The Augustinian Recollect Family in Querétaro participated on August 22nd in the first vocational race organized by the Diocese of Querétaro under the motto “Run for your calling.” Consecrated men and women of this religious family participated by running and making their presence felt alongside hundreds of people, many of whom were local vocational ministry agents from the diocesan area and from the consecrated life.
It was a morning full of joy, community and encounter, with the participation not only of the runners, who could choose routes of between three and five kilometers in distance, but also of many families and representatives of religious communities with motivational signs and volunteers who collaborated to make everything go well.
The race and the subsequent meeting took place at the facilities of the Conciliar Seminary and the event was chosen as an image of life and the goal towards holiness that every Christian aware of their vocation has.
The event also served to promote coexistence and mutual understanding and to establish links between the many vocational pastoral agents present in parishes and religious congregations.
The activities began with a communal prayer and blessing of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the race, whose route ran between Hercules Avenue and the Parish of the Immaculate Conception. Each kilometer was dedicated to one of the particular vocations: priestly life, married life, single life, consecrated life, and the last kilometer, dedicated to love as a common vocation.
Following speeches by the organizers expressing support for vocational pastoral agents and encouraging the cultivation of a culture of vocations within all families, a fair was set up where the Diocese, religious orders, and congregations offered information about their charism, activities, and formation processes. All participants received a t-shirt and a medal in recognition of their commitment to fostering a culture of vocations.
“Every step has its purpose” was the race’s motto: “It doesn’t matter if you run, jog, or walk, the important thing is to take that first step,” participants were told. Furthermore, following the race, in the coming months the Deaneries of the city of Querétaro will hold their own vocational fairs where visitors can have their questions answered about vocation, the vocational process, or initial training.
