OMAHA, Neb. (Nov. 14, 2023) – Creighton University will host the Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference in June 2024, during the NCAA Men’s College World Series DI Baseball Championship.

Inspired by His Holiness Pope Francis and developed in collaboration with the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education, the global conference is designed to advance the meaningful work of the Sport at the Service of Humanity initiative that focuses on three pillars: inspiration, inclusion and involvement. It will bring together leaders in athletics, education and faith to discuss how educational institutions can best take a passion for sports, combined with values of faith, to better serve humanity.

“It is a tremendous honor and privilege to host the next iteration of the Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference next summer against the backdrop of an event like the College World Series that brings together so many fan communities and is made possible by thousands of individual contributions across the city and state each year,” said Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD. “As the host institution for the College World Series for decades, our Omaha campus has experienced firsthand the potential of bringing together athletic tradition, interdisciplinary programming, and the humanistic tradition of Jesuit, Catholic thought that actively seeks to address contemporary issues. This is a most fitting setting for engaging discussions about the intersections of sport and service, and we are looking forward to gathering with everyone in June.”

“Sport at the Service of Humanity is thrilled to be working with Creighton University in bringing this event together,” said David Eades, Sport at the Service of Humanity board chair. “The goals of inclusion, involvement and inspiration epitomize the potential for both sport and faith to reach out to people who are disadvantaged and excluded in so many different ways and this has never felt more relevant than it does today. Sport at the Service of Humanity aims to grow awareness of these goals through discussion, as well as action among all those who share that desire to make a difference — whatever their faith, whatever their sport.”

Creighton’s announcement comes on the heels of a successful conclusion to a three-day Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference held last week at Marquette University, in Milwaukee. The conference, which attracted more than 150 attendees, probed the three pillars, and explored potential action steps to further the goals of bridging divides, inspiring hope and joy and helping young people develop their whole selves. Conference speakers hailed from the nonprofit world, academia, the sports sector and the faith community. The Vatican was represented at the event by Fr. José Miguel Cardoso from the Dicastery for Culture & Education.

Sport at the Service of Humanity is the only global sport and multifaith movement that combines the power of sport with the values of faith to serve humanity. It was launched in October 2016 during the first global conference on Faith & Sport at the Vatican. The inaugural conference resulted in the endorsement of the movement’s Declaration of Principles  – compassion, love, respect, enlightenment, balance and joy – six faith-based values to serve as guiding principles in sport and in life.

The Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference at Creighton will be the fifth hosted in the United States, following previous events held at Villanova University (2017), Loyola Marymount University (2018), Georgetown University (2019) and Marquette University (2023).

Participation in the conference is by invitation only.

About Creighton University

Creighton University, founded in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1878, is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. The Omaha campus has more than 8,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students among nine schools and colleges. No other university its size offers students such a comprehensive academic environment with personal attention from faculty-mentors. The new health sciences campus in Phoenix, which will accommodate nearly 1,000 students by 2025, is the largest expansion outside of Omaha in Creighton’s history and positions the University as one of the largest Catholic health professions educators in the country. Creighton is ranked in the top third of National Universities by U.S. News & World Report.

About Sport at the Service of Humanity (SSH)

Sport for Humanity is the only global faith and sport movement that combines the passion for sport with the values of faith to serve humanity. “Live Like You Play” embodies the movement’s ethos — rooted in Pope Francis’ inspirational words — “Challenge yourself in the game of life, as you do in the game of sport”. Sport for Humanity’s beliefs and aspirations are founded on Three Pillars — Inspiration, Inclusion and Involvement and Six Principles — Compassion, Love, Respect, Enlightenment, Balance and Joy.

For more information, please visit: www.sportforhumanity.com and/or follow us on social media: @sportforhumanity (Facebook); @sport4humanity (X)
and sportforhumanityx (Instagram).

Media Contact
Casey Hoag | [email protected] | 206-947-7778
Philip Leopold | [email protected] | 678-488-4373