Above: Father Joseph O’Connor (standing, third from right) warms up between 5k legs with parishioners and fellow clergy Fr. Ben Schrantz (standing far right) and Deacon Joseph Casper (kneeling at left).
By Dc. Tom Cuskey, editor
Father Joe O’Connor’s first Gratitude Run took place when the annual Hope Appeal campaign was on a different yearly schedule.
“When I started this idea it was a hot, blazing hot summer day,” he said on Sunday, Dec. 1, while running in 34-degree weather with a 14-mile-per-hour wind. The resulting 24-degree windchill did not deter the good Father from his journey of thanks, however.
“Six 5Ks in a Day” amounts to the Gratitude Run through all the neighborhoods of greater Baldwinsville. It is Fr. O’Connor’s way of saying thank you to all who contributed to the Hope Appeal in the three local parishes he shepherds. On this day, the parishes of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Augustine and St Mary of the Assumption were each crossing their own finish lines, reaching their Hope Appeal goals for the 2024 campaign.
We asked Father, “But why run on such a cold day?”
Fr. O’Connor leads the pack to begin the third of six 5K runs he would complete in his annual Hope Appeal Gratitude Run.
“I honestly wanted to try to get everybody done around Thanksgiving,” he said, stressing the importance of being with people where they are, literally. “You know, each of our three parishes reaching the Hope Appeal … to thank them, I’ll run to each of their neighborhoods.”
Fr. O’Connor is no stranger to long-distance running. He successfully completed the Iron Man Triathlon this past summer in Lake Placid, the second time he has done so. Two of his Thanksgiving 5Ks were already complete when we caught up with the popular priest at St. Mary’s in the heart of the village.
“It looks like it’s going to be the biggest crowd,” he remarked. The crowd refers to those from the parishes who slip their running shoes on and join in. “Radisson tends to have a really nice crowd, too,” he added. “So yeah, I don’t think I’ll be running alone any of the times.”
At St. Mary’s, the assembled group included a father and son duo. Bill Ranous and son Emmet were up for a run.
“We’re here to run with Father O’Connor today, and it’s a good opportunity to get out and do some exercise, get some exercise in,” the elder Ranous told us. “And he’s always good at motivating us in our faith. So, this is another extension of that, motivating us to be physically fit.”
Emmet was on board to run two of the 5K legs. He is one of three children in the Ranous family, and all three are diocesan Catholic school students where Appeal dollars make a big difference in many lives. Ranous realizes the importance of supporting the Hope Appeal and each of the 26 diocesan ministries it directly supports.
“I think it helps to grow our community,” Bill said. “And so together, we are all contributing to many causes which some of us may directly benefit from and some of us may not. But at least we’re all contributing together as a Christian family.”
Editor’s note: To support the Hope Appeal, visit syracusediocese.org/hopeappeal or contact the parish near you.
