Before the drama of competition begins at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, a quieter moment in Milan has already captured the spirit of the Games.
Inside the Church of Sant’Antonio Abate, around 70 singers gathered for a concert organized by the Terzo Tempo choir, a group known for bringing together people of different ages and backgrounds. The evening, on February 18, was titled “Like Yeast in the Dough,” borrowing a Gospel image that suggests something small coming together and quietly helping everything rise.
The music itself ranged across languages and styles, but what lingered most in the air was the sense of welcome. The concert was not simply a performance; it was part of a broader reflection within the Archdiocese of Milan on how the city might embrace the values behind the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Fr. Stefano Guidi, who heads the archdiocese’s Service for Oratories and Sport, explained why the Church felt called to participate in this moment. “The Olympics and the Paralympics are not something that simply passes over our heads, but something that also touches our lives,” he said, as reported by WRAL News.
These words hint at something deeper than sport.
For many people, the Paralympics are among the most moving events in global athletics, not only because of the skill involved but because of what the athletes represent: resilience, determination, and the refusal to let limitations define a life.
Yet inclusion, as Church leaders in Milan point out, does not begin in stadiums.
“Where singing is unity, passion, freedom and joy"
Fr. Mauro Santoro, who has been involved in the initiative, put it plainly: “If we focus on organizing things only for people with disabilities, we risk segregation.” His vision is instead one of shared spaces where people learn, pray, and play together.
The concert offered a glimpse of that possibility. Voices rose together, filling the church with music that seemed to echo the Gospel metaphor that inspired the evening. Like yeast in dough, small gestures — a choir rehearsal, a shared stage, a community willing to welcome — can slowly transform the whole.
A sentiment in keeping with the choir's motto: “Where singing is unity, passion, freedom and joy."
When the Paralympics begin, hundreds of athletes from around the world will compete on snow and ice, showing the extraordinary things the human spirit can accomplish. But the small concert in Milan reminds us that the deeper victory lies elsewhere.
It lies in building a world where everyone has a place — not on the sidelines, but in the song.
