New Olympic Event: Prayer

The Olympics, established in the 8th or 9th century B.C., began as a festival to honor Zeus, king of the Greek gods. Greek men gathered and competed in various sporting events for two reasons: to give honor and glory to their city-state and to give honor and glory to Zeus. (Women, by the way, were allowed to own horses and earn victories in equestrian events.) This year, Winter Olympiad XX revives an old dimension of the Olympic Games: giving honor and glory to God.

Zenit news agency reported on Sunday 12 February, that Fr. Gheller, a Salesian priest from Turin, along with representatives from several movements in the Church -- CL and Folkalare, to name two -- have arranged for Eucharistic adoration to take place in three Churches during the winter Olympic games. They have designed an inviting program for athletes, volunteers, and spectators alike. The project, called Cor ad Cor, Fr. Gheller explains is from the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales and Bl. John Henry Newman: the heart of God speaking to the heart of man.

Click here to read about the project it in English. Click here to read about it in Italian. Click here to visit Zenit news agency.

In a sermon on the mystery of the Visitation in 1618, St. Francis de Sales encouraged our sisters to cultivate a deep devotion to the Eucharist:

"How you should be overwhelmed with joy when you are visited by this Divine Savior in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar and by the interior graces you receive daily from His Divine Majesty through the many inspirations and words which he speaks to your hearts."