“Get a Life” is the slogan of...

“Get a Life” is the slogan of 83 Roman Catholics planning to be among the 20,000 runners in the Los Angeles Marathon on March 1.

The life to get, say the 14 nuns, 17 priests, three religious brothers, 20 seminary students and 29 lay people who will run, is one of religious service. They hope that their participation in the marathon will help change people’s perceptions of those who choose religious vocations.

“People tend to think priests and nuns are the kinds of people who couldn’t get a date or hold down a job,” said Sister Kathleen Bryant, who organized the team, which calls itself Runners for Vocations. “Exactly the opposite is true.”

Bryant, who interviews prospective nuns and priests for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, compares the 26.2-mile run to a pilgrimage or fast. “This is a ‘90s way of using your body to affirm your faith,” said the 42-year-old member of the Religious Sisters of Charity.

She used to run in the Zambian bush and bogs of Ireland, where she worked for several years as a teacher for her order. The Los Angeles race will be her third marathon.

The group includes actor Martin Sheen and Father Dave Bruning of Bascom, Ohio, who has finished 27 marathons in under three hours.

Each runner will wear a white T-shirt with the slogan “Get a Life” and a neon green figure running toward a cross. Their supporters along the route will sport matching green visors, buttons and balloons. The shirts were donated by the Pantry restaurant, but the runners have been eschewing other financial support in favor of spiritual pledges.

“ ‘Prayers, not pennies,’ is our motto,” said Bryant. Some pledges involve signing up to pray for more Catholic youth to enter religious vocations or performing good deeds for each mile a runner finishes.

On Feb. 28, the Friday before the run, the group will join together for a “carbo-load” dinner at a church, which will be followed next Saturday by a special Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church, located on the marathon route at 6657 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. Father Bob Fambrini, who will run in the marathon, will speak. The Mass will be held at 5:30 p.m. For information, phone (213) 251-3517.

EDUCATION

Overcomers Outreach will hold its sixth annual Christians in Recovery Conference on March 13-14. It will focus on addiction, compulsions and dependency in the Christian community--ranging from sex and spending to eating and other disorders. Author Jeff Van Vonderen will deliver the keynote address. Overcomers groups use the 12-steps method, originated by Alcoholics Anonymous, in conjunction with biblical Scripture. The conference will be held at Whittier Area Baptist Fellowship, 8175 Villaverde Ave., Whittier. Registration is $65, or $55 before March 1. For further information, call (310) 697-3994.

Members of the First Baptist Church of Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley will undertake a 50-day spiritual study “adventure” called “The Family God Wants Us to Be: Your Prescription for Healthier Church Relationships.” The curriculum, created by the Chapel of the Air Ministries, will begin Sunday, March 1, and continue through Easter Sunday, April 19. For information, call (714) 840-9229.

Mt. Hollywood Congregational Church will sponsor forums designed to create an open, affirming church environment for gays and lesbians. Sessions will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Sunday and March 8, moderated by Raymond Gillies, the church’s pastor. Worship services at 10:30 a.m. precede the forums, which will be held at 4607 Prospect Ave., Hollywood. Admission is free. For information, call (213) 666-1222.

PERFORMANCES

An imaginary meeting between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. is the subject of an awarding-winning play, “The Meeting,” to be performed next Saturday at the School of Theology at Claremont’s Mudd Theater, by Pin Points Theatre of Washington. The production is sponsored by Grace Christian Family Church, Claremont United Methodist Church, Claremont United Church of Christ Congregational and student organizations at the Claremont Colleges and School of Theology.

Curtain is at 2 p.m. Admission is $5, or $2 for seniors and students. The school is at Foothill Boulevard and College Avenue in Claremont.

For information, call (714) 626-3521, Ext. 280.

A cantor concert, “Melodies of a People,” featuring the musical heritage of Sephardic Jews, will be presented at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, in the Jewish Community Building, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., as part of a commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain.

The concert is sponsored by the Council on Jewish Life of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles and the Sephardic Hebrew Academy. Admission is free. For details, call (213) 852-1234, Ext. 2955.

Franz Schubert’s “Mass in G” for chorus, orchestra and soloists will be performed by the combined choirs of Hillcrest Congregational Church and East Whittier United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 1, at 10 a.m. at Hillcrest Congregational Church, 2000 West Road, La Habra Heights. The Mass highlights a three-day Festival of Fine Arts, now in its 32nd year at Hillcrest. For information, phone (310) 947-3755.

A wheelchair karate demonstration, a theater performance by hearing-impaired actors, comedy routines addressing mental illness issues, live music, face-painting and arts and crafts for children will highlight a “Disabilities Resource Faire” at Valley Cities Jewish Community Center on Sunday. The fair is sponsored by the Commission on Jews with Disabilities of the Council on Jewish Life, Jewish Big Brothers of Los Angeles and the Jewish Community Centers Assn. Free copies of the 1992 Disabilities Resource and Accessibility Guide will be available at the fair. Sign-language interpreters, Braille materials and free child care will be available all day. The fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 13164 Burbank Blvd., Van Nuys. (213) 852-7706.

An anti-abortion video drama, “Born/Unborn,” will be screened Sunday at 7 p.m. at Monsignor Hackett Hall of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, 18115 Sherman Way, Reseda. Admission is free. Call (818) 343-2110.

FOR THE RECORD

Last week’s Southern California File gave an incorrect date for the Immaculate Heart Community’s exhibit of works by the students of artists Corita Kent and Maggie Martin. The show will be held today from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Immaculate Heart High School auditorium, 5515 Franklin Ave., Hollywood.

Please address notices to: Southern California File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles, Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, 90053. To receive consideration, an item must arrive at least two weeks before the event.