Archdiocese of Portland will hold a “Blessing of the Bikes”

Event flyer.
Click to enlarge (390k, jpg).

I get a lot of emails here at BikePortland.org headquarters — but yesterday was the first time I ever got one from a Deacon.

It was a personal invitation from Deacon Thomas Gornick, Director of Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Portland, to attend “the Blessing of the Bikes to be held at the Cathedral on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 2 PM.”

According to Deacon Gornick, his parish is located near important bike crossings in the Northwest and the Pearl District and he, “wants to celebrate and acknowledge the cyclist contribution to our community.”

A press release that accompanied the invite noted that (emphasis mine),

“The parish, which is located at the corner of NW 18th and Couch in the heart of Northwest Portland and bordered by the Everett Street bike lane, values and raises up the contribution that cyclists make to the community and environment. Portland biking is the platinum standard, and the cyclists bring a special life to our neighborhood and city whether they ride for recreation, commuting or competition.

The Cathedral parish will welcome everyone to celebrate and recognize our biking community. In addition, the service will pray for those injured and will especially remember those who have died in bike accidents in 2007. “Cyclists are members of the parish and staff,” says Father George Wolf, Pastor of the Cathedral, “many of our neighbors regularly ride by our church. We invite everyone to bring their bikes and celebrate the many miles ridden each day.

There will also be special blessings performed for bikes — something that Deacon Gornick says they discovered has already been going on in other communities, like New York City.

The Deacon says “All are welcome”, so I assume that means people of all faith — as long as you believe in the bicycle.

Event Details:

    Blessing of the Bikes
    Cathedral of Immaculate Conception
    St. Mary’s (NW 18th and Couch)
    Sunday, June 8th – 2-2:30pm
    Contact: Deacon Thomsas W. Gornick, Director of the Department of Evangelization
    (503) 228-4397
    — All are Welcome —

For more on how local religious communities are embracing the bicycle, see these previous articles on BikePortland.org:

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

24 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
bike nun
bike nun
15 years ago

This is a great contribution to our Portland community based on the Patron Saint of Cycling, Madonna del Ghisallo.

I know there are days, moments, where I am either feeling blessed that I came back from a ride unscathed, or blessed that I got an amazing ride in at all. Mornings when I cross the Broadway bridge into downtown and see the sun bathe the west hills and I know there is some hope in the world.

Thanks to Deacon Thomas for putting together this service and giving the community a chance to remember our fallen friends. Though I am not religious, I have great faith– especially in my bicycle.

Robin
15 years ago

This is completely wonderful!

Spencer
Spencer
15 years ago

In Seattle, they have the annual blessing of the fishing fleet. Pomp and circumstance. It\’s like having a little spirital insurance.

Cheers,

Qwendolyn
15 years ago

I dig. I dig.

Russell
Russell
15 years ago

Wow, I actually saw this in an episode of Law & Order: SVU a few months back and thought to myself – I wonder how this would go over in Portland? I\’m not Catholic but I might just take my bike to this as I ride by that church everyday.

Jessica Roberts
Jessica Roberts
15 years ago

In the press release, it says that Deacon Gornick is also a bike commuter. Good for him!

KT
KT
15 years ago

\”As long as you believe in the bicycle\”

That\’s genius! 🙂 Cycling as a way to connect all faiths. 🙂 It is a moving meditation, after all.

This is really cool.

Lenny Anderson
Lenny Anderson
15 years ago

Note that this event will happen on Couch Street…which has a relatively low traffic bridge over I-405. Maybe its time to make Couch from Naito to NW the defacto \”bike boulevard\” since Sam bailed on Flanders.

Boo Boo
Boo Boo
15 years ago

Something smells sour. Looks like the good ol\’ Archdiocese of Portland is looking to score some PR points in wake if its wonderful handling of sex-abuse by priests.

I\’m staying far away form this one.

Carl
Carl
15 years ago

I heard they\’re trying to score PR points by offering people free wine and bread, too!

rixtir
rixtir
15 years ago

🙂

But seriously, the Catholic Church has been blessing all sorts of things for far longer than there\’s been a sex abuse scandal.

