Oooohh, snap! Over 100 team members!!

I wasn’t sure I would ever see this happen this year, but by God’s grace and the answer to some great prayers offered by our prayer warriors, our running team just jumped to 101 runners! Thank you all for joining such a great cause and for dedicating yourself to the training that will allow you to complete your race next weekend!

I am so excited about the message we will all be sending on race day! More than 100 people chasing after their vocation and challenging this city to do the same! God is good, all the time!!

What a Tragedy! What Hope!

Today, I think posts like this one will be popping up all over the internet. In fact, I think I am pretty much late to the party. Yesterday was a day that many of us will never forget and certainly, for those of us who have seen video coverage of the explosions and for those who were there to witness it and survive, the sight will almost never clear our minds. Yesterday was a day in which the worst of humanity was put on display for all the world to see, and once again, though we think ourselves safe here in America, the reality of our vulnerability came to light once again. To think that someone would find pride or joy in seeing the suffering of so many people, and as my wife aptly pointed out yesterday, to snatch away their moment of triumph and replace it with total defeat is nearly unfathomable.

I admit that when I heard about it I was shocked. As I listened longer, I was filled with grief and dismay at the level to which humanity has sunk today and slowly I began to fill with anger at the person responsible for this heinous act. And then, in the most unlikely of places, the wonder of Facebook, I found my reminder of who we really are. It was there that I saw post after post of men and women “Running for Boston,” “praying for Boston,” “thinking about Boston,” and in one way or another “uniting with Boston.” It is difficult to imagine that someone would choose a contest of this magnitude to attack people who literally have spent every ounce of their energy to reach this finish line only to be blasted to their knees and worse. And yet, it is in these tragedies that people of every race, nation, and religion recognize that the best of humanity must shine so much brighter than the worst. That we are all connected as creations of God. That we are all brothers and sisters and that when one of us falls, the rest must be there to pick him up. We are the Body of Christ and we are God’s hands and feet.

Today and for the rest of my training and into Flying Pig weekend, I will be uniting my suffering to those who have suffered so much in Boston, because I know that is what God expects of us and that is what I have been created to do. I have been sent, this is my mission.

I will be fulfilling this mission as part of the Run for the Call team and I am adding the Boston Marathon Explosion to our prayer list. If you have any other prayer intentions you would like to add, please send them in. If you would like to join us in solidarity with Boston, it is not too late. The deadline has been extended to this Friday, April 19th! If you would like to become a prayer warrior and help us pray for Boston and for an increase of understanding of our unique mission in this world, please make a pledge today!

We Need You!

I am very happy to announce that there is still one day left to our team sign up deadline and we have 80 runners signed up already!!! One of those is a priest friend from the Northern reaches of the Archdiocese, Fr. Dan Hess! If running side by side with a priest of the Archdiocese doesn’t inspire you to join our team, I don’t know what will! Sign up right now!! Deadline is Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:59 pm.

I’m also happy to tell you that our Run-a-Thon has received its first pledges and we are off to a good start, but we are looking to reach over 100 pledges and there are lots of runners in need of your support. So, please go on over and add your name to the pledge sheet!

Finally, we are now accepting offers of help for race day fun. We are looking for cheerleaders (i.e., people willing to stand on the race course and cheer on the team; signs are always appreciated!), booth volunteers, donations of water or other replenishing beverages for our runners after the races, and prayer supporters who can’t make it down to the race course May 4th or 5th (pledge your support here).

In recap, we need your help in anyway you can offer it. Do you have the energy and willingness to join our team? Sign up today? Are you willing to sacrifice for the good of this Archdiocese and our seminarians a little more of the financial gifts God has given you? Make a monetary pledge or one time donation today or even a food donation. Do you have lots of energy but don’t have time or the ability to train to run? Then join us on the course to cheer on the team. Are you booked solid the weekend of May 4-5, 2013 but still want to show your support? Make a prayer pledge and let us know you are with us by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Wow! What a Night!

This past Saturday, with the great organizational skills and leadership of Matt and Marie Howe and the input of many others, along with the support and response from multiple Cincinnati-based Catholic Young Adult Groups, the 2nd Annual Run for the Call City Square Dance was a huge success!!!

The night saw more than 250 young adults and dozens of children all having a great time thanks to the efforts of:

• two celebrity DJs in Jay Kruz of Rewind 94.9 and Jesse Tack of B105,
• the most well-loved and, possibly the most well-renowned square dance caller in the city, Zeke Regula,
• professional photography provided by Livon Photography (photos are coming soon)
  
• and tons of food donated by JTM Food Group and the generous kitchens of many young adults

Additionally, many of our seminarians came to join in the fun and through it all we were able to collect over $2000 for Run for the Call!!!

