Fr Jason Nioka
Episode 283
1 JULY 2024
A former judo champion who has walked the path from seminarian to the diaconate to – 48 HOURS BEFORE THIS INTERVIEW – ordination, while being in charge of the largest contingent of Olympic chaplains, about 40 Catholic priests, nuns, and lay faithful. This role of service to the world’s elite athletes is under the banner of the Holy Games, a project led by the Conference of Bishops of France. Holy Games is the programme of the Catholic Church to spiritually accompany the world of sport and major sporting events.
Notable guest quotes:
“Effectively, I was raised in a Catholic family, and I did not go to Catholic school, but I attended public schools through my entire schooling… and I was baptized when I was 14 years old.”
“I went with my family every year on pilgrimage in Lourdes. It is for sure from that moment that something started to happen regarding my relationship with God.”
“I started judo when I was 3 years old. This sport was recommended to my parents by my psychologists in order for me to express myself and for being self-confident. This sport offers also great values.”
“I competed last November with my club. We had the Paris Championship and we won with my club, so, I am a Parisian champion.”
“I was in such peace in Lourdes when I was there with my family, and I started to wonder how could I serve Him. I did not know how, but I always felt in peace and that is why I started to ask myself why not become a priest.”
“Sports give me values which are the same that we also need as a Christian, like perseverance, self-control, orderliness and sovereignty – many qualities we need to give the best of ourselves.”
(for athletes at the upcoming Olympics) “There will be Mass in many languages such as French, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese. It will depend on the demand we have. We will try our best to offer the possibility to attend Mass in all languages that we can.”
“We did realize that following athletes in a spiritual way is very important. This program will last and get developed in the future. It could even be a source of inspiration for the Olympics in LA in 2028.”
“When I was an athlete, a judo champion, my faith helped me to be the best… Faith always helped me to give the best… plus for me faith was very useful during my defeats.”
“For me it was very important to have, like, 30 minutes with the blessed sacrament and just to pray (to) God and to ask me, to give me the strength, to give me the peace, and just to trust Him in what He wants for me.”
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