Royals replace Rebels in high school lineup at Roncalli

By John Shaughnessy

For everyone keeping score at home, a new nickname has entered the lineup of Catholic high schools in the archdiocese.

Replacing its longtime nickname of Rebels, Roncalli High School in Indianapolis announced on Jan. 15 that its new nickname will be Royals.

The Roncalli Royals now join the formidable Catholic high school lineup of the Bishop Chatard Trojans, the Brebeuf Jesuit Braves, the Cardinal Ritter Raiders, the Cathedral Irish, the Father Thomas Scecina Memorial Crusaders, the Father Michael Shawe Memorial Hilltoppers, the Lumen Christi Saints, the Oldenburg Academy of the Immaculate Conception Twisters, the Our Lady of Providence Pioneers, the Providence Cristo Rey Wolves and the Seton Catholic Cardinals.

In announcing its new nickname of Royals, Roncalli issued a press release explaining its choice:

“Choosing this nickname acknowledges Jesus Christ as our King, and Our Blessed Mother as our Queen. As Christians, we are God’s children by adoption through Jesus [Eph 1:5], and this nickname signifies that we participate in his royal, divine mission.”

The decision to change the school’s nickname was made in the summer of 2020 as Roncalli celebrated its 50th anniversary and as the United States was in the midst of social unrest.

“The confusion and negative connotations attached to the nickname ‘Rebels’ are also a source of concern as we move forward over the next 50 years,” said Terese Carson, Roncalli’s vice president for institutional advancement, at the time.

“We have had alumni and community members express concerns about how this nickname can be misunderstood, particularly as it relates to our deep commitment to honoring the dignity of every person—as Christ calls us to do.”

At the time, Roncalli’s interim president Father Robert Robeson noted that the nickname of Rebels was originally chosen to reflect the “revolutionary spirit of Angelo Roncalli,” who as Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council in 1962, which led to many changes in the Church.

Yet school officials believed that Rebels didn’t appropriately reflect his true spirit against the background of the cultural climate of 2020.

“As we have learned more about St. John XXIII, it is clear that characterizing him as a rebel, in many ways, misses the mark,” said Chuck Weisenbach, Roncalli’s principal, at the time, who will become the school’s president on July 1. “In fact, he was a visionary leader. He was a saint who was deeply rooted in his love for Jesus Christ, his devotion to the Catholic faith and his respect for the dignity of all people. These qualities are what formed him into the great saint that we venerate today.”

In fact, “Saints” was one of the three possible choices for the school’s new nickname. The other was “Rams.”

The three choices initiated from a task force of students, faculty, administrators, alumni and parents that Father Robeson appointed in August of 2020.

From those three choices, Roncalli students voted on a new nickname on Jan. 12 and 13. They “selected Royals by a substantial majority,” according to the press release.

“Over the next few months, the Roncalli marketing and communications team will work toward developing several images representing the new nickname,” the press release noted. “A logo and mascot will be chosen after further feedback is gathered from the task force, students and members of the Roncalli community.” †