Musings: Faith and football

St Luigi Scrosoppi

Are footballers and their fans becoming more religious? The image of players making the sign of the cross as they run out on the pitch, or score a goal, is very familiar. After Bolton's Fabrice Muamba collapsed with a serious heart attack in March, his team mates appealed for prayers, and many attributed his recovery to the thousands of prayers offered in those first crucial hours.

Recently it was announced that a former Manchester United footballer is training to become a priest. Phil Mulryne, once a teammate of Ryan Giggs and David Beckham, has enrolled at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome. Mulryne, 34, began his career with the Manchester United youth team in 1994. He joined Norwich in 1999 and later had spells with Ipswich Town, Barnsley, Leyton Orient and Polish side Legia Warsaw.

Faith would seem to be an important feature in the lives of many top players. Practicing Catholic players include: Wayne Rooney, Reyes, Gilberto, Cech, Crespo, Del Horno, Duff, Alonso, Morientes, Ronaldo, O'Shea, Luque and Prso - to name but a few.

Most clubs have their own chaplain - Barcelona even has a chapel in their grounds. And all clubs have special Masses said for them throughout tournaments.

In Wroclaw throughout UEFA EURO 2012, the Church of St Elizabeth became a particular place of devotion for fans. Many came to pray for their teams there - and also scaled the 200 steps of the 12th century tower to get a breathtaking view of the Municipal Stadium Wroclaw.

Since 2001, football players have had their own patron saint: St Luigi Scrosoppi. Born in 1804 in Udine, northern Italy, to a very poor family, Fr Luigi devoted his life to working with poor young men and women, establishing many orphanages and schools enabling young people to better themselves by gaining an education and skills. He also encouraged boys to take part in sports and is often depicted in art carrying a football.

On Sunday night, Italy, a Catholic country, narrowly beat England in the quarter final. On Wednesday, the semi-final between two more Catholic countries, Spain and Portugal takes place. It looks as though St Luigi is going to be kept very busy over the next few days.