For these priests, religion and running go hand in hand – Houston Chronicle

Don’t be fooled by the fact that they’re priests.

These men of the cloth take on the track like speed demons. And they believe that religion and running can go hand in hand.

Priests of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston are training for the Steps for Students 5K, on Feb. 15 at Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Parkway.

This will be the 15th year the race brings together students and adults to raise funds for Catholic education. The competition, which started small and grew to include 10,000 runners, is now a USA Track and Field-certified and -sanctioned event.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo will bless the runners before they take off.

The Rev. T.J. Dolce, pastor at St. Martha Catholic Church in Porter, has competed for about a decade now.

“It’s so much fun,” Dolce said. “The energy is incredible, and it supports a great cause.”

Like a number of priests in Greater Houston, he considers running one of the best forms of exercise. He ties up his sneakers two or three days each week to hit his jogging routes.

“It’s great stress relief,” Dolce said. “It’s good for the heart — and it’s good prayer time. You reflect and meditate.”

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The Rev. Richard McNeillie, vocational director for the archdiocese, said sometimes people are surprised to find that priests can also be runners.

“We’re human beings, and we definitely need to take care of our bodies as well as our souls,” he said.

In fact, McNeillie said that seminaries encourage students to take up running. They agree that health is a top priority for priests. For McNeillie, paying attention to his personal fitness is one way to ensure he can care for his flock longer. “I’m just trying to make sure my service lasts as long as possible,” he said.

While running, McNeillie often thinks of Corinthians 9:24: “Run so as to win.”

The exercise has taught him to pace himself. “I’m going to hit times when everything falls apart, and I have to keep going,” he said. “There are times when I find a rhythm, and it’s easy. And there are times when I am sprinting.”

McNeillie has loved running since his mother enrolled him in cross country in high school. He refuses to wear earphones and focuses instead on his own rhythm. “I do a lot of thinking while running,” he said.

The Rev. Richard Lucien “Luke” Millette, the archdiocesan judicial vicar, prays the rosary while running. He has devised a way to keep track of each mystery of the Rosary by holding a different position with his fingers.

“I wouldn’t make exercise my priority prayer form, but it does have its place,” Millette said with a laugh.

“There’s something intrinsic to the fact that you’re moving,” he said. “And when I’m outside in the beauty of nature, I feel closest to God.”

Millette finds the meditative aspect of running helps him solve problems, even when answers had seemed elusive before.

“Running for me is always painful,” he said. “But I always feel better afterwards. The day is better. Those issues that are weighing you down, you can’t really think about. All you can do is place one foot in front of another.”

He sees running as a metaphor for life: learning to focus on the journey and the steps it takes to get to your destination. Running has also taught him how to push through a challenge.

“The pain you experience, you can turn into a reflection of suffering to others,” Millette said.

Hard work and dedication are part of the running rule book. He used to be a whitewater-paddling instructor and also found similar lessons in the sport.

“You can’t control the flow of the river, but you can control what you do,” Millette said. “You have to adjust your path to change your obstacles. You have to adjust your vision if you want to reach your goals.”

He sees running as a way to learn your true ability, pushing your limits to achieve more than you thought you could. But it’s also a change to accept your limitations and learn balance, he said. “There might be certain things I can’t do anymore or certain goals I can’t achieve, but I’m still able to keep exceling, pushing myself and growing.”

The Rev. Clint Ressler, pastor at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Texas City and chaplain for the Texans, also finds a lot of parallels between life and running.

“There’s a whole lot of work and commitment that goes into training,” Ressler said. “Like in life, the important thing is to continue. Even if you take a walk break, you find that place that says, ‘Let’s go again.’”

Ressler started running about a dozen years ago, when he was about to turn 40.

He would drive by Memorial Park on his way to work, and eventually the joggers inspired him. One day a friend encouraged him to join her in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training’s marathon. He liked the idea of running for a cause and increased his 3-mile loop to 26.2 miles for the competition. Plus, he had assistance from the group, all training for a goal.

Ressler has now competed in three full marathons and four half-marathons.He has also swum as part of his team in the Half Ironman in Galveston and has hiked the Grand Canyon’s Rim to Rim trail 14 times. He alternates workouts of climbing parking-lot stairs, runs and training at the gym.

Being a priest comes with a high amount of stress — and regular exercise is an ideal way to alleviate that.

“As a priest, you’re never off,” Ressler said. “You’re 24/7. I have a responsibility that is always there. The idea of getting out and doing something healthy clears my mind and is a good balance to a life that is otherwise full of ministry.”

Other priests participating in the race feel the same — and find that staying active is an ideal way to better serve.

“I’m a big believer that we are body, soul and spirit,” Millette said. “When we push ourselves in athletics, it helps us put everything back to the spirit. Often, we are overly focused on our heads and our bodies. But everything has to move in unison.”

The Rev. David Angelino, pastor at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Sugar Land, is a CrossFit champion from his time in seminary at the Vatican. He continues to train now that he’s in Houston.

“It’s a really good way to work really hard in not a lot of time,” Angelino said.

CrossFit allows him to fit even with a priest’s busy schedule. The same is true for running, which Angelino said has taught him the importance of perseverance..

Angelino has competed in the Steps for Students 5K for the past three years. He always wears a clerical shirt with his running shorts — and the first year, he helped a 10-year-old keep pace.

“At the beginning, I had to hold him back because he wanted to sprint ahead,” he said. “Then I had to encourage him at the end.”

The young runner finished second for his age group. “That was huge,” Angelino said.

The priests enjoy encouraging their congregations to compete alongside them in the 5K. Ressler offers his church a training program on Saturdays called “Fitness with Fr. Clint.”

He said that Steps for Students almost functions as a reunion for participating priests. It’s a time they all come together from their various posts in the dioceses and race for a worthy cause.

McNeillie said Millette passed him in the last race. “I feel the need to reclaim my title,” he said.

Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based writer.