School of Rugby
Rugby in particular is an essential component in the formation at St. Gregory’s. The very nature of the game drives boys to become men. Elevation of heart and soul are intrinsic to the language and art of rugby. The game was created for the very purpose of teaching leadership and virtue to young men. While violence mixed with malice is the worst of crimes, the ability to push one’s body, sustain injury, and hit hard for the sake of a good end is a vigorous participation in reality. It is a game of glory, leadership, sacrifice, suffering, and joy which rises in a Catholic environment to heights beyond which its founders ever conceived.
It is in the participation of this sport that boys can discover themselves most deeply and accurately. Rugby compels boys to control and overcome their fear; not to evade it. The elements and nuances of the game give the students a truly unique opportunity to live out many of the heroic and moral standards they learn in the classroom. It is on the rugby pitch the boys can apply themselves to the challenge of meeting these standards in a very real situation where their actions can be judged, by themselves and others, as honorable, brave, or otherwise. In addition, the intellectual aspect of the game develops cognitive agility and strengthens the ability to make decisions with confidence.
Since rugby is a very difficult sport to master, it requires a high level of resolve; but, with continued perseverance, the boys learn what perseverance actually is and the value of this moral virtue – one necessary for men to possess in the world and critical for the realization of our noble calling as sons of God and heirs of heaven.[/spoiler]
