The Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry is hosting an online national sports consultation on February 28 (Photo: Diocese of Parramatta).

The Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry is inviting Catholics to register for an online national sports consultation to be held on February 28.

The consultation will include a keynote address from Santiago Pérez de Camino, head of the Church and Sport Office in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

Dr Pérez de Camino will provide an overview of the Vatican’s 2018 document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, Giving the best of yourself. He will also share insights from the 2022 Vatican conference with the theme “Sport for All”.

The consultation will also include input from two Australian sports ministry leaders: the National Centre for Pastoral Research’s Stephen Reid, who recently completed a doctoral thesis on sports chaplaincy; and Helene O’Neill, family ministry coordinator for the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, a sports chaplain and former ABC sports commentator.

There will also be an opportunity for group discussion on ways the Church can become a protagonist in the experience and culture of sport in Australia.

Bishop Brian Mascord, a member of the Bishops Commission, said the consultation would provide participants with a chance to explore some of the ways sports intersects with faith.

“Sport is such an important part of Australian culture and life,” he said.

“It also helps to promote and develop many characteristics which we value in the spiritual life – things like perseverance, courage, self-sacrifice for the good of others and, of course, teamwork.”

To view the program and to register for the event on the evening of February 28, visit www.nce.catholic.org.au/sport