Tekton Becomes Running Sponsor of Indy's Race for Vocations
Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) May 13, 2014 -- The Race for Vocations takes place within the One America Festival Mini Marathon and 5k each May in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The event is organized by the Office of Young Adult and College Campus Ministry as well as the Vocations Office of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
This year the Race for Vocations had a new corporate sponsor. Tekton Ministries, which serves as a Catholic pilgrimage provider, as well as non profit business manager for the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, became a running sponsor for the Race for Vocations.
The mini marathon, which took place on May 3 this year, permits groups to run for causes. The Race for Vocations group was eager to "welcome people of all ages to run/walk in the mini or 5k to both promote and pray for vocations to the priesthood, religious life, sacred married life and sacred single life," according to the organizer's website.
"Hundreds of participants pray while they train, attend the Mass for Vocations and Pasta Dinner the Friday night before the race and then run/walk in the mini or 5k the next day."
Richard Sontag, director of Tekton Ministries, saw this as a prime place to establish sponsorship and further the mission of Tekton Ministries, which is to serve people on their journey of faith, he said.
"I'm not a runner." Sontag laughed, "Running is a penance for me. So what a great way to pray for vocations, evangelize and support our priests and religious. We wanted to participate however we could and that meant becoming a permanent sponsor of the Race for Vocations."
Embracing the new evangelization is something Tekton Ministries seeks to accomplish through Catholic media. "At the same time, old methods work as well," Sontag commented when talking about how the runners and walkers witness to their faith.
The participants wear vocations runners shirts that create a greater awareness of Catholic vocations, according to the Race for Vocations website. This "old way" of evangelizing, along with new ways of evangelizing through social media and graphic design, are what first drew Sontag to the Race for Vocations. That, "and my love for the Church and for priests," he said.
The race began in 2008 and since then we has had thousands of prayers offered and hundreds of race participants running to raise awareness for the importance of working to recognize the importance of each vocation in life.
Matthew Faley, who works for the Office of Young Adult and College Campus Ministry, thanked Sontag in an email saying, "Hundreds of runners and walkers brought the scared to the secular in a way that will have a lasting impact on our Church and on our world."
"That's exactly what we want to do," said Sontag. "That's what the new evangelization is all about, bringing the sacred to the world."
To learn more about the Race for Vocations or to register to run next year, visit their website at http://www.raceforvocations.org.
To learn more about Tekton Ministries Catholic Pilgrimages, Media and Non Profit Management visit their website at http://www.tektonministries.org.
Chris Weldon, Tekton Ministries, http://www.tektonministries.org, 866-905-3787, [email protected]
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