From Catholic News Service

Commonwealth Games chaplains pleased by athletes

By Paul Gray, Catholic News Service

MELBOURNE, Australia (CNS) -- Chaplains at the 2006 Commonwealth Games said they were surprised and pleased at the number of athletes openly practicing their faith.

One of three Catholic chaplains at the games, Father Anthony Doran said he met some "very faith-filled people" during the games.

Father Doran, one of about 12 chaplains officially sanctioned to minister at the athletes' village, said he appreciated the faith of all the believers -- Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Bahais and Christians.

"In many ways the Commonwealth is a microcosm of the wider world," he said. The British Commonwealth currently has 53 members; 71 countries participated in the March 15-26 games in Melbourne.

Father Doran, who said Catholic and Anglican chaplains wore clerical dress, said people approached him with a range of requests. Some people wanted to pray with him before a big event; others asked about the times of religious services, while others wanted to chat.

Athletes, volunteers and others associated with the international teams have attended the daily Masses at the athletes' village; at least three Masses were offered on weekends.

The Rev. Peter Nelson, a Churches of Christ chaplain with the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, said athletes from all participating nations -- including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Great Britain -- openly showed their faith behind the scenes and on the playing field. He said all major Christian denominations -- including Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists, Pentecostals and Presbyterians -- were represented by chaplains.

A special area with a room dedicated as a Christian chapel was set aside within the athletes' village. The chaplains worked in shifts to ensure someone was on duty at all times.

Rev. Nelson said he was surprised by the number of athletes who wanted to talk.

"We've had boxers in who were Christians. They were fantastic guys. They come from places as diverse as Scotland and Malawi. Some of them even wanted to join in Bible study," he said.

On March 20, Kenyan runner Augustine Choge, 19, came from behind on the final turn of the 5,000-meter race, crossed the finished line and made the sign of the cross.

Choge trains in Africa with his coach and former geography teacher, Patrician Brother Colm O'Connell, who has trained more than 100 world-class athletes at St. Patrick's High School in Iten, Kenya, since the 1970s.

Rev. Nelson said basketball players Jason Smith and C.J. Bruton, boxer Steven Rudic, netballer Susan Fuhrmann, and pistol shooter David Chapman were several openly Christian athletes from the Australian national team.

The minister said there is a unique value for athletes in having chaplains during major sporting events because chaplains, unlike coaches, are not involved in performance, "so they can talk to us as a kind of neutral person."

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