Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC) in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois held its first ever Senior Springboard event April 26 at the West Campus of Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield. Catholic high school senior athletes from throughout the diocese were honored and their parents, principals, athletic directors, and CAC moderators and facilitators were also recognized.

Following an opening prayer and a meal, Senior Springboard was highlighted by faith witness talks by students and coaches from each high school attending. (Some of the testimonies will be featured in the May 17 edition of Catholic Times.) Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish football star Mike McGlinn, was the featured speaker. Bishop Thomas John Paprocki who brought CAC to the diocese presented St. Sebastian medals and prayer cards to the senior athletes and gave a final blessing to the athletes.

Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC) chapters were started in all of the diocesan Catholic high schools at the beginning of the current school year. CAC is designed to provide student athletes, both boys and girls, with opportunities to embrace their Catholic faith and to be daily witnesses to their faith for others.

The program was designed to instill all of the CAC values of charity, honesty, humility, meekness, moderation, purity, and sportsmanship on an on-going and regular basis in our athletes.

Bishop Paprocki and his CAC steering committee members said they were pleased to offer this culminating CAC activity to honor the senior athletes, to show appreciation for their witness to faith and to send them off to college and their future with prayers and blessings that they continue to keep Christ at the center of all that they do in the future.