As the World Cup draws fans from around the globe, one Georgia parish is using the tournament to strengthen fellowship among Catholics from 29 countries and cultural backgrounds.
Nearly 300 parishioners gathered June 13 for a World Cup watch party, filling a parish gym with national flags, lawn chairs, and support for teams from around the world, according to the Georgia Bulletin, the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s news outlet.
The gathering, held at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church in Douglasville, centered on Morocco's opening-round match against Brazil and included a barbecue meal provided by the Catholic Metro Sports League, a regional organization that partnered with the parish for the gathering.
For Antonio Borges, a parish catechist and Bible study leader, the tournament offered an opportunity of connection for parishioners who attend Spanish Mass or English Mass and tend not to see each other.
"Sports allow us,” he said according to the outlet, “to bring different cultures, different thoughts, ways of thinking, different behaviors, and allow it to bring them all together.”
The watch party proved so popular that organizers closed registration after reaching the gym’s capacity, 280 people.
Parish communications director Evelyn Ortega said organizers hoped attendees would leave with a stronger sense of community.
"We want them to remember the feeling of being together in fellowship," Ortega said. "We are all one family even though we may be cheering for different teams. We are in the same church family."
The parish's Brazilian-born pastor, Father Leandro Nunes Teixeira, said sports can also offer lessons for the Christian life.
"Soccer evangelizes because soccer reminds us of something," Father Leandro said. "Life, I would say, is not about a competition to shine alone."
Drawing a comparison between faith and the game, he said people of faith, like athletes in team sports, succeed when they work together rather than focus solely on themselves.
Father Leandro's reflections echoed Pope Leo XIV's June prayer intention, which describes sports as a "school of fraternity" and a way of bringing people together.