As the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris begin, one group is encouraging Catholics worldwide to become spiritual athletes by participating in the “Rosary Olympics.”
“This initiative invites us to channel the same dedication athletes show into our prayer life, honoring the Virgin Mary with each heartfelt prayer,” a press release from Hozana Association, a Christian social network of prayer based in France, reads.
The Rosary Olympics — an initiative that invites Catholics to pray the Rosary every day in community with others through Hozana Association’s Rosario app — coincides with the 2024 Olympics, from July 26 through August 11.
The app takes its inspiration from Blessed Pauline Jaricot‘s idea of a “living Rosary,” and hosts groups of five people who, each day, meditate on a mystery of the Rosary while praying one decade. The app (available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish) tracks each person’s progress. With their prayers joined together, all five complete a Rosary. Users can join public groups and create private groups with friends and family that are dedicated to certain intentions.
“For the Olympics, we’re praying for a special intention … we’re praying to become athletes of the Virgin,” Cassandre Verhelst, head of anglophone edition at Hozana Association, told Our Sunday Visitor.
How to sign up
During the Rosary Olympics, she said, users begin in public groups together with everyone else who signs up to participate.
“Our concept is simple: we’ll guide you to successfully incorporate praying the Rosary into your daily routine by the end of the Olympics,” the press release reads.
The Rosary Olympics provides a “spiritual training plan” with Our Blessed Mother as the coach.
“We start off with one decade at the beginning of the Olympics and it increases as the Olympics go on in intensity,” Verhelst said, with participants saying five decades each day by the end.
“It’s a simple way to get closer to the Lord and to increase your faith,” she added. “With Mary, through Mary, you contemplate on the elements of Jesus’ life and different parts of his life and so you can really grow closer to him.”
More than 200 participants have signed up for the Rosary Olympics so far. The goal, Verhelst said, is to have all Rosario app users participate, with 121,000 in French, 14,000 in English and 35,000 in Portuguese and Spanish.
The faithful can participate for free by downloading the Rosario app available from Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Once they open the app, users should select “New group” and then choose “I have an invitation code.” From there, people can enter the Rosary Olympics by typing in the code “STRIKETHEMATCH.”
“Light the match,” the press release reads, “to ignite the flame in your heart!”
