Marking the beginning of the ceremony, a procession of Jesuit and Dominican friars walked through the nave to the choir, led by the Rev. Jason Nioka, who held the Evangeliarium, the liturgical book of the Gospels.
FILE – The Olympic rings are mounted on the Eiffel Tower, Friday, June 7, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo//Thomas Padilla, File)
Like Fitzgerald, Nioka, the main Catholic chaplain at the Olympic Village, stressed how spiritual moments before a competition could make a world of difference for religious athletes.
“A few steps from the Olympic Village of the athletes, the day before the opening ceremony, it’s very important for us to consecrate these athletes, to pray for all of them,” he said.
Nioka represented France as a judoka during the 2016 Rio Games and claimed his faith was a compass during his competitions. He was ordained a month ago and aims to show how faith and sports conciliate. Speaking from his experience as an athlete, he said his presence as a chaplain becomes even more important in cases of failure.
Green attended with Edgar Molinos, a weightlifting coach for the Guam delegation. Mid-ceremony, the two were taken on a pilgrimage to the Basilica’s crypt, which holds the relics of Saint-Denis, a missionary bishop for Pope Clement I and the first bishop of Paris. In front of the crypt, they were invited to dip their hands in holy water and cross themselves. Upon exiting the cave, they received blessings.
A devout Catholic, Molinos said being approached by the crowd who prayed for them gave him goosebumps. Starting the games in prayer was important for Molinos, for whom this year marks his first time at the Olympics since he represented Guam at the Barcelona games in 1992.
As a coach, he made a point of praying for his athlete, Nicola Lagatao, before the competition’s debut. Lagatao is the first female weightlifter to represent Guam in weightlifting since the Sydney games of 2000. The stakes are high, he explained.
“The competition is very intense. As a weightlifter, you’re on the platform by yourself there, and I want to pray as she does: ‘Calm down and God will guide you.’”
This article originally appeared here.
