Are we ready for the World Cup?

Receiving a query from a family I met last year in Mexico about accommodation for the World Cup in June for a group of young guys, I started wondering how family-friendly I have really been about the whole thing.

I decided long ago that the World Cup was something affecting families and so I have been involved with the rather loosely operating working committee, but I am asking myself (and others too): is the Church using this opportunity for evangelisation wisely and in a positive family-friendly manner?

What has been done to my knowledge is putting up the website www.churchontheball.com which does have some articles and information, including an article I wrote in January 2009 about families being “on the ball”. Some information about dioceses and parishes where the games will be played will be available as well as information about Mass times.

Apparently no major spiritual services or activities are being planned, although Masses in different languages have been suggested and may take place here and there. Youth Day, June 16, falls during that time and some dioceses and parishes may combine a youth celebration with the football event.

Some of us have been working on a Soccer World Cup Prayer booklet, to be made available throughout the country. This will contain basic prayers (some in local languages other than English), the Order of the Mass and a variety of other prayers. Some are for and about family life, others relate specifically to the games, for example prayer for success, for safety, for good sportsmanship, no crime and no trafficking of drugs or people — all serious concerns of the Church.

The Family Life Desk chose as its theme for 2010 “Families play the game”, and the calendar and MARFAM publications contain enrichment resources for family life around that theme all year. Parish talks and workshops that I give will incorporate the monthly themes too.

Will the games bring families together? Will they enjoy time spent together or will the World Cup split them up? Will they learn to communicate well and not fight about who gets to watch which match on TV? Will parents be willing and able to discuss with their teenagers the risks they could be taking as they could be exposed to drugs and drink? Will we talk about prostitution and trafficking, or is that something only for tourists?

All those points have been in my mind for some time. But then I got this request for accommodation. I started to make some enquiries. I tried the Johannesburg archdiocese and different places, but didn’t find anyone who could respond positively. If your 18-year-old son wanted to come to a foreign country with a group of his mates for a month to watch football and have a jol, would you want them to be hosted in a place where they would be safe from danger and harm? Would you be looking for a Catholic venue, retreat centre, or a Catholic family home? Or would you let them loose on the streets of a strange town and country? I think I would try to make contact with people I think I can trust, people who are like myself.

Retreat centres I contacted were concerned about rowdy behaviour, drinking and late nights. It is hard to find a home that can cater for six young men, and then what about transport around Johannesburg? I had been open to offer to accommodate a family I stayed with in Mexico City if they would choose to come for a week or so, but six young men for a month around the house is something else, (apart from the money I could make).  So it seems that I will have to refer them to general accommodation providers.

So now, faced with this practical reality, I ask myself: is the Church in South Africa (and of course we are the Church) in the dioceses and parishes using this opportunity to provide a safe and healthy environment for young Catholic visitors, an opportunity for evangelisation and for enriching family life as well as we could. Are we serious about our faith in our lives?

I would be glad to hear from readers what you think and what is happening in other places.