In athletics we often hear words like “teamwork” and “team chemistry.” Although theses valuable words apply to our CYO sports teams, they can also be applied to CYO’s role as a ministry in the life of a parish community.

This past fall, I saw a number of parish priests in attendance at CYO games and events. What a wonderful thing! One of my favorite memories with our ordained ministers showing support for our young people and their families was when we had a pastor who came to a football game and worked the down box. This same pastor also served as the starter at one of our cross country meets.

More recently, I arrived at a local parish gymnasium to start a day of CYO basketball. As I entered the court I noticed one of our parish priests watching his parish teams warm up to play. I was excited to see this, and even more thrilled to come back seven hours later to find the same priest still in the gym watching games and showing support for all the CYO athletes and parish youth.

When the games ended, I stood with him near the exit, and many of the players and parents stopped over to thank him for coming out to support them. This became such a powerful moment for me and, I am sure, for many others. In a few hours this priest reached out to his parish community and may have encouraged families to come to Mass that weekend and feel good about their Catholic faith.

Our CYO program is a great form of youth ministry only to be made better by the support of our parish communities and those who lead them. This includes our ordained ministers along with athletic directors, commissioners, coaches and others who assist in the goal of our Catholic Youth Organization and their teams. CYO is much more than just an athletic team or event, and all the people who participate fully and work together greatly enhance our program to make it successful.

I will always remember standing with a parish pastor a number of years ago after a CYO basketball game. At this event, one young player was leaving the gym and the priest said, “Billy, nice game! Make sure that when you are leaving Mass this weekend you introduce me to your Mom and Dad. I don't think that I have met them before.”

I laughed to myself because I knew exactly what this priest was doing. I only wish that I could have heard the conversation that Billy had in the car with his parents after the game, and my guess is that Billy’s family was in attendance at Mass that weekend.

As a CYO family, we should all continue to work hard to spread the word to everyone involved that this is an awesome form of ministry. We all need to view it in that regard or we will just be playing games and attending athletic events. My hope is that, with this in mind, we won't miss out on the many great opportunities to build our parish communities through the Toledo CYO program.