From October 30 to November 3, the XXXIV Friendship Tournament was held in the city of Querétaro. The tournament was inaugurated by the Governor of the State, MVZ Francisco Domínguez.

Students from the Regnum Christi schools of Mexico, Colombia, and El Salvador began the competitions at the Tournament venues: Colegio Cumbres and Alpes in Querétaro, Universidad Anáhuac Querétaro, and the Colinas del Parque futsal court. The contests started at 7:00 am and concluded at 10:00 pm, with participants competing in Tennis, Golf, Athletics, Basketball, Futsal, Fútbol 7, Fútbol 9, Association Football, Swimming, Softball, Tae Kwon Do, Volleyball, and Beach Volleyball.

Additionally, a Mass was celebrated every morning, and throughout the day, several Legionary priests were available to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There was also a Eucharistic hour on October 31 in the afternoon.

On Sunday, November 1, Mons. Faustino Armendáriz Jiménez, Bishop of the Diocese of Querétaro, presided over the Eucharistic celebration. In the context of All Saints’ Day, Mons. Faustino invited everyone present to seek holiness without exclusion. He mentioned that he was pleased to hear that the director of the host school, on the day of the inauguration, entrusted the activities of the youth to God’s hands.

The closing ceremony was presided over by Fathers Ricardo Sada and Emilio Díaz-Torre, LLCC, territorial directors of Mexico-Central America and Monterrey respectively; Engineer Martín Tavares Díaz de León, director of Colegio Cumbres and Alpes in Querétaro; Alejandra Uribe, a consecrated member of Regnum Christi; and Father Diego García LC, director of Colegio del Bosque in León.

That day, some gold medals were awarded to participating teams, such as the Softball winning team from the host school of the 1999-2000 generation, and the gold medal to Colegio Cumbres Lomas for first place in the 2001-2002 category of Fútbol 7.

Banco CI, the promoter of the Tournament, awarded three scholarships to outstanding children from Colegio Mano Amiga in Querétaro. Bank representatives emphasized that we can all support breaking cycles of poverty in Mexico. We can all help Colegio Mano Amiga, which seeks to support the talent of children with fewer economic resources.

The awarding of the Friendship Cup, the highest honor of the Tournament, was given to Instituto Pinecrest and Colegio Mano Amiga Cancún, who received the highest number of tokens from the scouts, earning them the most important award given to the delegations participating in the traditional Friendship Tournament.

“Gratitude to God! We want young people to find in Christ the range of virtues we can promote in an event like this,” were the first words expressed by Father José María Rubín of Instituto Pinecrest when interviewed after winning the Friendship Cup.

Engineer Tavares, director of the host school, concluded by saying, “The Tournament is not just about matches and competitions, nor about the first, second, and third places that remain only in statistics. This Tournament is rich in fellowship, in the exchange of hopes, in the accumulation of dreams, and in the unmatched opportunity to get to know each other more closely.”

The public was kept informed through major social media platforms such as Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and with support from local and national press.

Returning home with medals and awards, the goal was for everyone to gain experiences, lessons, and values. The schools of Regnum Christi are institutions that primarily aim to foster human and Christian values, motivating students to discover the leadership to which they are called to transform society.

Finally, Engineer Martín Tavares handed over the Friendship Tournament flag to Father Diego García LC, Director of Colegio del Bosque in León, who will be the next host of the Friendship Tournament, which will be held at Colegio del Bosque in León.

All information about the Friendship Tournament can be found at: www.torneodelaamistad.com