Religious Needs of Athletes at the Paris, Olympics in France are Met by 120 Chaplains and Daily Church Services
As the world's best athletes of all disciplines are in Paris, France, the Olympic village dedicated to welcoming them, in the Saint-Denis area, is also spiritually ready. 120 chaplains are present to meet the spiritual needs of the athletes. Associated Press reports that organizers discovered that requests for Olympic chaplains exceeded 8,000 during the pre-pandemic games.
According to AP, France’s Catholic Bishops Conference has launched a nationwide “Holy Games” initiative. Since last September, it has set up the “Our Lady of Athletes” chapel in an iconic downtown Paris church, La Madeleine. The faithful can light candles with inspirational sports-related quotes or enter prayer petitions in a tablet with a direct link to a monastic community.
Catholic priest, Father Jason Nioka, a former judo champion, is in charge of the 40 Catholic priests, nuns, and laypeople participating in this group, shared with the AP that these chaplains “need to bring [the athletes] back to earth, because it can feel like the end of the world after working on this goal for four of five years.”
The Olympic village includes houses, shops and a large park with 9,000 trees and shrubs that have been specially planted. But not only that: inside there is also a multi-religious centre in the form of a tent. Within this space there is a reception area and five different prayer rooms, which house the chaplains of the five main religions (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist). Specifically for the Christian chaplaincy, there are also Catholic chaplains – including Salesian Fr Xavier Ernst – as well as Protestants and Orthodox."Our service is to be present. Athletes know that in the Olympic Village there is this space, a place for listening, sharing and relationship. Our environment is furnished with icons, symbolic furnishings and the Bible" Fr Ernst explains. "Every morning there will be a moment of Lectio Divina, of reading and sharing the Gospel, a moment that will be ecumenical. And every day we will celebrate the Eucharist, not in the multi-religious centre, but in the church next to the village."
“I see our mission as protecting them in their fragility,” said the Rev. Anton Gelyasov, archpriest of the Greek-Orthodox Metropolis of France, who’s leading more than two dozen Christian Orthodox chaplains for the Games. “Second, it’s to give witness that we are present, not only as ‘my church’ but as ‘religions,’ and that it’s good that we are together.” (AP)
Since their resumption in modern times, under the guidance of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the Olympic Games have included a significant spiritual dimension. “For a long time now, there has been a spiritual presence at the heart of the Olympic Games, as this is a request from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is precisely the one who calls for an interfaith space in the Olympic Village,” François Morinière of “Holy Games” explained.
About thirty Catholic chaplains were chosen by the Catholic Church in France to be present at specific time slots, depending on their availability (with hours of service from 7 am to 11 pm). They are priests, men and women religious and lay people, all united by two things: love for sport and the experience of spiritual guidance. Among them is Fr Xavier Ernst, Salesian of Don Bosco, parish priest of St John Bosco parish, in the 20th arrondissement of Paris and Delegate for Youth Ministry in the St Francis de Sales Province of France and Southern Belgium (FRB).
"Will we have 1 visitor per day, 10, 50 or 100? Obviously we don't know! But the important thing is not the number, it is our being at the service of the athletes," Fr Xavier Ernst says.
“I see our mission as protecting them in their fragility,” said the Rev. Anton Gelyasov, archpriest of the Greek-Orthodox Metropolis of France, who’s leading more than two dozen Christian Orthodox chaplains for the Games. “Second, it’s to give witness that we are present, not only as ‘my church’ but as ‘religions,’ and that it’s good that we are together.” (AP)
Since their resumption in modern times, under the guidance of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the Olympic Games have included a significant spiritual dimension. “For a long time now, there has been a spiritual presence at the heart of the Olympic Games, as this is a request from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is precisely the one who calls for an interfaith space in the Olympic Village,” François Morinière of “Holy Games” explained.
About thirty Catholic chaplains were chosen by the Catholic Church in France to be present at specific time slots, depending on their availability (with hours of service from 7 am to 11 pm). They are priests, men and women religious and lay people, all united by two things: love for sport and the experience of spiritual guidance. Among them is Fr Xavier Ernst, Salesian of Don Bosco, parish priest of St John Bosco parish, in the 20th arrondissement of Paris and Delegate for Youth Ministry in the St Francis de Sales Province of France and Southern Belgium (FRB).
"Will we have 1 visitor per day, 10, 50 or 100? Obviously we don't know! But the important thing is not the number, it is our being at the service of the athletes," Fr Xavier Ernst says.
During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (26 July-11 August 2024), the Salesian Family will be active in offering its spiritual service to the many athletes, coaches, members of delegations and fans who will crowd Paris for the occasion. For example, in the church of Saint-Sulpice, for a week, from Thursday 25 July to Friday 2 August, the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) over 17 section will propose a series of activities and animations – reception, games, listening, times for prayer... in addition to two highlights entrusted to it by the organising committee: the ecumenical prayer vigil on Tuesday 30 July, with Mark Gangloff, two-time Olympic swimming champion, and the Mass on 31 July, chaired by Monsignor Emmanuel Gobillard, Delegate of the Church for the Olympics in Paris.
Sources: https://www.infoans.org/en/sections/news/item/21728-france-2024-paris-olympics-fr-xavier-ernst-sdb-in-the-team-of-catholic-chaplains-at-the-olympic-village
and AP
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