St. Barnabas’ Parochial Vicar, Fr. James Kulway, ran the Akron Marathon on Saturday, September 25th, crossing the finish line at 02:58:49, beating his personal record and placing 15th overall. His determination and strength are attributed to the support of the parish and school community and St. Barnabas School’s theme of “healthy body, healthy mind, healthy spirit”.
Fr. James joined St. Barnabas Parish in August of 2020, during the midst of the pandemic where connecting with parishioners was at times difficult due to limited parish activities and gatherings. He felt a calling to connect with the parish community and reach out to those beyond the parish through his athletic ability and passion for running. This past summer, Fr. James formed the St. Barnabas Running Group which consists of avid and new runners who meet weekly to run throughout the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Gina Kubec, parishioner of St. Barnabas stated, “The running club has been great! I’ve gotten to know people on a level I never would have without this group.” Fr. James, Gina and about sixteen other
Barnabas Parishioners participated in the half or full Akron Marathon this past weekend.
“It wasn’t just me being out there,” Fr. James said. “There’s all these great, awesome Barnabas parishioners who are also running and cheering us on; we’re cheering each other on. They are sharing a common love within the ordinary, namely running, to fill each other up in their everyday lives.”
On Friday morning, prior to the race, the students and staff of St. Barnabas School gathered for Mass and turned their attention to the theme that we are made to thrive in body, mind and spirit. With that, they sent Fr. James and the other runners off with a special blessing. The Church erupted with a standing ovation that showed the overwhelming amount of support for Fr. James, and helped carry him through the home
stretch to reach 26.2 miles.
Fr. James is now looking forward to growing the St. Barnabas Running Group as he seeks to welcome new members, share his love for running and train for the Cleveland Marathon that takes place on Sunday, October 24th. He ran the Boston Marathon in 2016 and has a future goal of running in the NYC Marathon. He beat his personal record this weekend by crossing the finish line in under three hours. What more can he do with the continued love and support of the surrounding community?
“We want to rework our thinking. The point of being a Church is not just to stay enclosed within, but it’s to broaden and reach out to all communities,” Fr. James said. “Whatever your gifts or passions are, use them and let God transform others through you.”
St. Barnabas Parish is a large Catholic community that has been called to proclaim the good news through vibrant worship and life-giving parish gatherings that are open to all. St. Barnabas School is a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence K-8 Catholic grade school committed to academic excellence and fostering spiritual development. St. Barnabas Parish and School are located in Northfield, Ohio. For more information about St. Barnabas Parish, please visit www.stbarnabasfamily.org/ or follow us @StBParishFamily. For more information about St. Barnabas School, please visit www.sbcatholicschool.com or contact us at admissions@barnabasohio.org or 330-467-792
