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Bishop Gorman has partnered with SportsLeader, a Catholic virtue-based formation program for coaches and athletes. 

The four pillars of the SportsLeader program are:

  1. Virtue - Knowing and doing what is good, true, beautiful, right.  Willpower is for when you don't feel like it.;

  2. Mentoring - Reinforcing the virtue one on one with each player more personally.

  3. Ceremony - Celebrate the virtue, strengthen relationships, communicate the virtue; and

  4. Catholic Identity - Grow closer to God and our Catholic faith. 

Bishop Strickland's Sportsleader Program Introduction

Jesus, the preeminent catechist, and evangelizer met people wherever they were on their life’s journey and helped them grow in virtue and brought them closer to God and Eternal Life with Him. As Bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, I share in this responsibility, particularly with the young people of my diocese – but what’s the best way to meet them where they are on their life’s journey? SportsLeader gave me the answer!

SportsLeader taught me something extremely easy yet profound: young people love sports! Since that’s where most of them are, especially during their high school years, let’s meet them at early morning practices and on the buses as they travel to out-of-town games. Let’s meet them in our home stands when they host visiting teams. Let’s meet them when they experience the joy of winning or the agony of defeat. I believe SportsLeader is onto something big – a model that goes beyond the sporting world and touches on a basic approach to evangelization.

Their program was developed by coaches for coaches and is, therefore, unique in its ability to inspire truth, goodness, and beauty into the heart of the young person. I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the young lives they are changing.

I’m happy to report that Bishop Gorman chose to partner with SportsLeader beginning fall of 2019 and I whole-heartedly encourage you to partner with them, too.

Bishop Joseph E. Strickland 
Diocese of Tyler