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Soccer game days treated as religious events by some

The World Cup concludes Sunday with the final match to determine the winner. It’s not a religious event, but it has religion-like elements. This includes things like pilgrimages to matches, shared songs and rituals, “saints” like Messi and Ronaldo and, for many, a deep devotion to a team.

Religion has been evident during games, too. Some players from the Christian tradition crossed themselves after scoring goals. After Germany’s win over Curaçao, players from both teams stood together on the field in a prayer circle after the final whistle. Some Muslim players performed sujood, the Islamic act of bowing down in submission and gratitude to God, after scoring, while others did dua, raising their hands in grateful prayer.

Outside of the World Cup, football has even been used as a way to explain faith. Pope Francis, an avid football fan, did that in his homilies and speeches. Football, he said, can teach Christian virtues such as community, cooperation and teamwork over individualism.

Pope Leo XIV feels the same way. “Soccer reminds us of something we must not forget,” he said before the World Cup kicked off. “Life is not a race to show off on our own, but a path we learn to walk together. Anyone who does not know how to pass the ball, even if they have talent, has not yet understood the game. Anyone who does not know how to live with and for others has not yet understood life.”

Another summer of fun at Roseau River Bible Camp

The Roseau River Bible Camp was an integral part of Jessica Knelsen’s childhood, and she wants it to be a core memory for her daughters, too.

Knelsen’s eldest daughter, nine-year-old Sophia, is preparing for her third trip to Roseau River, about an hour from the United States border, and this summer’s camp couldn’t have come at a more critical time in their lives.

Last fall, Knelsen escaped an abusive four-year relationship fraught with domestic violence. Short on the necessary funds to afford an apartment, she spent three months surfing the couches of family members and close friends with her youngest, three-year-old Kacey Glowacki, while she relied on her former in-laws to help with Sophia.

It was nothing short of a blessing when Knelsen finally found an apartment that she and her daughters could settle into in December. However, now a single mother of two, financial restraints became a barrier to sending Sophia to a summer experience she’s grown fond of over the last few years.

A Life's Story: Advocate Lucien Loiselle celebrated the French connection in Manitoba

A pillar in the local French community, Lucien Loiselle wanted francophone culture to be shared as widely as possible.

“I remember him telling us to be proud of being francophones and of our culture, to never let anyone speak negatively of francophones or make fun of the French language,” said his middle son, Richard, who shares his father’s passion for French language and culture and served for 20 years as the French language services co-ordinator for Manitoba Health.

“He helped us appreciate and keep francophone music, movies, books and comic books in our lives,” eldest son Michel added. “I have an MP3 player full of French music, and shelves loaded with French-language comic books.

“I passed that love on to my five kids, one of whom works in French media and another who intends to become a teacher in the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine.”