This year’s Scholastics and Brothers Circle (SBC) sportsfest was held on 25 August at the Loyola Schools Covered Court in Ateneo de Manila University.
Fr Ignatius Wardi Saputra SJ presided over the opening Mass, which was concelebrated by Fr Peter Pojol SJ and Fr Christopher Dumadag SJ. This was followed by team-building games and team sports. About 120 participants from Arvisu House, Sacred Heart Novitiate (SHN), Loyola House of Studies (LHS), and Arrupe International Residence bonded over sports such as basketball, futsal, volleyball, and badminton.
Themed “Pilgrims of Hope,” in line with the Jubilee Year 2025, the annual sports gathering of Jesuit communities in Manila is more than a competition. It is a journey of community, resilience, and faith. Relating the theme to the scripture readings of the day, Fr Dumadag said that, unlike the Scribes and Pharisees, who were blocking the way to God and cared more about their appearances, wealth, and honour, we should support others through a faith that acts, a love that serves, and a perseverance that endures. Hope does not lock doors; it opens them. It lifts and strengthens us and leads us toward God’s Kingdom. This, according to St Paul, is what real hope looks like.
“That is why even our sportsfest can be an image or picture of hope,” shared Fr Dumadag. “We run, we fall, we rise, and we encourage and cheer each other on. True victory is not the score but the joy, honesty, and brotherhood we share. That is what it means to be pilgrims of hope: walking together, opening paths for others, and keeping Christ as our foundation, our finish line, our victory.”
Photos by Mungdan Aung SJ (Myanmar) and Novario Guterres SJ (Timor-Leste)
