by Caroline de Sury, OSV Information
PARIS (OSV Information) — Forward of the 2024 Summer time Olympics in Paris, which can open on July 26, the “Holy Video games” venture launched by the French bishops and the Archdiocese of Paris to mark the event is gathering momentum. an rising variety of occasions on the theme of “sport and religion”.
French lay communicator Arnaud Bouthéon has been engaged on this venture since 2021. He’s an knowledgeable in creating giant missionary occasions throughout the church and a passionate sport.
“I've finished plenty of work within the sports activities enterprise,” he defined to OSV Information. “And I've been within the connection between sports activities and religion for years.”
Bouthéon wrote a ebook on this topic known as “Like God's Athlete”. “Once I discuss to younger folks, I like to make use of sports activities imagery for example Christian virtues. Sports activities is much like religious warfare,” he stated. “Holy. Paul used the metaphor of an athlete to encourage Christians—simply as a coach tries to stimulate his gamers.”
Bouthéon recounted the start of the story of the Holy Video games. “We met with the Worldwide Olympic Committee at a really early stage,” he stated. “We launched ourselves saying that, as a Catholic Church, we wish to assist mobilize folks round this joyful venture of unity. We had been very properly acquired.”
The Holy Video games responded to the IOC's request for chaplaincy within the Olympic Village, which can welcome over 10,000 athletes from July 26 to August. 11. North of Paris, a sprawling 4,300 sq. foot construction was designed to accommodate representatives of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist faiths. About 40 specifically educated Catholic chaplains who love sports activities will take activates responsibility all through the Olympics.
The demand for religious assist through the Video games is excessive. Requests topped 8,000 within the pre-pandemic Video games, The Related Press reported, starting from psychological well being considerations to pre-competition blessings to dealing with a sudden loss of life within the household at house.
Every faith was given a 538-square-foot tent-like construction — a venue with the first mandate of welcoming athletes and offering details about companies.
However it's not nearly chaplaincy. The Holy Video games venture additionally sought to encourage parishes close to symbolic Olympic websites to open their doorways “in a fraternal and festive ambiance” to the 15 to twenty million guests and sports activities followers, Bouthéon stated. Greater than 70 parishes will welcome guests and supply companies in numerous languages. Greater than 2,000 younger persons are making ready to volunteer to assist parishes with document attendance through the summer time holidays.
The official opening of the Holy Video games happened in September 2023 on the iconic Church of Notre-Dame Madeleine within the coronary heart of Paris, often known as La Madeleine, whose structure is paying homage to historical Greek temples. In the course of the opening, Auxiliary Bishop Philippe Marsset of Paris blessed a chapel specifically devoted to athletes.
In the course of the Olympics, they’ll be capable of use a contact display to enter prayer intentions and go away their contact particulars in the event that they wish to get in contact with a chaplain.
“The Church of the Madeleine is the strategic seat of the Holy Video games,” Bouthéon defined. “It concretizes our purpose to create a Catholic presence at these (Olympic) Video games by serving as a media sounding board to permit the Church to make its message of religion heard via sport, which embodies lots of the values that the Church promotes.
The Holy Video games have been organizing festive conferences, debates, conferences, theater, sports activities tournaments, youth testimonies, radio and tv broadcasts for a number of months.
Current occasions have included the “Paris églises tour,” a 6.2-mile run on April 28 from Notre Dame Cathedral to different Paris church buildings, together with the Chapel of Our Girl of the Miraculous Medal on Rue du Bac, the location of the apparitions. Marie in 1830.
The venture additionally consists of soccer matches and tournaments, together with these for monks. On June 17, monks, deacons and bishops from the eight dioceses of Paris and its suburbs will collect for a soccer championship known as the “Pater Cup” within the Olympic metropolis of Villepinte, north of Paris.
The Olympic flame arrived in France on Could 8 from Greece through the southern port metropolis of Marseille aboard a three-masted ship known as the Belem.
The organizers of the Holy Video games have additionally organized for spiritual monuments to be a part of the Olympic torch's journey via France earlier than it reaches Paris. “The intention was to advertise shrines, monasteries and the like, whereas serving to to mobilize folks to contribute to the overall pleasure,” Bouthéon defined.
On Could 19, the Olympic flame handed via the Lourdes shrine within the presence of pilgrims, and the Paralympic flame will move on August 25. The Paralympic Video games might be held in Paris from August 28 to September 8.
A number of days earlier than the beginning of the Olympic Video games, on July 19, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris will have fun Mass at La Madeleine within the presence of IOC President Thomas Bach. Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard of Digne, an avid sportsman himself, will attend the 2024 Summer time Olympics as a particular delegate of the Holy See. French President Emmanuel Macron may attend, sources informed OSV Information.
Simply earlier than the opening ceremony of the Olympic Video games, held within the coronary heart of the town, on the River Seine, the place 1000’s of athletes will sail westward in a flotilla at sundown, Saint-Denis Cathedral will host a vigil to bless the athletes on July 25.
“Sport challenges us to surpass ourselves,” Bouthéon stated. “The Christian religion is a part of this method. However he goes even additional, as a result of he needs to guide us to paradise, to comply with Christ, who opens the way in which for us.
