He’s had the honor of meeting our late Holy Father, Pope Francis. He’s chanted the Exsultet at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City for the Easter Vigil Mass – an experience he called “the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve done in my entire life.” Little did Father Zane Langenbrunner k now that these anxiety-filled moments were preparing him for an equally daunting test of nerves: taking the court for the Cupertino Classic. “I said to myself, I’ll never be nervous to sing anything as a priest, because that’s kind of the mountaintop,” Father Zane said of chanting the Easter Proclamation. “But I will say, being a priest and a public person in front of crowds, it does help you to handle the moment when the pressure is on.” Eric PeatFrom left: Father Jake Schneider, Father Zane Langenbrunner, Father Drew Curry, Father Thomas Zehr, and Father Terry Coonan pose for a photo during the 2024 Cupertino Classic at Marian High School.   The pressure will certainly be on at the 11th Cupertino Classic, the annual basketball game pitting diocesan seminarians against our parish priests. This year’s installment will be held on Friday, December 26, at Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne with free admission for all. Seminarian Michael Hickey, who is helping to organize the event, stressed that its mission is to shine a light on vocations to the priesthood and religious life. “It is a great opportunity for young men and women to see that priests, seminarians, and religious sisters are people, too, who like to have fun,” said Hickey, in his third year of configuration stage at St. Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana. “I think a lot of people only see or know their priest in the sanctuary at Church, and that is important – but this basketball game allows for an encounter with priests and religious in a different way.” The event will begin with a Holy Hour at the University of St. Francis Oratory from 3-4 p.m., led by Bishop Rhoades. Bishop will then celebrate Mass at the Oratory at 4 p.m., leading up to the 6:30 tip-off. The presence of Bishop Rhoades, who has been unable to attend the Cupertino Classic for a handful of years, has both the priests and the seminarians buzzing. Mary Beth GreerSeminarian Matthew Henry, left, blocks a shot by Father Ben Landrigan during the 2025 Cupertino Classic at Marian High School in Mishawaka.   “We are so excited to have Bishop Rhoades at the Holy Hour, Mass, and game!” Hickey said. “It is special because Bishop Rhoades is our spiritual father, our shepherd who guides the flock of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. We all know the feeling of having our parent come to our athletic games when we were younger – it is kind of like that.” The teams will look to break a 5-5 tie in the all-time series when they take the court. Despite their thinning roster, the seminarians have managed to win three of the past four meetings, including last year’s 52-42 victory at Marian High School in Mishawaka. Seminarian Matt Henry, in his first year of discipleship stage at St. Meinrad, believes his team’s superior conditioning can offset its lower numbers. “I think the key to beating the priests is going to be our fitness level, given that we don’t have a lot of substitutes,” said Henry, who will be playing in his second Cupertino Classic. “We’ll have to play smart and not waste energy and avoid any injuries, but if we can do that, I think we can keep up.” The seminarian squad will once again be led by Deacon Greenan Sullivan, who played collegiately at Ave Maria University in Florida, and Michael Florin, who is now fully recovered from an ACL tear he suffered last spring. They will be joined by Deacon Patrick Ernst, whose “college rugby experience will be evident in his game play,” according to Henry. Rounding out the roster will be Deacons Sam Martinez and John Hickey, along with seminarians Thomas Bundy, D’Angelo Marazita, and crowd-favorite Mason Bailey. For the priests, victory hinges on slowing the aforementioned Deacon Sullivan – a task that Father Ben Landrigan admitted is challenging, due to his combination of speed, strength, and ball handling. “He’s immovable when he gets in the lane, and even if he misses, half the time he gets his own rebound,” said Father Landrigan, who has played in every Cupertino Classic since its inception in 2014 – six as a seminarian, and now five as a priest. “If there’s a way to stop him, we’ve got to double down on not letting him get second chances.” The priests boast a squad with an impressive balance of youth and experience. Although Father Dan Niezer is on injured reserve this year, Father Paolo Degasperi is back from Italy and will have homecourt advantage as the chaplain at Bishop Luers. Also, Father Andy Barnes has joined the team via the ordination transfer portal. They will be joined by Father Langenbrunner and a host of Cupertino veterans in Fathers Terry Coonan, Brian Florin, Jake Schneider, Drew Curry, Thomas Zehr, and Ryan Timossi. And, according to Father Landrigan, there may be another unnamed face on the priests’ bench. “I don’t want to give away too much, but we’re hoping to get a coach,” said Father Landrigan, declining to reveal the identity of the hopeful individual. “If we had a little direction, a little strategy, someone managing the team, that would be great.” In addition, the Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration will once again provide halftime entertainment, and members of the diocesan Vocation Office will be selling T-shirts to help support seminarian education. Regardless of the outcome of the game, the Cupertino Classic promises an environment that not only displays the beauty of joy of religious vocations but also one that highlights the love that the diocesan laity has for its clergy. “The game is decent basketball; we kind of know what we’re doing,” admitted Father Langenbrunner. “It’s that level of basketball, and yet there’s always so many people, and it’s so loud whenever anyone scores, whether it’s the seminarians or the priests, all the people in the crowd go crazy. I really love the enthusiasm. It just shows how much people love their priests and seminarians. It’s like a family reunion.” “For anyone discerning a vocation that is worried that their friends or family may not support them, they can see a gym full of people that are there supporting them in prayer every step of the way through their discernment,” Henry said. “Additionally, for me, it has really emphasized the joy of religious vocations seeing fraternity of the priests and seminarians as well as the joy of the sisters; it’s hard to not want to be a part of that.”     The post Get Ready for the 11th Annual Cupertino Classic appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less