“The Eucharist was the main thing that brought me, really, back to Catholicism, rejecting Protestant ideology,” he explained.
“I think it’s one of those things where if you’re aware of it and you come to the same conclusion that I came to, you cannot continue to pass by [the Catholic parish] every week and go to another church that doesn’t have the body of Jesus. If I told you, ‘Hey, I’m going to be with the body of Jesus today,’ you’re not going to go somewhere else for church this Sunday. You’re going to go where the body of Jesus is. And that’s actually true for Catholics that skip out on Mass.”
A deeper love for the Eucharist
Coleman said his purpose-driven “ultra” will include 2.5 total hours of Eucharistic adoration, plus the time it will take to run between each church.
The day will begin at 7 a.m. Friday with Mass at St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville followed by 30 minutes in Eucharistic adoration. From there, Coleman will run 14 miles to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish (a friend will pace him for the first leg); then nearly 15 miles to St. Vincent de Paul Parish; 10 miles to St. John Neumann Parish; and finally 12 miles to St. Matthew Parish. Coleman said he plans to spend about 30 minutes in prayer at each parish.
Coleman said he doesn’t expect a “crowd” but encouraged anyone wanting to watch, offer support, run with him, or participate in prayer at the parishes to submit a form on his website so he knows how many people to expect.
He said he hopes his run will bear witness to his faith in the importance of the Eucharist — encouraging fellow Catholics to appreciate Christ in the Eucharist, prompt Protestants to evaluate their beliefs, and present a fervent example of faith to atheists.
“For Catholics, I’m hoping that it reinvigorates their faith and lets them know how precious what they have is … people are just going through the motions, don’t realize what they’ve been granted with,” Coleman said.
“There’s that moment when you’re about to receive the Eucharist in Mass, and I’m not sure that all people realize what they’re walking up and what they’re about to do. And I’m hoping that this will make them think about that more deeply before they receive the Eucharist.”
Coleman said most of his friends are Protestant and don’t know about or understand the Catholic Church’s teaching on the Eucharist, and also that some of his friends don’t believe in God at all. He said he believes the Church’s foundational teaching on the Eucharist can awaken and inspire individuals in their faith, regardless of their background.
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“Christianity in its truest form is perfect as it is, so we don’t need to try to change it in order to make it digestible for other people,” he said.
Jonah McKeown is a staff writer and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, as a producer for public radio, and as a videographer. He is based in St. Louis.