CYO programs seek to help young men and women appreciate Christ’s presence in their opponents, use their physical gifts and play fairly and enthusiastically, both on and off the field. Through programs and training linked to parish life, CYO offers young people, coaches and their families another opportunity to work together in communion, showing the world a new vision of “competition” in sports.

“...Strive to build a culture of love! You can contribute to this by sport and by your whole behavior, by all the freshness of your feelings, and by all the seriousness of the discipline which sport can teach you. Live as people who stay friends and brothers and sisters even when you compete for the ‘crown’ of an earthly victor! Shake hands, join your hearts in the solidarity of love and limitless cooperation! Recognize in yourselves, in each other, the sign of the Fatherhood of God and the fraternity in Christ!” –Pope John Paul II, Homily at Olympic Stadium in Rome, April 1984