The Legionaries of Christ studying in Rome, once a month go out as a community to carry out an apostolic initiative called StreetFaith. The same activity can be seen singing carols on the street or playing a kind of football match but with a tennis net. They call this activity “Sfida il prete”, meaning “Challenge the priest”. It involves, as the Legionary priests Francisco Iñarritu and José Manuel Reyes explain, inviting passersby to play a game of football-tennis and then inviting them to pray for a little while before the Blessed Sacrament, go to confession, chat… And people join in: “The idea is similar to the already famous SolNight initiative organized by Youth Missionary in Spain. The surprised looks on the passersby’s faces are guaranteed.

What does this activity consist of, what is this challenge to the priest about?

“Sfida il prete” was born as a response to Pope Francis’s call for a “Church on the move”. The first activity took place during the canonizations of Saint John Paul II and Saint John XXIII. Since then, we usually do it every month. We chose the title “Sfida il prete” (Challenge the priest) because it grabs attention and because it indeed involves challenging the priest (actually the ‘brother’…).

Let me clarify one thing: does scoring a goal against the priest mean entering the chapel or avoiding entering?

Actually, it’s football-tennis. Two against two. The loser enters the chapel (we don’t usually lose, but it has happened…). We offer candles to light in front of the Eucharist, and one of the brothers accompanies them to guide their prayer. We also have phrases from Pope Francis to distribute at the end of the game. We have a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages where we share these activities.

And does it end there?

Let me tell you an anecdote: a young man from Rome challenged us with his friends. After the game, they went to pray and confessed. We stayed in contact, and he himself became a missionary with Youth Missionary missions in Rome. Thus, we invented “Sfida il Missionario” (Challenge the missionary)…

The football-tennis game is played on the street, in front of a church. What is the area like?

When we started it during the canonizations of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII, it was a great success, and we were asked to continue, so we began looking for a church where we could carry out the mission. The church we found is the rectory of Santa Barbara dei Librari. It’s a small church very close to Campo dei Fiori. This square is one of the busiest spots for tourists and Romans, due to the morning market, the statue of Giordano Bruno (who was burned here), and the many restaurants and bars there. At night, it’s like an open-air bar, making it an excellent place to meet people.

Brother, who do you challenge to challenge you: the Romans or the tourists and pilgrims?

To everyone passing by… Usually about 60% tourists and 40% Romans.

And how does people react? Some might find it strange, others might think it’s great…

Generally, they are very surprised. They take out their phones and start taking photos with smiles. Then we approach and they often ask what we are doing. The ladies usually see their husbands and encourage them to play. The kids often think it will be easy. If they’ve seen us play, they are surprised. Someone might ask: “Do you really study in the seminary?” The conversation becomes easy.

I remember the case of some Spanish boys who played with us. In the end, a consecrated Spanish woman accompanied them to the church. I jokingly asked one of them how long it had been since he entered a church. His answer was: “I don’t remember ever entering a church.”

How many people participate and how are they organized? From the photos, some play, others talk with passersby, others in the chapel—I suppose the priests are confessing…

Exactly. During the missions, practically everyone takes turns. In “Sfida il prete”, we are usually between 4 and 7 brothers per turn. Regarding the community missions (streetfaith), we are between 30 and 50 per turn.

Why do you wear these missionary crosses? Isn’t the priestly attire enough?

We wear this cross because it is a symbol we have chosen for our missions within the community. In reality, the priestly insignia would suffice, but it reminds us that we are on a special mission.

Photos: Brett Taira, LC
Source: Lo+RC