In 2014, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (one of the high schools within the diocese) and Kalamazoo Christian High School joined forces to create the Kalamazoo “United” football team. At the time, both schools were having difficulties fielding enough players to safely play football games. The unity of these two rival teams and their student-athletes set into motion and created a great example for all about what it means to be United in Christ.
Football unity was just the beginning of the cooperation between the Catholics and Protestants in Southwest Michigan. Last year, a celebration was held in recognition of the 500 year anniversary of the Reformation. The Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo, along with many local Protestant churches held a community-wide event honoring, “One Lord – One Faith – One Church” under “Kalamazoo United”.
To further the spirit of Kalamazoo United and assist in evangelizing and bringing people closer to Christ, we are continuing to work together and are now moving toward a joint fundraising event to promote Christian (Catholic and Protestant) education opportunities. We look to highlight the basic principles of being a positive, impactful citizen through a strong faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by making good decisions and living a productive life to the best of each one’s abilities.
Our goal is two-fold for this event. To make people aware of the strong educational and faith-filled communities that are thriving around them and to provide the resources for us to further assist all of the schools (Catholic and Protestant) in being beacons of light while bringing students and families closer to God.