Marathon Prayer Service Celebrates BC Runners

“They will run and not grow weary” (Is. 40:31). This verse was the central theme of the blessing over the Boston College marathon runners that took place at St. Ignatius Church on Monday, April 11. The prayer service, organized by the Christian Life Community (CLC), celebrated the BC community members who ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 18 with song, scripture, prayer, and reflection.

The service took place at night in a candlelit St. Ignatius. With almost 20 marathon runners in attendance along with their friends, the room was filled with anticipation and excitement for the upcoming race. Danielle Morin, MCAS ‘22, one of the runners, said “[the service] was very grounding and unifying and helped me to remember why I was running.”

The Liturgy Arts Group (LAG) provided reflection music, followed by readings from Isaiah and Hebrews. Then, Olivia Colombo, LSEHD ‘22, who ran the Boston Marathon this fall and ran it again this April, shared a reflection. Her thoughts included anecdotes about running and the nuances of running a marathon. Colombo started by addressing the theme of weariness, saying “ ‘They will run and not grow weary.’ Well isn’t that the dream of a marathoner? … However tired, disheveled, and very sore I might feel, or appear, by the time I reach the top of Heartbreak Hill, weary will not be what I feel inside. The heart of a marathoner is the opposite of weary.” Colombo went on to describe the arduous training that marathoners go through in preparation for the big day, getting laughs and nods of agreement from the runners in attendance.

Colombo concluded her reflection by illustrating the importance of each runner’s reason for running a marathon. “Some of us run for the feeling that running gives us, for a love of the sport and of the race. Some of us run for a person or thing or an idea. Some of us run in honor of someone. Some of us run to prove something, to appreciate something, to be grateful for something. Our reason is as unique as each of the runners in this room.”

After more music and a series of prayer intentions shared aloud, there was a moment of silence. In these few minutes, the lights in St. Ignatius slowly dimmed until the room was left with just the candlelight—each person in attendance holding their own small candle that had been passed out at the beginning of the prayer service.

Following the moment of silence, Msgr. Liam Bergin offered up a reflection and then a blessing for the runners. With everyone’s hands extended over the runners gathered at the foot of the altar, Msgr. Bergin prayed for strength and support for each one of them.

An upbeat closing song, “Lean on Me,” followed the blessing, and then all of the runners congregated at the front of the church to excitedly take photos before the big event. The prayer service concluded with thank yous to all who helped organize the event and announcements for the runners.

Staff Photo by Clare Gardiner