Catholic Sports Ministry
"The Church feels close to the world of sport, because she sees games and sporting activities as a place of personal encounter for people, a formation in virtue and fraternity. For this reason, sports find a home in the Church." Pope Francis (Sept 30, 2022)
The Catholic Church engages the lived experience of sports through ministry, encounter, and evangelization. "The Church approaches the world of sports because it desires to contribute to the construction of an increasingly authentic, humane sport," notes the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life (Giving the Best of Yourself, 2018). This page contains resources for U.S. Catholics and faith leaders in navigating the issue of sports, in particular how they intersect with the work of the Church.
Catholic sports ministries fall under the work of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth (LMFLY), coordinated by the USCCB staff within the LMFLY Secretariat.
U.S. Catholic Bishops on Sports
A number of U.S. Bishops have shared wisdom and insights on the connection of sports, athletes, pastoral ministry, and the Catholic faith. The link below includes statements, presentations, and resources from several U.S. Bishops in recent years on these topics and how Catholics can engage with this mission field.
Individual U.S. Diocesan Bishop Statements on Sports and the Catholic Faith
International Conference on Sport and Spirituality
In May 2024, the Vatican convened representatives from around the world to discuss sports and spirituality. Pope Francis noted in his remarks for the event that "the Church recognizes her need to be pastorally present in the world of sport and wishes to promote an education in the genuine values of athletic competition, purified of forms of egotism and purely material concerns" (Message to Conference Participants, 2024). Bishop John Barres of Rockville Centre (New York) served as the U.S. representative at this gathering. Resources from that gathering can be found online at this USCCB resource page.
The 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games
As the world gathers in Paris, France, for the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Catholic Church is engaged in various ways in this quadrennial international sports experience. The Church across France has been engaged in the "Holy Games" (see here for the English and French pages). Various news articles have been posted about the connection of the Church and the Olympics and Paralympics: from Religion News, LaCroix, and National Catholic Register. It should be noted that these are external news sites and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USCCB.
Catholic Athletes for Christ
The organization, Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC), is a nationwide network of laity and clergy working together to support players, coaches, staffs, and teams with a mission of sharing the Gospel through the work of athletics. CAC works with Church leadership and other Catholic organizations in fulfilling this mission, It seeks to raise up role models, address moral and ethical issues in sporting, minister to athletes and sports communities, network leadership, and provide spiritual resources in athletic settings.
Catholic Athletes for Christ Website
Jubilee Celebration of Sports
During the Holy Year Jubilee in 2025, the Vatican will celebrate the Jubilee of Sport from Saturday, June 14, to Sunday, June 15, 2025. There will be activities in Rome during this weekend, and Catholics across the United States are encouraged to celebrate Catholic athletes, coaches, teams, and sports ministries in their local communities at that time. More information about the Holy Year can be found at the USCCB Jubilee Page and additional details and resources about the Jubilee of Sports will be available here in the near future.
Vatican Jubilee of Sports Page
Pier Giorgio Frassati
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) is considered by many to be a patron of athletes, as he was a young man who was engaged in sports including his favorite, mountain-climbing. Pier Giorgio, called the "Man of the Beatitudes" by Saint John Paul II for his exemplary Christian living, lived in the shadow of the Italian Alps and was fond of exerting himself in the mountainous landscape of northern Italy. He was also well known for his charitable works, service to the poor and marginalized, strong devotion to the Eucharist, and sharing Christian joy with his family and friends. He was beatified in 1990 and could be canonized in the very near future. Check out the link below for more about this great patron of athletes and sports ministry.
See the USCCB Pier Giorgio Frassati Web PageADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Sports have had a connection to the Catholic Church for centuries. Even Saint Paul in the first century used the example of sports in his explanation of a lifetime commitment to Christ saying, "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:7). Today, the Vatican and the USCCB have also developed additional resources for helping Catholics make the sports-and-faith connection.
Vatican Sports Ministry Page (hosted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education)
Magisterial Documents on Sports (curated by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life)
Sport for All: Vatican Declaration on Sport (released by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life)
Giving the Best of Yourself: Document on the Christian Perspective on Sport and the Human Person (developed by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life)
Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference (prepared by the Dicastery for Culture)
Vatican Document on Coaching (developed by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life)
Listen, Teach, Send; A National Pastoral Framework for Ministries with Youth and Young Adults (released by the USCCB and developed by the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth)
First Freedom Podcast on "Inclusion, Sports, and Civil Society" (from the USCCB Religious Liberty Committee)
For more information about the USCCB and its work with sports ministries, please contact the USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth (LMFLY) at laity@usccb.org.
RETURN to the LMFLY Committee/Secretariat home page by clicking here.