WASHINGTON, D.C. – A charity team of 54 runners representing the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, (AMS), crossed the finish line in the 34th annual Army Ten-Miler on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, just $7,530 short of its $60,000 fundraising goal. Consequently, the AMS has decided to extend the donationperiod in hopes of reaching the target. Donors now have until Monday, Oct. 15, to make a gift. Donations can be made at https://milarch.rallybound.org/donate.
Thanks to generous benefactors, Team AMS has so far raised $52,470 to support pastoral care to Catholics in the U.S. Military and the nation’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers. In an e-Appeal to AMS supporters, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, declared, “the race is over, but the goal to reach $60,000 still remains!… If you are able, I ask you to consider in prayer making a gift in support of Team AMS.”
Archbishop Broglio wrote that “Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reminds us that ‘the ways of the Lord are not easy, but we were not created for an easy life, but for great things, for goodness!’ During race day, each runner not only had to overcome the grueling ten miles but also high temperatures that made the course more difficult. Each step was painstaking. However, the aches and pain were soon replaced by satisfaction, pride, and a sense of accomplishment as soon as the finish line was crossed.”
Thirty-five thousand runners registered for the Army Ten-Miler, said to be the nation’s second largest ten-mile race. The course started and finished at the Pentagon, passing through parts of Arlington, VA, and Washington, DC, providing a scenic route around the stately parks and monuments of the nation’s capital. All 54 men and women on Team AMS, including priest-chaplains, military personnel and family members, seminarians, and AMS staffers, completed the race, with the fastest speeds recorded as follows:
Men:
Father Lukasz Willenberg, CH (CPT), USA – 01:01:44
Mr. Joe Cannata – 01:02:49
Maj. Roderick Singleton, USMC – 01:12:38
Women:
Maj. Casey Bustamante, USAF – 01:37:09
Mrs. Katherine Flanigan Coleman – 01:43:28
Capt. Gabriela Billisits, USAF – 01:49:59
To date, the top fundraisers are:
Ms. Elizabeth Howe – $4,018
Father Joseph Deichert, Ch Col USAF – $4,000
Mrs. Jo Ann Redmond – $2,670
Rear Admiral David Belz, USCG (Ret.) – $2,425
Col. Lawrence Morris, USA (Ret.) – $2,000
Mrs. Analda Anglin – $1,658.05
Team AMS corporate sponsors donated a combined total of $7,000. They included the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Virginia State Division ($2,000); the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) ($1,500); Waldorf Risk Solutions ($1,500); Trinity Health; Military and Veterans Health Program ($1,500); and Catholicquiz.com ($500). Shirts worn by AMS staff and Team AMS were donated by Mr. Anton G. Smoot, President & owner of A&G Design.
In a personalized “thank-you” note to each runner, Archbishop Broglio writes in part, “I am grateful not only for the financial support you have given the AMS through your fundraising efforts, but also for the time you spent preparing for this race and for sharing with others why providing our members of the military and their families access to the Catholic Church’s full range of pastoral ministries and spiritual services is so important.”
The AMS hopes to raise $7,530 between now and Monday, Oct. 15, to reach its $60,000 goal in support of the free exercise of Catholic faith in t
