active in the faith development.“Things are still pretty fresh for me,” said Burch. “I know it will stick with me more if I can keep coming back to it.”

Set up with a more casual format and not having a specific study guide, he said the men work together to reflect upon Scripture and share insights. They have stayed committed to the meetings, even attending nights when they are tired from football practice.

Mary Sam Hacker, resource director at Mater Dei and coordinates campus ministry with Morningside and Western Iowa Tech students for the parish, mentioned it was last year that the efforts really took off when Andreason “got many of the kids involved and led by an example.”

“It makes me so happy when I see these young men come in on Tuesday nights. It keeps their faith going and the nice part is that I see a lot of these guys in church on Sunday.” She added, “They wouldn’t have to be here if they didn’t want to learn more about their faith.”

Hacker pointed out that several years ago she had met with former pastor Father Dan Rupp about building up the ministry to college students in the area because it was such a vital time to keep them connected to the Catholic faith. From there, she built a connection with the campus minister at Morningside and efforts initiated to start a Bible study. In recent years, Mater Dei has been classified as the Newman Center for the two schools.

Seeing strong attendance at the Bible study and at Mass has made Hacker proud of the young men “because it is so hard these days to live your faith and be proud of what your faith is. Their faith means something to them whether they are Catholic or not Catholic. They know there is a God that loves them and they love God and that’s so important in this day and age.”

Relating to life
The men start the sessions by reflecting on their personal highs and lows for the week. From there they read a couple chapters from the Bible and discuss what stood out to them the most and how it relates to their lives.

“It’s been really good for all of us and helped us all grow in our faith,” said Schlaeger.
Jason Bowker, a sophomore from Rock Island, Illinois, mentioned they started the year off with the movie Jesus Revolution and from there delved into the Bible.

He attended Bible study last year and wanted to return this year to maintain the routine “and keep me accountable. I went to Catholic school nearly my entire life so this helps me keep up with the faith. It provides a way for fellowship and keeps you in check. When you get to college, there are a lot of distractions so this is a good way to keep yourself reminded of the true path.”

Fred Lageschulte, a senior from St. Joseph, Missouri, is also participating in the Bible study for a second year.

“It’s nice having like-minded guys to hold me accountable,” he said, noting it even helps motivate him to go to Mass. “I feel like when I first went to college my faith life was very up and down – would come and go in phases – but having this every week it has helped me remain at a consistent high.”

When he keeps the routine of attending Bible study and fully participating in the Catholic faith, Lageschulte notices it makes him feel better overall.

Alex Hansen, a senior of St. Ansgar, said one of the best parts of the Bible study is hearing the others perspective on the Bible.

“Before college, I had never read the Bible so it is helpful having other guys to read it with,” he said.

For Trevor Paulsen, a sophomore from Yankton, S.D., he decided to attend the Bible study because other teammates invited him.

“I thought it would be good, I’ve never read the Bible before,” he said. “I thought it would be good to start getting into it.”

In addition to building a nice fellowship with his teammates, Paulsen said he only recently started attending the Bible study but has already seen how it has helped him grow in the faith.

Besides the men’s Bible study for college students, Hacker said the parish also hosts a women’s Bible study on Thursdays for students attending Morningside and Western Iowa Tech Community College.

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