Cycling to church

Having your bike blessed? By a priest in a church, with holy water? Who would do that? Me, for example: On the eve of this year's 5 Boro Bike Tour on May 3, 2025, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine hosted the "Blessing of the Bicycles." Reverend Patrick Malloy welcomed around 400 bicycles and their riders. The fact that some of them would be seeing the inside of a church for the first time this year (or in their lives) didn't seem to bother the Reverend.

Although I left the Catholic Church years ago because of the abuse scandals, I still believe in God. Or at least in something transcendent, in a higher power, or perhaps simply a guardian angel. And that's always served me well – literally. With Parkinson's disease, I'm already completely screwed up. I really don't need another one as a result of a traffic accident.

Non-believing bikers are also welcome at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on New York's Upper West Side.