Dear Parishioner:

Below is some exciting news pertaining to St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church's Athletics Ministry.

RUNNING CLUB
The Running Club will be meeting TONIGHT in the left side Paren'ts Room of the church at 7 p.m. Please come to learn more about the Running Club as we set our expectations and race calendar for 2013. Visit SMMCCsports.org for more information.

SOFTBALL
Only five days left until the close of Adult Men and Co-Ed Softball Registration. New and returning players can download registration forms at SMMCCsports.org. Games played at the GHS Family YMCA will begin the second or third week of March. Men play on Monday nights; Co-Ed on Thursday evenings. Be sure to get those registration forms turned in by February 25. NOTE: For new players, no payment is necessary until we know we have enough to form a second team.

TENNIS
Avis Witowski, a parishioner at St. Mary Magdalene, operates Freedom Tennis LLC. The flexible tennis league provides players with a 6- to 8-week schedule, and the opponents set their own day, time and location to play each match. Sign-ups for the spring season, which begins the last week of March, are open and will close March 8. To register, visit www.FreedomTennis.com. Tell Avis you learned about the league from SMMCCsports.org.

BASKETBALL
Last night we came to a close of our regular season. We encourage you to support our Midget, Junior, Senior and Mens teams as they begin their playoffs. The Seniors begin this Thursday, Feb. 21, Midgets play on Saturday, Feb. 23, and Junior and Mens teams begin Monday, Feb. 25.

Also, we have three teams that will take part in the Diocese of Charleston Youth Basketball Tournament to be held in Greenville this weekend, Feb. 23-24.  This event is one of the largest gatherings of Catholic young people in the state! Come support St. Mary Magdalene with posters, banners and by wearing our team colors: Red and White. IT'S MARCH MADNESS IN FEBRUARY! Get the complete brackets online at www.docybt.com. Our teams are in Senior Girls, Senior Boys Pool B and Senior Boys Pool E.

Last but not least, the basketball season concludes on March 2 with our Annual Awards Ceremony. If you haven't reached out to your coach yet about attending, the deadline is TODAY by 5 p.m. to guarantee we will have orders ready for the ceremony.

God Bless,

Frank Allgood
Athletics Director
St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church

The Running Club will be meeting in the Left Side Parent's Room of the church at 7 p.m. on Feb. 20. Please come to learn more about the running club as we set our expectations and race calendar for 2013.

Click the Running tab on the website to learn more about the Running Club.

Give us your e-mail address and we'll send you a reminder 24 hours in advance of the meeting.

Registration for the 2013 spring softball season is open and will close Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Please click on the Registration Form and the Consent and Liability Waiver.

APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT RECEIPT OF CORRECT PAYMENT AND THE COMPLETION OF ALL FORMS.

Completed forms may be e-mailed to [email protected], faxed to (864) 297-5804, or delivered/mailed to the church at 2252 Woodruff Road, Simpsonville, SC 29681.

The excitement is building among all the teams as we prepare for the 2013 Diocese of Charleston Catholic Youth Basketball Tournament.  This year's DOCYBT will be held in Greenville – a state tournament for 8th, 7th and 6th graders (our "Junior" boys/girls teams).

The coach’s reception will be held Friday night, Feb. 22, 2013, in Gallivan Hall on the campus of St. Mary’s Church. Tournament play will begin on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 at 8 a.m. 

Mass will be held at Furman University’s Timmons Arena on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m.. A Pizza/Dance Party will be held at Furman University’s Timmons Arena immediately after mass from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for players only.  Chaperones will be provided.

Check back here for updates on the tournament, including brackets.

The second half schedule for the 2012-13 basketball season has now  been released. Under the "Basketball" tab, scroll over "Schedule" for team-by-team schedules or click it to download the Master Schedule.

Three  items of note:

1) If you play a game at "Trinity, FI" this is Trinity United Methodist Church in Fountain Inn (not Trinity UMC in Greenville).

2) Due to scheduling conflicts, some teams have a game on Tuesday, Feb. 19. Please double check your schedule for this odd date.

3) You may notice that there are no games schedule the weekend of Jan. 24-26. This is because the Methodist churches participate in their state tournament, which is held that weekend.

