Milan’s Catholic archdiocese brings Olympic values into parish life

Catholic leaders in Milan were faced with a choice when the city was selected to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

They could passively wait for the event to unfold or immediately introduce the Olympic spirit into their pastoral work. They chose the latter solution.

“We believe that the Olympic Games represent a great educational opportunity in the meaning they will have,” Milan Archbishop Mario Delpini wrote in a letter following the launch of a program aimed at promoting Olympic values ​​among young people.

The Ora Sport on Fire tour has been underway since late 2022, with new archdiocese-led activities planned during the Games.

“The city as an Olympic village is a metaphor for saying that relationships are shaped by competing in mutual esteem,” Delpini added.

In Italy, a country marked by Catholic tradition, the Ora Sport on Fire Tour takes place in youth centers and parish schools. It was developed by the sports and youth services of the Archdiocese of Milan, in collaboration with its school pastoral services.

According to Rev. Stefano Guidi, who heads the Archdiocese’s Oratories and Sports Department, both the program and the activities that will take place during the Games aim to make a specific contribution by highlighting the inclusive and social aspects of sport.

“We hope that these values ​​will help the young people of our city to grow,” he said.

The first step in designing the Ora Sport on Fire Tour was the study of the Olympic Charter, the founding document of the Olympic movement.

The religious leaders of Milan then anchored their project in the cultural values ​​of the event. Through sporting events, competitions and workshops, themes such as human rights and peace were promoted.

These are organized in Christian-inspired schools and oratories, parish spaces devoted to extracurricular activities for young people, including sports and Catholic catechism classes.

Among its activities ahead of the Winter Olympics, the archdiocese also hosted meetings between religious leaders, athletes and young people.

At one of the program’s first rollout events, Paralympic swimmer Arianna Talamona spoke about how being an athlete is both an honor and a responsibility.

“One thing I often want to say when I go to schools and meet students is to be patient and have very clear ideas about their passions,” Talamona said during the meeting, which was broadcast on archdiocese channels. “And if they have dreams and passions, it’s important to cultivate them.”

The Ora Sport On Fire Tour has its own Olympic torch. It is a symbolic path to transmit the spirit of the Games to participating institutions.

The flame traveled throughout the territories of the diocese, visiting two pastoral areas per year. As each deanery welcomed him, gatherings, prayers and debates on Olympic values ​​took place.

Oratories in towns like Tradate in northern Italy posted on social media how children and teenagers carried the torch and reflected on its meaning.

In other cities, such as Gallarate, sports activities focused on inclusion. They taught young people to recognize and respect differences and diverse abilities.

This approach has been a constant of the program since its beginnings. To mark the launch of the third year of the Ora Sport On Fire Tour, Paralympic swimmer Alberto Amodeo appeared as a guest at a diocesan sports meeting in Abbiategrasso.

He recalled his achievements at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo and Paris, highlighting how the Games bring together athletes of different ethnicities.

“These are beautiful results that will stay in my heart forever,” Amodeo said.

The initiatives implemented during the Ora Sport On Fire Tour have changed from one deanery to another. Some have hosted sports-themed plays overseen by a professional theater company. Others organized film forums or large-scale sporting activities.

All remain linked to the next Olympic Games. However, sport has long played a key role in the archdiocese’s pastoral action with young people, even before Italy was chosen to host the Winter Games.

According to Guidi, there are around 1,000 oratories in the diocese of Milan. Almost all of them have a sports club that carries out activities. “Some even reach 100 years of history,” he said. “For many children, adolescents and families, this is the only possibility of playing sport. »

He added that most activities are offered at low cost, mainly through volunteer work.

In all the sports programs of the diocese, three aspects remain essential: transmitting how sport contributes to the development of each person’s physical abilities, how it promotes socialization and how it develops respect for one’s opponent.

“So it proposes a kind of growth that has the meaning of constant training of oneself and one’s relationships,” Guidi said. “And the opportunity to learn from mistakes.”

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