Top photo caption: Father Rafael Esquen-Odar, a priest of the Diocese of Trenton and a captain and chaplain in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany, raises his arms as he crosses the finish line of the Run Rome The Marathon March 22 along Via dei Fori Imperiali near the Colosseum in Rome. Courtesy photo
ROME — Father Rafael Esquen-Odar, a priest of the Diocese of Trenton who serves as a captain and chaplain in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany, recently crossed the finish line of Run Rome The Marathon, completing the internationally renowned race through the heart of the Eternal City.
Ordained to the priesthood in 2014, Father Esquen-Odar began his ministry serving as parochial vicar in St. Anthony of Padua Oratory, Red Bank, and later in Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish, Beverly, in 2016. In 2019 he began his application to Army chaplaincy. In 2021 he was named temporary administrator of Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish. Later, he was in residence at St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold.
In 2023, Father Esquen-Odar was deployed and currently serves in the 15th Engineer Battalion on the Grafenwöhr Army Base, Vilseck, Germany.
The Run Rome The Marathon 2026 was held March 22, beginning and ending along the historic Via dei Fori Imperiali near the Colosseum. The 26.2-mile course winds past some of Rome’s most iconic landmarks, including St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and the Circus Maximus. Established in 1982, the marathon remains a celebrated event that blends athletic endurance with the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of the city.