austraLasia #2461

Salesian with long Olympic experience helps out in World Games

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan-- The Church will provide religious services and information for visitors to the World Games 2009, scheduled to start on July 16 in Kaohsiung city.
    Bishop Peter Liu Chen-chung of Kaohsiung, in southern Taiwan, said his diocese has set up a “Vatican Pavilion” at the World Games Plaza, the event’s social hub which will host cultural activities and various performances.
    The Church pavilion is decorated with photos of Vatican City and displays Catholic books for visitors to browse. Church music will also be played here.
    In addition, the local government has also agreed to a Church request to include Mass schedules and their locations in the Games brochure.
    Bishop Liu said his diocese has invited an Austrian Salesian, Fr Bernard Maier, to help train Catholic volunteers and other priests on how to serve the needs of tourists and Games participants.  The priest, who is experienced in such matters, arrived on July 14.
    To serve Catholics coming from different countries, the local Church has asked priests in the diocese who can speak English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean or Spanish to assist in conducting Church services for the athletes and visitors.
Lay Catholics who can speak foreign languages have also been asked to act as guides at some of the Church’s historical sites in the area, said Bishop Liu.
    Tseng Hua-ming, chairperson of the laity council of the Holy Rosary Cathedral Minor Basilica of Kaohsiung diocese, said he had signed up as a volunteer in response to the bishop’s call that “the Catholic Church should not be absent from the World Games in Kaohsiung.”
Tseng and other Catholics, including some priests and nuns, will distribute information on the Catholic Church as a means of evangelization.
Earlier, on July 4, representatives of several major religions came together in Kaohsiung to pray for the success of the World Games. About 1,000 Catholics attended the event, which was organized by religious communities and the government.
    The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international event for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games, such as body building, squash, netball, water skiing and orienteering. They are held with the patronage of the International Olympic Committee.
World Games 2009, which will run until July 26, is expected to attract around 5,000 people from 105 countries
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Title: australasia 2461
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces CIN, EAO General  World Games Taiwan
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2461