I recently was in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. While the primary reason I was there was to cover the figure skating events, I did make an effort to see of some of the churches.
My first stop was the Basilica of San Babila, also designated as the “Church of the Athletes” during the Olympics. The church was offering Masses in various languages, and I attended Sunday Mass in English. It’s one of Milan’s oldest churches. The church also was the site of the “Cross of the Athletes,” which was blessed by Pope Francis at the 2013 World Youth Day and has been placed in chapels in the Olympic host cities of London in 2012, Paris in 2024 and now Milan. The cross is expected to travel to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
My second stop was the Church of Santa Maria Segreta, where St. Carlo Acutis was confirmed and regularly attended daily Mass. I have a devotion to St. Carlo Acutis and know that he was from Milan, so I wanted to find a church with some significance to him. I was able to venerate a relic of his heart located in a side chapel. The church was not far from the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is home to Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” Unfortunately, I was unable to go inside, as tickets were sold out during my trip.
The final church I visited was the Duomo of Milan, which is an iconic attraction. I climbed the stairs to walk the terraces and then walked around inside admiring the beautiful architecture while saying some prayers in the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Milan.
While I didn’t make it to the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio or some of the other churches in Milan, I was quite pleased that I took time to see God’s beauty in these structures and be in his presence on what was memorable trip for me.
