The 8th Annual Stride for Seminarians was held on September 19, 2021, hosted by the Alexander and Gabrielle Mansour Memorial Fund. This year’s event was hosted at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, marking the first time supporters walked and prayed together since 2019’s event at the zoo.
Supporters walked around the seminary track, took part in family activities, enjoyed lunch, and took a guided tour of the seminary. The day culminated at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, located down the road from the seminary, to celebrate Sunday Mass with Bp. Francis Kalabat.
The Stride for Seminarians annual event helps raise funds for the Chaldean Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle seminarian fund and pay for graduate seminarian schooling, while also raising awareness of the need to support seminarians.
Each year it costs over $30,000 per graduate seminarian to cover tuition, room, and board—thus the need for support from the people of God to financially help with this expense. 100% of the proceeds collected go toward the formation and education of our Chaldean seminarians.
In July of 2013, tragedy struck the family of John and Ann Mansour when they lost their children Alexander (11) and Gabrielle (6) to a devastating boating accident. In the days, weeks and months of mourning—family, friends and the community came together to pray for the Mansours. Their third child, Adriana, survived the accident suffering severe brain trauma and was in critical condition for months.
The family took comfort from many, but it was the church, several priests and seminarians that never missed a day to pray with and console the Mansours. The family set up the “Alex & Gabby Memorial Fund” in memory of their children.
The family is honored to support the Chaldean diocese seminarian fund that currently has eleven men preparing for the priesthood. May God bless the Mansour family and all those who support our seminarians. Please keep them in your prayers.
You can donate to the Chaldean seminarian fund on Venmo to @chaldeanchurch (write “seminarian fund” in the description) or by clicking the button below.
