Over the course of four days and nearly 70 miles, three priests of the Diocese of Toledo—Fr. David Kidd, Fr. Joseph Mominee, and Monsignor Tad Oxley—took part in the second annual Walk for Vocations. Their journey, marked by blisters, sore muscles, and exhaustion, was also marked by something even more powerful: joy.
When I caught up with them in the final miles of the walk, the toll of 65 miles was clear in their weary gaits. Their bodies bore the strain of the journey—but their faces told a different story. They radiated joy, a joy born of sacrifice and offered for one clear intention: an increase in vocations to the diocesan priesthood.”
This year’s walk echoed last year’s inaugural effort but with even greater participation. Not only did the three priests walk the entire way, but they were joined by lay faithful from across the diocese—from Bucyrus to Bowling Green—who chose to walk alongside them for a portion of the journey.
A mother and her 12-year-old son were especially inspired. Having joined for one day last year, Laura and Thomas, parishioners at Rosary Cathedral, committed to three of the four days this year—and are already planning to walk all four next year. Thomas added to his sacrifice by carrying a large flag adorned with a Marian emblem for much of the journey. “I really like [these priests], and I’m happy to make the sacrifice for vocations,” Thomas explained.
Others who joined the walk were also moved by its spiritual rhythm. Jason Konstantinidis, a parishioner of Holy Trinity in Bucyrus who walked on the final day, described the experience as profoundly prayerful, with miles marked by rosaries, lectio divina, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. “We need more men who are open to the priesthood, and this is one way to pray and sacrifice for that,” he said.
Brother priests joined in along the way as well, celebrating Mass with the walkers at parish stops throughout the route. Each day began and ended at a church—all with a connection to the Blessed Mother—with the walk culminating in a closing Mass at Our Lady of Consolation in Carey. Despite the evident exhaustion of the priests who had walked the entire pilgrimage, their joy at offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass shone through as the perfect conclusion to the pilgrimage.
Monsignor Oxley, who has completed a marathon, described the walk as equally demanding—physically taxing to the point of blisters, aching muscles, and weariness. Yet, he insisted, completing it is a miraculous grace. “It is by the grace of God and through the intercession of the Blessed Mother that we are able to continue,” he said.
He also called the Walk for Vocations a kind of Camino, drawing on the rich European tradition of pilgrimage, especially the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain. This diocesan Camino, however, is rooted right here in northwest Ohio—a path of sacrifice and prayer meant to inspire and encourage more men to discern the call to priesthood.
The 2025 Route
Sunday, September 28
Start: 2:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Bono
End: 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes, Genoa
12.75 miles
Monday, September 29
Mass: 8:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto
Start: 9:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes, Genoa
End: 5:30 p.m. at St. Joseph, Fremont
17.85 miles
Tuesday, September 30
Mass: 8:00 a.m. at St. Joseph, Fremont
Start: 9:00 a.m. at St. Joseph, Fremont
End: 6:00 p.m. at St. Mary, Tiffin
19.26 miles
Wednesday, October 1
Start: 8:00 a.m. at St. Mary, Tiffin
End: 5:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Consolation, Carey
Mass: 6:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Consolation, Carey
18.15 miles
Posted October 2, 2025 at 8:57 am