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Rugby Club
Papists Rugby
Mission Statement of the AMU Papists
As set forward in our constitution, the purpose of the Ave Maria (University) Papists Rugby Club is "the introduction, teaching, promotion, encouragement, understanding, and extension of the game of Rugby Union Football in all its aspects, within the university, within the community." That being said, we have great hopes of bringing to AMU its first ever contact sport. Since AMU is striving to educate and produce good Catholic young men and women, we feel the establishment of a contact sport is an intrinsic necessity for such an institution. Contact sports teach and improve discipline, encourage virtue, and provide opportunities for fraternitas. All these are true of Rugby especially the last. Rugby fosters brotherhood uniquely and in such a mode as to necessitate self-governance. While deeply affiliated with the University, our club remains a student-governed organization. We remain a Student Life Club in the hopes that our team will be a unifying force in the university, creating a spirit of brotherhood in the noble traditions of the Rugby World Cup, and providing an opportunity for all departments of the University to support our endeavor.
Our name, like the term Gyrenes, was at one time a derogatory term. Now it has become a name we Catholics are proud to bear. Due to the unique nature of the sport, as well as the spirit of brotherhood it seeks to foster, it is important that our team be distinct from the Gyrenes even while representing the same University.
Though we remain a club sport, please see our page on the Ave Maria University atheletics website. http://www.amuathletics.com/rugby/