By Taylor King

The Annual Blessing of the Athletes was held Monday evening at St. Francis Solanus Church at 7:30 p.m. Every single sports team on Quincy University campus attended this event. The student athletes gathered in the Health and Fitness Center to take the annual TAU picture in the gym. The athletes then proceeded to the Church across the street, in silence, for the ceremony. The student athletes sat with their teams in the pews while everyone filed in.

Freshman volleyball player Sarah Brown said that she was excited to be there.

“It was my first one and it was a really exciting experience. But what I took away from it was to be an athlete you must put the team before yourself to be successful,” Brown said.

Greetings from Father Bill started the ceremony and he  explained the history of this event and why QU now holds it in St. Francis Solanus Church instead of the chapel on campus. The student athletes’ number has grown significantly over the years and the number won’t fit into the chapel anymore.

Basketball player Demetrius Huston  read from Timothy 1:6-8 and told athletes that their  talents are a gift from God.

Two senior volleyball players, Lucy Grenda and Lauren Nadler, were asked to read a reflection of what being a part of a team means to them. They said God’s power will help to guide them through their journey.

“When teammates lead with grace and mercy, imagine what God could do with that team. These are crucial components for a team to stay unified and focused on team’s goals,” Nadler said.

Senior Lucy Grenda believes the spread of positivity and love will help make teams successful.

“I feel like the best thing we can do as people is life others up even when we think they don’t deserve it. Sometimes that may be a hard thing to do but once we start showing that love to everyone, I think it will spread like wildfire and only make for a good atmosphere within the team and people you encounter,” Grenda said.

After hearing the reflection from the seniors, the head coaches were asked to step to the front and light their candles and share that flame with their teams to then sing the song, This Little Light of Mine.

To finish the blessing, Father John Doctor and Athletic Director Marty Bell blessed the athletes with what Doctor called “sister water”. The athletes gave their pledge for the season to devote themselves to school, their athletics and to their team and the Quincy University community. The singing of the Quincy University Alma Mater closed out the blessing.