Meet the "Running Priest"

A priest in the Philippines has become a celebrity for the courageous — and unusual — way he now draws attention to important issues.

Check this out, from the BBC:

Father Robert Reyes is a Catholic priest, but he is better known for putting on his running shoes and jogging around the country promoting different causes.

“People don’t know my name anymore,” Father Reyes says, smiling. “They see me and say: ‘That’s the running priest’.”

It all began in 1995, when he decided to do something special to mark the centennial of the Philippine revolution against Spain.

“I wanted to do something unique that will effectively communicate the message and tell everyone about the need for an ongoing revolution.

“This funny suggestion just came to my head,” he says. “Why don’t I run across the country?”

So that is exactly what Father Reyes did. Three years later, on the exact day of the Philippines’ liberation from Spanish rule, he achieved his goal.

He did not stay still for long, though. “I said ‘This is end of my running days.’ But in a few days I was running again, because people were asking me to run with them and for them, for their causes.”

Sixteen years and several thousand miles later, despite being jailed several times for his activities and even losing his parish, he is still going strong.

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