Dear Friends,

St. Irenaeus of Lyons expressed a beautiful reality of Christianity when he said "The Glory of God is a human being fully alive". This sentiment is what lies at the heart of the annual fundraiser, the Roman Run. That is, finding life through running, and helping the lives of others by using this gift.

This event began with the recognition by American priests and seminarians of their gift for running. They saw that their time of fraternity, prayer, and exercise together could become a benefit for others in need. They realized that through a running event, they could raise awareness and gather the prayers and financial gifts of benefactors to support something else which they were passionate about, the Church in need.

This year, we have chosen to dedicate this fundraiser to support Christians in the Middle East. They face constant difficulty because of war and persecution. First, we want to support them with prayer, offering our intentions for their needs, especially during our time training. We also want to support them in alleviating hunger by using the monetary gifts to supply them with food. This also helps to preserve the Christian faith amidst persecution.

On March 23rd, ten seminarians will each run a distance on the course that stretches from the East coast to the West coast of the Italian peninsula. We hope through each step we take on the 150-mile journey to bring ourselves closer to each other, and in unity with our brothers and sisters in the Middle East. We want to encourage others to join us in helping those who are in so much need. Please consider joining us in helping those who are seeking to be fully alive for the glory of God.

Our overall fundraising goal is $12,000.00. Please make a donation today. To donate, click on the 'Donate' button. 100% of your gift to our team or to individuals on our team helping us reach our goal will go to support the persecuted Church in Syria, via Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy Father.

On behalf of our team and our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

The Roman Runners