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The Long Run
The start of the 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials
Why are the saints so important? On the one hand, saints are powerful intercessors. Enjoying the beatific vision and the eternal presence of God, we can entrust our prayers to the saints knowing they will hear and bring our prayers to God. Saints play an important secondary role as well, the saints are models of holiness for each of us.
Often times, we adopt personal patron saints because something about their lives speaks to us on a personal level. We find that there is something in common between us and naturally we are drawn to it. If they are like me and they lived such a holy life, why can’t I? Friends, this is - of course - the reason for the patronage of Blessed Pier Giorgio. For me, I find so much of his life resonating with my experience. His witness inspires me to try a little harder to live a life of holiness and radiate joy.
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Tomorrow, March 8 is International Women’s Day. Tomorrow is about celebrating and highlighting the incredible work that women have done throughout history. Tomorrow is also about more adequately shining a light on such women so that young girls will see themselves in these role models. Like our devotion to the saints, it is paramount that young women be able to identify with strong, smart, and capable women who have made and continue to make history.
Last weekend over 400 women ran in the Olympic Trials, the largest number ever. There can be little doubt that the depth of talent in women’s running is attributed to women like Des Linden and Shalane Flannagan capturing major wins at the Boston and New York Marathon. It’s attributed to women like Steph Bruce and Amanda Nurse who show that being a mom and having a post-partum body are not detriments to training at the highest level but armor used to get through the hardest of workouts. There can be little doubt that the powerful image of Rachel Hyland and Lauren Philbrook, running 27 and 33 weeks pregnant, will not inspire fellow moms: if she can do it, so can I.
St. Zelie ran her own business, St. Elizabeth Seton began a school, and Chiara Bodano laughed deeply. Whether drawn to the interior life of Therese of Lisieux or the justice work of Dorothy Day, these great women are inspirations to go and do likewise.
Quick Thoughts
A few quick thoughts on happenings in the world of running and the Church
Hoka One One TenNine
(Hoe-ka O-nay O-nay Ten Nine)
We kept asking if we could and stopped asking if we should. Guys, I don't know what to say about these shoes. When I first saw them pop up this week I honestly thought it was a joke. Hoka has definitely carved out a niche for themselves in the trail running world and these shoes are specially designed to aid in long stretches of downhill running. The ridiculous back end of the shoe is designed to increased surface time and, I guess, help in the descent. I kid you not, though, the shoe comes with a warning: don't wear them while driving.
USA Track and Field Trials
With the Marathon Trials behind us, the next set of major US races will take place in the newly renovated Hayward Field starting June 19. We'll feature a few athletes and particular races to look for, but for now, block out June 19-28 for the track trials. Everything from the 100m to the javelin will be decided then. It should be a great week.
Let's [Not] Shake On It
With the spread of Covid-19, dioceses through the States are issuing the standard set of reminders: wash your hands, disinfect, avoid touching your face. Many priests and bishops are also advising parishioners to refrain from shaking hands during the Sign of Peace. A word of advice: if you are please with the Bishop's decision to suspend the Sign of Peace, please don't, as more than a few parishioners did, shake his hand after mass to let him know.
Team News
Upcoming events, prayer intentions and other items of note
Camp Quo Vadis
Last summer, I had the privilege of speaking at Camp Quo Vadis, a one week summer camp on Long Island for young Catholic women and men (entering high school through senior year) that is designed to enable them to better experience God and consider: quo vadis, where are you going? Registration is now open for the July 12 camp - if you know any young people who would benefit from this camp, go ahead and send them to the website.
Spring Training
No not baseball. With the weather starting to turn and the flowers starting to think about popping up, many of us might be thinking about running with a bit more regularity. If you are looking to get active again or work towards a specific goal, Frassati Running has free couch-to-5k and intermediate 5k programs on our website. If you are looking to build a more individualized program or take the next step in working towards your goals, we also provide a custom 1:1 training program built from the ground up to meet the individual goals of each athlete. Check them out here.
Couch-to-5k, Intermediate 5k | Individualized Program
Upcoming Saints
A Saint, Memorial, or Feast of the Week
Blessed Angela Salawa
March 12
Blessed Angela Salawa grew up at the dawn of the 20th Century in Poland. During the Great War, she spent her days caring for anyone in need, regardless of nationality or creed. A holy women of the "everyday" Bl. Angela Salawa reminds us that simple gestures like tending to the physical wounds of the injured and the spiritual wounds of the neglected can go a long way in building a life of holiness.
Prayer
A prayer or habit to take with you this week.
From John Paull II's Letter to Women
Thank you, women who are mothers! You have sheltered human beings within yourselves in a unique experience of joy and travail. This experience makes you become God's own smile upon the newborn child, the one who guides your child's first steps, who helps it to grow, and who is the anchor as the child makes its way along the journey of life.
Thank you, women who are wives! You irrevocably join your future to that of your husbands, in a relationship of mutual giving, at the service of love and life.
Thank you, women who are daughters and women who are sisters! Into the heart of the family, and then of all society, you bring the richness of your sensitivity, your intuitiveness, your generosity and fidelity.
Thank you, women who work! You are present and active in every area of life-social, economic, cultural, artistic and political. In this way you make an indispensable contribution to the growth of a culture which unites reason and feeling, to a model of life ever open to the sense of "mystery", to the establishment of economic and political structures ever more worthy of humanity.
Thank you, consecrated women! Following the example of the greatest of women, the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, you open yourselves with obedience and fidelity to the gift of God's love. You help the Church and all mankind to experience a "spousal" relationship to God, one which magnificently expresses the fellowship which God wishes to establish with his creatures.
Thank you, every woman, for the simple fact of being a woman! Through the insight which is so much a part of your womanhood you enrich the world's understanding and help to make human relations more honest and authentic.
Sign Off
Alright everyone, thanks for making it all the way through. As we continue in our Lenten pilgrimage, know of my continued prayers for each of you.
God bless!
Verso l'alto,
Patrick
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