Even that free wine and bread. 😉

Russell
Russell
15 years ago

Lenny, the problem is that Couch is slated to become a one-way street in the Burnside-Couch couplet. Secondly, Couch only runs up to 19th or so, which creates a problem for true connectivity. Lastly, Couch has some rather awkward intersections, but it\’s probably the best option for families right now. The couplet is supposed to include increased bicycle and pedestrian facilities, but I\’m always leery of how good one-way streets are for bikes due to the, often, increased speeds. NW 18th and 19th are good examples of areas where the speeds don\’t get too bad, because the streets are primarily one-lane. The two-lane one-way streets tend to get a little worse, and three-lane one-way streets (ex. Broadway) get really bad, as they are fairly difficult, for less experienced cyclists, to traverse to make left-hand or right-hand turns.

rixtir
rixtir
15 years ago

Not only that, but Couch is probably the least safe crossing for cyclists and peds, due to the 405 on ramp.

Diogo
Diogo
15 years ago

We should ask this parish to refuse blessing SUVs – didn\’t the pope create new sins regarding destroying the environment. So…

Scott Mizée
15 years ago

chuckle… nice one Diogo…

sounds like an interesting event to me. Events that bring us all together are generally good, in my book.

Blessings…

E
E
15 years ago

Gosh… Normally this pagan tree-hugger is allergic to Christianity in all forms. But I\’m really touched. I might even go.

Well, probably not. 😉 But I do appreciate the gesture.

And I would like to add… Goddess bless the cynics, for they do keep us rational.
😀

Stripess
Stripess
15 years ago

That is wonderful!

matt
matt
15 years ago

The flyer is made with graphics from Sheldon Brown\’s wheelbuilding page. Sheldon was not a fan of religion, so I doubt he\’d have been especially pleased with the homage.

Donna
Donna
15 years ago

Well, E, one could make the argument that the Madonna del Ghisallo is simply an aspect of the Great Goddess of the pagan faith. While I certainly can\’t be considered much of a Catholic anymore, I will take all the help I can get out there. Kind of a nice beginning to Pedalpalooza…

A little bit about Our Lady of Ghisallo:

Medieval legend says that Count Ghisallo was travelling near the village of Magréglio when he was attacked by highway bandits. Spotting a image of the Virgin Mary in a roadside shrine, he broke away from his attackers and ran to it. There he took refuge, pled for Our Lady\’s protection – and was miraculously saved from the robbers. As the story spread, the Madonna del Ghisallo became known as patroness of local travellers. In more recent times, cyclists would often stop to rest and pray at the chapel, which is a local landmark, and is at the top of a steep hill. After World War II, Father Ermelindo Vigano, pastor at the shrine, proposed Ghisallo as the site of an Italian shrine for bicyclists, and she was given as patroness of cyclists on 13 October 1949 by Pope Pius XII. The chapel has become equal part religious shrine, part cycling museum, with artifacts and photos from the sport. There is an eternal flame that burns there in memory of the cyclists of are no longer with us, and services each Christmas Eve and the Feast of All Souls commemorate them.

Opus the Poet
15 years ago

My research says that the Madonna was a pre-Roman mountain deity that was so loved locally that her shrine was still maintained all the way into the Christian era, and the Count called the shrine Marian to protect it from the more militant churhc leaders in Rome. Hence we have our deity of the bicycle, Ghisallo.

That\’s my story and I\’m sticking to it.

Donna
Donna
15 years ago

Well, then we have something for everyone here. 🙂

april
april
15 years ago

OMG. I\’m atheist, but that sounds like fun. I might go.

Donna
Donna
15 years ago

That was a very nice service. Everyone was very friendly and kind and I got the impression that the parish and clergy simply wish us well out there. They even blessed the people who build our roads and bike infrastructure. I\’m not particularly religious anymore, but I enjoyed the fellowship and appreciated all the positive thoughts projected in our direction.

I hope they do it next year and that more people check it out. It may not help, but it also couldn\’t hurt.

moses
moses
15 years ago

Two-wheeled miracle
Fast, free, beautiful

Under the thumb
Conspiracy of petroleum

Ozone Angels
The religious pedalers
Who risk life and limb
To share a communion
Of rubber and steel
With heart and feet
Where being meets machine

And we all careen
Unified in the battle
For swift, safe travel

______________________

i am not catholic, but i\’ll go to any bike blessing.
It\’d be nice to see other churches, synagogues, buddhist temples, et. al. copy this local catholic precedent.