I can’t thank enough everyone who came, everyone who donated, and everyone who helped to make this night possible. All I can do is promise you my prayers and ask you to keep our efforts in yours as well!

See You Tonight!

The day has finally arrived and I hope you are ready! The social event of the year is happening tonight at St. Gertrude in Madeira! Our first fundraiser of the year, the Run for the Call City Square Dance starts tonight at 5:30 pm with FREE square dancing lessons and the fun continues all night until 11:30 with hourly square dances and more music provided by celebrity DJs Jesse Tack of B105 and Jay Kruz of Rewind 94.9.

The cost for this family friendly event is $8 for adults and teens 13 and up (Kids 12 and Under are FREE) and includes food and drinks! There will also be more opportunities to donate to Run for the Call throughout the night and the chance to dance with and meet some of our seminarians and team members!

For more information check out the event flyer.

For directions go here.

The Run-a-Thon Has Begun!

Alleluia! He has Risen!

Happy Easter everyone!!

Isn’t this week just awesome! Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death! The Church has begun a 50 day long celebration! Spring has finally begun to show it’s beautiful face! The temperatures are starting to rise (finally)! The sun is making its appearance more and more each day and, despite all the crazy weather, we are starting to see the early signs of flowers in bloom all over! Oh, and let’s not forget, baseball is back in town! All these signs point to only one thing: we can finally get off the treadmill and out of the gym and hit the road! It’s time for the first ever Run for the Call Run-a-Thon!

All this month, members of the Run for the Call running team are going to be logging their miles and asking you to pledge your support for every mile they run. At the end of the month, they will add up their total miles and contact you with the total amount you pledge. It is a simple and fun way to raise awareness about vocations and to support our seminarians as they continue their discernment of their call to be priests!

So, follow this link to pledge your support for one of our runners, or, if you notice that one of your friends, who is on our team, is not on this list, contact them and pledge your support directly to them today!

If you would like to make a one time gift to Run for the Call, follow this link to pay by credit/debit card or electronic check or send a check to:

Vocation Office
c/o Run for the Call
100 E. Eighth St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202

If you find that you would also like to support Run for the Call through prayer, and we are in great need of more Prayer Warriors, pledge your support here.

Finally, if you would like to become a member of the Run for the Call running team, it is not too late to sign up! Deadline to sign up and use our discount code at the Flying Pig Marathon website is Friday, April 12th! We would love to have you join us!

(All donations are 100% tax deductible.)

Out Run by his Mother

Here is a great little witness from one of our team members

I was recently pushing my way through 5 mile run with my mother.  I am embarrassed to have to admit that right around the 4^th mile, I had to ask my 50+ year-old mother to slow down so that her not quite 30 year-old son could keep up with her.  And to make matters worse, I asked her at just the moment that a large group of hikers was going by.  Finishing up the run left my quads burning, my calves stiff, and my lungs anxious for relief.  That’s right, my mother is in incredible shape, and she kicked my butt!

But in the interest of full disclosure, and preservation of my wounded pride, the main reason I was hurting so much is because I had just run the longest run of my life the day before, fourteen miles!  That kind of distance left me pretty cooked for a recovery run with mommy.  Unfortunately, it is only about half as far as I need to be ready to run in just a few short weeks.

Run for the Call is a movement of people from all ages and stages of life.  We promote the message that every single person has a specific vocation intended by God.  He is calling some of us to become husbands and wives.  He is calling others to be priests or religious brothers and sisters.  Still others are meant to live chaste single lives within the world.   He has a vocation in mind for you, because He knows the deepest desires of our heart.  By chasing after your vocation with zeal and passion, you will find the most rewarding life you can possibly experience on this earth.

On the first weekend in May, I will be chasing after my vocation by running my very first ever marathon!  By running, I will not only be promoting a culture of vocations, but I will also be raising money to support seminarians: those brave young men who are discerning God’s will for them to become priests.

Throughout the month of April, I will be participating in a Run-A-Thon, marking my miles every day for 30 days while collecting pledges for each mile that I run.  Whatever money is raised will be used to support future priests in both their emergency expenses and in creating opportunities for them to do mission work.

I would be most grateful if you would consider pledging to support me or one of the other runners with a quarter, fifty-cents, a dollar, or more for each mile that we run in the month of April.    Would you please pledge your support for this worthy work by following the link available below.

Run For The Call Pledge Support Form

If anyone out there is interested in getting involved, we would love to have you.  There are lots of ways to be part of Run for the Call, and most of them do not involve pushing through 14 miles just to get picked on by your 50 year old mother!  You can learn more at RunForTheCall.wordpress.com.