Fiat Fest 2025: The place Religion, Household and Enjoyable Gasoline the Catholic Mission within the Rockies

From operating trails to reaching hearts, Fiat Fest fuels the year-round missionary work of Annunciation Heights.

On a sunny summer season day in Estes Park, pleasure stuffed the air because the neighborhood of Annunciation Heights, the archdiocesan camp, gathered on the beginning line of a difficult three-mile impediment course. With the blast of the beginning horn, they surged ahead, marking the kickoff of the sixth annual Fiat Fest. This vibrant occasion celebrated not solely their neighborhood spirit but in addition the 12 months’s Altum Institute missionaries.

“Fiat Fest is a day where we invite all of our friends, and everybody who loves camp — and even people who don’t know us — to come up and participate in an adventure race,” mentioned Father Ryan O’Neill, chaplain of Annunciation Heights. “We also invite them to consider supporting our missionary program, the Altum Institute Missionaries. It’s similar to what FOCUS does, but it’s focused — excuse the pun — on serving the programs of this camp.”

For fifteen months, missionaries with the Altum Institute decide to dwelling in and serving the camp, particularly by evangelizing the hundreds of younger souls that come to Annunciation Heights all year long. They additionally help with camp maintenance, promotion and group.

For Giovanni Ramirez, an alumnus of the Altum Institute missionary program, the younger adults serving as missionaries are the caretakers of Annunciation Heights.

“They are the core of the camp; they’re the ones who are responsible for keeping it running. Like, ‘Hey, we have this pipe out back and we need to dig it out of the ground,’ and also, ‘We have this group of kids coming in and they might struggle in one way or another.’ The missionaries are at the core of everything. We can’t do this alone, though,” he informed the Denver Catholic.

To drum up assist for the missionaries and the Altum Institute missionary program, Annunciation Heights hosts Fiat Fest every summer season. The occasion is a enjoyable means to encourage the continuation of this system’s outreach, and to honor the monumental impression this system has and continues to have on the households, guests and employees on the archdiocesan camp.

“These missionaries are formed in the pillars of wonder, trust and self-gift. I’ve been blessed with time as a missionary here, so it’s really special to be able to give back in this way,” mentioned Callie Gubera, the camp’s director of mission development and a missionary alumna. “We’re looking to raise funds for things like pilgrimage, programming costs, travel costs, and Bible study materials. There’s a lot that goes into forming these young adults. This is what it’s all about.”

“So many can’t give fifteen months of their lives to serve in that front-line way, but Fiat Fest gives people the opportunity to join in the mission monetarily, presence-wise at this fest and just to share the joy of what it means to live a life with Christ,” added William Muraski, Annunciation Heights’ director of youth and household packages and a missionary alumnus.

A life with Christ certainly constitutes nice pleasure, and the ability of a neighborhood targeted on him amplifies its attain. As these taking part within the race run, they smile and giggle by means of the ten faith-themed obstacles positioned alongside the course. The wind blows, knocking festivity preparations over left and proper, however nonetheless, the neighborhood soars with pleasure.

And on the core of all of it is prayer. Even as they play properly, they be sure to wish properly, too.

“We’re always striving for the will of the Lord,” Muraski continued. “Recently, we have really doubled down on what it means to be people of prayer. From the way we do meetings to the way we operate programming, everything comes back to not bringing our will to the Lord, but rather going to prayer and asking, ‘Lord, what is your will?’ and then hearing that and executing it.”

Among the missionaries, too, a spirit of prayer is significant for a robust neighborhood, added Josh Dalton, a newly minted missionary alumnus.

“One of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had is the beauty of brotherhood and sisterhood,” he mentioned, reflecting on his time as a missionary now coming to an finish. “Just living with people that are striving for the faith as much as I want to, and having that support and love from the community is so amazing. It’s inspired me to go on and find that community in other places and live rooted in prayer.”

Not solely has Josh expanded his neighborhood and understanding of his religion, however he and his fellow missionaries have additionally personally impacted the lives of over 2,500 souls previously 12 months.

“We’ve done that as a team, all working in our own different areas of expertise. It’s taught me a lot about humility; we’re always seeking to care for one another before we care for ourselves, no matter how hard the week was,” he defined.

This sense of neighborhood and assist not solely defines their mission work but in addition pervades the annual Fiat Fest occasion. Following the enjoyable journey race, the households, mates and missionaries gathered at Annunciation Heights got here collectively for fellowship, full with reside music and nice meals. It’s a time of celebration for the missionaries, summer season employees, alumni and neighborhood, as they provide thanks for all the nice that God brings about by means of Annunciation Heights.

“We spend our whole summer with kids and families, just doing our best to facilitate encounter with God here,” mentioned Lauren Munn, one of many summer season employees. “That can be tiring as staff, and it’s tempting to just want to rest these last few days, but then we give it one more go and we pour out once again — in such a fun way — to fundraise so that this can happen time and time again. It’s a day of remembering the summer, but it’s also a day to look at what we get to do in the future.”

And there’s undoubtedly so much to stay up for, particularly because the camp efficiently reached its fundraising purpose of $20,000. As the milestone was reached and introduced, riotous cheering rose from the households and missionaries current.

The prize for reaching the ultimate purpose? Father Ryan O’Neill needed to bleach his hair.

As Father O’Neill’s newly bleached hair dried, he led the camp in prayer, thanking God for Annunciation Heights, Fiat Fest and the Altum Missionaries, in addition to those that fund the camp and missionary program.

“But also,” he concluded, “we just want our friends to come and hang out and enjoy camp with us, just to experience the beauty and adventure of what we have here.”