Fr. Xavier Ernst, SDB, on the Team of Catholic Chaplains at the Olympic Village
(ANS – Paris – July 22, 2024) – While the best athletes of all disciplines are converging from all over the world on France, and on Paris in particular, the Olympic village dedicated to welcoming them, in the Saint-Denis area, is ready. It 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 center in the form of a tent, similar to the “tent of meetings” that young people from Salesian circles have known in the Campobosco experience. Within this space there are a reception area and 5 different prayer rooms, which house the chaplains of the 5 main religions (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist). These include Catholic chaplains – including Salesian Fr. Xavier Ernst – as well as Protestants and Orthodox.
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. It is precisely the one who calls for an interfaith space in the Olympic
Village,” François Morinière of Holy Games explained.
About
30 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 2 things: love for sports and the experience of spiritual
guidance. Among them is Fr. Xavier Ernst, SDB, pastor of St. John Bosco parish
in the 20th arrondissement of Paris and delegate for youth ministry
in the province of France and Southern Belgium.
“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’ll celebrate the Eucharist, not in the multi-religious center, but in the
church next to the village.”
“Will
we have 1 visitor per day, 10, 50, or 100? Obviously we don’t know! But the
important thing isn’t the number, it’s our being at the service of the
athletes,” the Salesian says.
During
the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (July 26-August 11), 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, from Thursday, July 25, to Friday, August 2, the
Salesian Youth Movement over 17 section will propose a series
of activities and animations—reception, games, listening, times for prayer—in addition
to 2 highlights entrusted to it by the organizing committee: the ecumenical
prayer vigil on Tuesday, July 30, with Mark Gangloff, 2-time Olympic swimming
champion, and the Mass on July 31, presided over by Bp. Emmanuel Gobillard, delegate
of the Church for the Olympics in Paris.
Source : Don
Bosco Aujourd’hui
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