In Marseille, Lyon and Paris, churches mobilize during the Olympic Games

At the Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière basilica in Lyon, a chapel dedicated to athletes

The city of Lyon is getting ready to vibrate to the rhythm of the Olympic Games. From July 24 to August 11, the Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium will host 11 women’s and men’s football events. To celebrate this event, the Fourvière Basilica is also embracing the spirit of the Olympic Games. A chapel named “Notre-Dame des sportifs” has been installed in the crypt. Its doors are wide open to all Olympic athletes, Sunday sportsmen, parishioners or supporters who wish to meditate, leave a prayer intention or entrust a competition to the Virgin Mary.

An initiative by and for athletes

Accustomed to welcoming 3 million visitors per year, including athletes due to the sporting dynamism of Lyon, the basilica wanted to accompany this event spiritually by choosing the captain of the ASVEL women’s team and 2018 French basketball champion, Alexia Chery, as patron of the chapel!

The Church of La Madeleine in Paris, the mother house of Catholics during the Olympic Games

The church of La Madeleine, located in the 8th arrondissement, has been designated as the central location of the Holy Games Christian mobilization program launched by the Conference of Bishops of France to accompany the Olympic Games.

On Friday, July 19, at 10 a.m., the Parisian sanctuary celebrates the opening mass of the Olympic truce.

The church of La Madeleine will then accompany the games festivities with music with 14 evenings of concerts. On the program: classical music, pop praise and even reggae! Find all the dates on the La Madeleine website.

Athletes and supporters will also be able to gather, light a candle and share prayer intentions in a side chapel dedicated to athletes.

In the Basilica of Saint-Denis, a photo exhibition tells the story of the legacy of the Olympic Games

The necropolis of the kings and queens of France, located near the Olympic Village, is holding a vigil to bless the athletes on June 25, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Until September 15, photographer Sophie Comtet Kouyaté has taken over the cathedral with an exhibition entitled “La trêve”, a nod to the Olympic Games. The artist has photographed forty residents of Saint-Denis and Aubervilliers, eight Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

“La trêve” offers a dreamlike journey through portraits of residents and athletes adorned in white and gold, posing with sports objects and in a staging reminiscent of the world of games in Antiquity. Sophie Comtet Kouyaté creates a fiction between Olympia and Seine-Saint-Denis.

In the diocese of Marseille, solidarity games

On Friday, July 19, the day of the Olympic truce, the bell of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde basilica is due to ring at 10 a.m., at the same time as the opening mass of the Olympic truce begins at the Church of La Madeleine in Paris.

On Sunday, July 21 at 4:30 p.m., a mass for peace with the blessing of the athletes will be held in the basilica, in the presence of volunteers mobilized during this important time in the churches of the Phocaean city.

Throughout the Olympic Games, international masses – celebrated in several languages ​​- will take place at the Sainte-Marie-Majeure Cathedral (known as La Major) and at Notre-Dame-du-Liban.

In the same way that the Pope called for a surge of fraternity during the Olympic Games, the diocese of Marseille is emphasizing hospitality and peace. Several “Olympic parishes” have been named: Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, Notre-Dame-du-Liban, the churches of the Old Port, those near the Marina and the stadium that will host the sailing and football events respectively. They are setting up a special reception system, punctuated by meetings and highlights throughout the Games.

Thanks to religious personnel and volunteers, the diocese intends to meet the needs of athletes and Olympic staff, regardless of their faith. An interreligious conference between a priest, a rabbi and an imam will also be organized on Tuesday, July 23 at 7 p.m. in the Saint-François-Xavier church to discuss the meaning of effort in religious traditions.

Shared coffees are planned on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Saint-François-Xavier church. At the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges church (Bonneveine), times for discussion after mass are organized on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Discover the full program of conferences, events and evenings in Marseille.