More Than a Game: A Lesson in Charity at the De Sales Invitational

Less than a minute into our first offensive possession, I committed the team’s first turnover (and certainly not my last!).

After more than 17 minutes, we finally netted our first points (way to break the ice, John Manning).

Conversely, it took us just a few milliseconds to inhale cheeseburgers and frozen custards at Kopp’s (a Wisconsin institution) en route to O’Hare Airport after the 48-hour whirlwind known as the De Sales Invitational — a basketball tournament hosted by Saint Francis de Sales Seminary just outside of Milwaukee, where 16 seminaries competed to see who was the best in the land (answer: the juggernaut known as Saint Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, La.).

Basketball (and all sports, for that matter), can always be quantified. And sometimes, we can get lost in the numbers. Yet there was one from the weekend at De Sales that provided perfect clarity, and one I hope to remember forever:

Eighteen seconds.

That’s the length of time between the moment when Brother Alec of the Discalced Carmelites picked up off the court the detached sole of his sneaker that had torn off during game action … and the moment when teammate Samuel Kalu walked over and offered Brother Alec the shoes off his own feet.

OK, first thing’s first: If a diocesan seminarian giving a Discalced Carmelite his sneakers doesn’t prove God’s got mirth, I dunno what to tell ya. But deeper than that, Samuel, one of our esteemed “Propaedudes” in the propaedeutic year, taught me a lesson I needed to learn (and relearn every day).

Charity is a virtue built second by second. And Kalu wasted none.

To be honest, De Sales has been a humbling, “purifying” experience these past few years. Saint John’s has compiled one win in our last 10 games out there. Squaring off against the eventual champs in each of those years, I’ve easily become discouraged at times by the success gap.

Yet as Tom Biggins, one of our incredible coaches, pointed out in the locker room before tipoff of our second game, life tends to throw us a lot of losses.

“So what are you going to do when they come?” he asked.

As Coach Biggins provided a needed blend of consolation and inspiration, I immediately thought of an all-time line by Fr. Peter Grover, OMV, in our Synoptic Gospels course: “We’re just a bunch of losahs followin’ a Losah!” Grover exclaimed in his Boston thick accent, punctuating the point that suffering and loss are part of the package within Christian discipleship when following Christ — our Savior who suffered the ultimate price.

Yet in mustard-seed moments, victories for the Kingdom are won.

Samuel stood shoeless on the sideline the rest of the game, having secured a victory that transcends any scoreboard.

My brother showed me what counts: zero-hesitation, Christ-like love.

Man, that’s got me tallying the numbers again:

Less than 11 months until De Sales ’26.

I can’t wait to cherish every second.

By: Mr. Joseph Jasinski,
Third Theology
Archdiocese of Boston

16 teams from around the country descended upon Saint Francis for our fifth annual basketball tournament February 28 - March 2. Congratulations to champions St. Joseph Seminary College from St. Benedict, LA! Our Lady of Guadalupe from Denton, NE placed second, and Mundelein from Mundelein, IL placed third. You can see all of the games on the Seminary's YouTube channel.

The De Sales Invitational is generously underwritten by Tom & Lynne VanHimbergen, Kevin & Linda Steiner, Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Sendik's Food Market. May God bless our amazing sponsors!