04/15/2011 | 08:56 AM
Catholic Church officials in the Philippines will mark the beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1 with a fun run in Metro Manila.
The Archdiocesan Commission on Youth (ACY) and the Archdiocese Manila Biblical Apostolate will hold the World Youth Day Fun Run starting 5 a.m. May 1.
"It will be on May 1, 2011 coinciding the beatification of Pope John Paul
II, starting from Quirino Grandstand and will end at the CCP Complex Ground," Manila Archdiocese Commissioner Fr. Ramon Jade Licuanan said in a circular posted on the Manila Archdiocese website on Thursday.
"This event is a fundraising project to send 20 youth delegates from all the
Vicariates of the Archdiocese for the World Youth Day Celebration in Madrid,
Spain come August of this year," Licuanan said.
Pope John Paul II was very popular among Filipinos, especially the youth, when he
visited the Philippines in 1981 and 1995.
Licuanan said the Philippine Church is celebrating this year as the Year of the Youth.
He said they are expecting 10,000 runners to join the event which is intended to raise funds for the archdiocese's youth programs.
The registration fees for the May 1 fun run are:
•P400 for the 6K (kilometer) race
•P500 for the 8K race
•P600 for the 10K race.
Licuanan said supporters can help by promoting the event and providing registration venues in parish churches.
As an incentive, parishes that will support the program will receive 10 percent of the total amount they raised. These funds will go to the parishes' youth ministries.