As we begin a New Year and the second half of the season, let us remember: Learn, Love, Grow, and Give Glory to God.

On the weekend of December 7, 8 & 9, our friends at Simpsonville United Methodist Church will present Journey to The Manger,the drive-through nativity that recreates the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Journey to The Manger is an inspirational presentation on three nights in which thousands of people find themselves among the sights and sounds of Bethlehem, just as it might have been at the time of our Savior’s birth. 

This year Journey to The Manger will be presented on Friday and Saturday nights, 
6:30 – 9:30 PM, and Sunday night, 5:30 – 8:30 PM.

This is Simpsonville United Methodist Church’s gift to the community. Journey To The Manger is open to the public and free of admission.

Arriving guests should proceed to the Hillcrest Marketplace Shopping Center at 667 S. E. Main Street, site of the Sports Club Simpsonville, which will serve as the staging area for visiting cars and buses. For additional information, visitors can contact the church office at (864) 967-3071, extention 202.


As Simpsonville UMC is one of our members in the GDUMRA basketball league, please support our brothers and sisters in Christ. It's free, and a great experience for the whole family. In past years, they even have a camel!

“Sport … protects the weak and excludes no one … frees young people from the snares of apathy and indifference and arouses a healthy sense of competition in them,” and “sport trains body and spirit for perseverance, effort, courage, balance, sacrifice, honesty, friendship and collaboration.”

The above quotation comes from a 2000 homily given by the late Pope John Paul II. 

As we tip-off the 2012-13 basketball season, let us remember why we play and why we cheer. As coaches, players and parents of children at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, we represent not only our families, but our church and pastor. 

Always remember that our our opponents – even the officials – are our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

NEW THIS YEAR

The league has created a Sportsmanship Award for the Midget, Junior and Senior divisions. Coaches will be asked to vote within their divisions for the church (other than their own) that displayed the highest level of sportsmanship during the season. This is an exciting new program and we appreciate all the sportsmanship support from coaches, players and parents.

SPORTSMANSHIP VIRTUES

Catholic Athletes for Christ, a nonprofit based in Alexandria, Va., lists seven core virtues for athletes and those involved in sports:

1) Charity is the virtue of putting others before ourselves.
2) Honesty is the virtue of being conformed and dedicated to the Truth.
3) Humility is the virtue of being aware that God is the author of all good, and the realization that we are not God.
4) Meekness is the virtue of submitting to will of others out of respect and deference for their dignity as a person.
5) Moderation, also known as temperance, is the virtue of being in control of our passions and having self-mastery.
6) Purity, also known as chastity, is the virtue of being clean in mind and body, as well as modest in our dress and speech.
7) Good-Sportsmanship is the virtue of treating others with dignity and respect in sporting events; winning with graciousness and loosing with dignity and honor.

To find out more about Catholic Athletes for Christ, click here. 

The 2012-13 basketball season will begin this weekend, Nov. 29- Dec. 1. 

St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church's senior teams (15-18) will take to the court Thursday, Nov. 29. The mens' teams will play Friday evening, Nov. 30, and all other youth teams will tip-off their seasons on Saturday, Dec. 1.

The GDUMRA has released its first half schedule, which includes three dates in December. The schedule for January and February will be released in early January.

This year St. Mary Magdalene will have 185 players, representing 19 teams. Come out this weekend to support our youth and men's programs.

To find a team's schedule, scroll over "Schedule" at SMMCCsports.org and click on the age group and team's coach associated with the player. 

Calling All Coaches…

There will be a Coaches Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Left Side Parent’s Room of the Church. This is for anyone interested in becoming a coach, including returning head and assistant coaches. We are looking for fun, dedicated individuals who enjoy the game of basketball and want to share their faith with our youth. NOTE: Historically, our greatest need has been with our 15-18-year-old programs, and some of our programs for girls. If you are interested in coaching, click here or contact Frank Allgood at [email protected] for more information.

Attention All Runners!

Whether you are an avid runner, walker or just starting out, the Running Club welcomes you! We will be holding a club meeting Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Left Side Parent’s Room of the Church. Come join us to learn more about the club as we prepare for our first ever group race on November. For more information on the Running Club, click here.