On the Road Again…
Well I do not have any more pics with me and I did not want to repost the ones I did before. Sure I got tons more pics, but this time I want to concentrate on words. I sent this email out a couple of days ago to some of my Brother Knights in my current council.
Hey Brothers,
I neglected to mention something. I still keep in touch with my previous council and one of the big events that is still close to my heart is a fundraiser they have every year to fund scholarship for local kids. It is for the local parish in San Antonio, but I wanted to ask everyone to pray for our Brothers in Texas as they make a yearly journey to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle [http://www.olsjbasilica.org/web/home] in San Juan, TX. I will give you some back ground so you can pray for them at critical stops along their journey. I may have mentioned this to some of you, but I am not sure if I shared with the council.
This started about 10 years ago as a way to raise awareness for vocations. Two Brother Knights walked from San Antonio to Austin, TX. They walked over the course of a few days. Over the years it grew and it has become a crucial component of a scholarship fund the council supports. The last few years they have given out approx $10,000 a year to high school and 1st year college students. Over the course of the years I think more than $100,000 has been given away.
So how do they raise this money? For the last few years they have walked in teams to the Basilica. I have joined them on the walk a couple of times. Some of you may have been to Texas, but the route they take from San Antonio to San Juan, is an arduous trip. It is very timely that the journey is done during lent. I found myself reflecting a lot on Jesus’ travels thru the desert. This is southwest Texas after all. Even in March it is already getting warm. Usually it is a group of 15 to 20 men and they walk in teams of 3 for 3 miles at a time. See the theme? All in all over 300 miles are covered over the course of the 3 days it takes to get there, hmm another 3!
It not only is a wonderful way to raise money, but I solidified many friendships on those walks. After all, we slept wherever we could. There are a couple of parishes along the way that put us up for the night and even feed us. Or should I say them. Needless to say I cherish my memories of my walks, maybe not the memories of the blisters! Since I no longer live in Texas I try to do something while they are on the walk. I usually pray a rosary during my lunch break at work and call them while they are on the road.
The greatest thing is arriving at the Basilica on the third day and being received by all the visitors and especially our families. I am not sure if it is the fact of knowing the journey is almost over or seeing our wives and children run out to hug us that keeps us going. The next day we have a special mass at the Basilica. It is a great tradition and is something I miss the most about my previous council.
I just wanted to share this with everyone. The scholarships are only open to local kids in the parish, but if anyone would like to make a donation you can send it to:
Knight of Columbus Council #8175
C/O Robert Salinas
9542 Sage Terrace
San Antonio, TX 78251I just ask that you pray for our fellow Brothers on their Journey. They start this Thursday at approx 9am. They leave the Resurrection of the Lord Catholic Church parking lot and make their way southwest towards San Juan, TX. They usually stop walking at a little bit after dusk for safety reasons and start the next day as soon as there is light. So pray for them especially during these times.
Vivat Jesus
SK Carlos Medina
I posted last year about the walk. I should probably start a website for it or maybe at least a facebook page. Anything to bring more awareness to a couple of things, Vocations and Scholarships. So what do you mean by vocations? That means I want more young men to become Priests. I want more people to become involved in my Catholic Faith. I know I struggled when I went to college. Ha, that is an understatement, I am still going to college! I want everyone to get as much help as they need. Not only that, but make sure someone tells them “Go to college and finish it, because if you do not. You will be paying for it the rest of your life!”
So if any young high school kids reading this, this is for you!
Don’t fall in love, don’t be scared. Go get some more education. It is not about doing something for someone else. It is not about pleasing your parents or not pleasing your parents! It is not about impressing anyone by going away to some Ivy League school. It is not about running away. It is not about being pretentious. The only thing it is about is improving yourself and your chances in this world we live in. I will have to say college may not be for everyone and there are many great things you can do without a college degree, but try it! And don’t just go to a community college for the wrong reasons! Yeah do it to save money, but that is why there are scholarship programs, and financial aid, and other stuff! Just do it! We have a long life ahead of us and wasting it trying to catch up is one of the worst things you can do. Do it now when you are young, where you have energy. When you do not have 10 other things you want to do at the same time! Go and learn! It does not matter what, just go and just enjoy learning! Love will wait, parents will forgive you, and friends will skype with you. Just go!
Carlos
Oh yeah for those who want to see pics you can check out these previous blog posts:
http://carlostmedina.com/cphlog/?p=139
