Five days, 50 miles a day on a
250-mile bike pilgrimage from mission to mission across Southern California.
Bike For The Unborn organizers close in on the first year of the ride, to take
place June 12-15, in attempts to garner riders to help change the culture of
life in America.
“We're asking for divine intervention, and
even a Pentecost on our country, for hearts to become pro-life,” said Fr. David
Nix.
The Bike for the Unborn team is lead
by Fr. Nix, parochial
vicar at St. Anthony’s parish in Sterling Co., with their unified goal for
rejuvenation for the pro-life movement. They are calling on anyone
interested to join in the ride. Each rider asks for sponsors to both support
them on their ride as well as donate approximately one dollar per mile to raise
money for various Pro-life Organizations.
Getting
Started
During
a mission trip in Los Angeles during February, Fr. Nix sat in the company of
some of the students he works with contemplating how to spend their spring
break.
“Father Dave looked at me and said
let’s either go fishing in Alaska or do a bike ride in California,” Said
Colorado University junior Keenan Fitzpatrick, “ We decided to take a week and
pray about it.”
With the week of prayer at its end
Fr. Nix and Fitzpatrick reconvened on their thoughts.
“I told him I thought we should do
it and he agreed,” said Fitzpatrick.
Both felt lost in their urge to
take action with no direction in how to get started. They began to brainstorm with
ideas of a bike ride in California, one thousand bikers, they would get
donations from sponsors and their passion would light their way.
Spring break, when they were to
pedal out their plans, neared at just four weeks away.
They needed more time.
They pushed the date back to the
summer and set their new deadline for June the two weeks that Fr. Nix had off.
“It happened to fall during the
same time as the Eucharistic conference in Ireland and summer training for
Focus missionaries who is a huge group in the catholic community,” he said.
Fr. Nix began incessantly
attempting to contact big names trying to garner support. His efforts proved
futile.
Getting Numbers
“God wanted us to be patient,”
Fitzpatrick said, “we needed to realize that even if we didn’t get the thousand
people we had pictured even if only five people did it (bike for the unborn) it
was something God wanted to be done.”
They focused on their individual
preparation and transformation through prayer. After a couple weeks Abby
Johnson, former Planned Parenthood Director turned pro-life activist, was put
on the page.
“I
stopped worrying and thought more about transforming myself and then God
granted us with publicity with big names like Abby,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fr.
Nix began reaching out to individuals he knew would be motivated to help and
developed the current Bike for the Unborn team of seven: Fr. Nix, Keenan
Fitzpatrick, Grace Schneider, Alyssa de la Torre, Beau Wagner, Kileen Willis,
and Steven Seguin.
“I was asked
by Fr. Dave Nix, my friend and spiritual director, to join the team and
organize Bike for the Unborn,” Said, CU student Grace Schneider, “Although a
bit intimidated by the prospect of biking 250 miles, I was intrigued by the
idea of bringing people together for a time of refreshment, renewal and deep
prayer for the pro-life movement.”
Schneider’s role as a team member
is to write to religious men and women to ask for prayer support. She has
written to men and women all around the country asking them to lift the group
up in prayer and penance.
“Prayer is the backbone of this
endeavor. We, as bikers, will be visible witnesses for the pro-life movement,
riding through CA and fundraising for pro-life organizations, but only God can
work a miracle in our country,” Schneider said.
Fitzpatrick
reached out to his high school friend and college roommate, CU Junior Beau
Wagner because of the religious ties he has within his family.
“Keenan
reached out to me and I was interested in at least doing the ride, then Father
Dave gave me a job to reach out to people in my family,” Wagner said.
With
his older brother Brady, priest at St. Francis Cabrini Catholic parish of
Littleton, and his older sister Carrie, is a focus missionary at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison, and his mother, counselor at St. Mary’s school and
parish; Wagner not only has contact to the third and fourth largest parishes in
the Archdiocese of Denver, but to groups from outside the state.
CSU
freshmen and Students for Life member Kileen Willis, said she got involved with
the ride after the pro-life club brought Abby Johnson to the university. Fr.
Nix, who was also at Johnson’s talk, approached Willis with a proposal to be
apart of the team.
“The bike ride gained my interest because I love that is a ride for
renewal of mind and spirit,” Willis said, “as a pro-lifer it is not easy standing outside of a clinic
and watching the destruction happen before you. I feel for the women because we
love them and want more for them and I feel for the unborn child.”
Willis role is to be a representative to talk to the local media and
she has been able to advertise for the ride on the Denver Catholic Register,
LiveAction, Students for Life, and LifeSiteNews.
“The group goal is not really of any
"financial" goal, but really for spiritual relief…but it would be
nice to facilitate some money towards pro-life organizations so they can
continue to do their work!,” Willis said.
Riders
are asking for support either through supporting them in their overhead costs
such as transportation to California, bike rental, equipment and food, or by
pledging a per mile donation or writing a check directly to the pro-life
organization the rider chooses.
“As far
as our organization is concerned we will not be making a penny, we are more so
the vehicle for other organizations to receive support for their
work,” said Willis.
Another
event organizer and CU student Steven Seguin, will not be able to attend the
event due to his year long trip abroad, but has been promoting the ride on his
blog OneBillionStories.com
Getting closer
The route is designed to follow the
path of Blessed Junipero Serra, the 18th century Franciscan priest who evangelized
colonial California and started the state’s first nine missions. Starting in San Diego, on Presidio
Hill, Serra placed the cross dedicating the first mission in Alta California,
eventually leading the 21 missions established today.
The event’s Facebook page shows 42 people
committed to ride to raise money for pro-life organizations such as 40 days for
life, Project Rachel and Students for Life.
The
ride will start Tuesday June, 12 at 10am at the St. Gabriel’s Mission, and will
end at the same place Saturday June, 16 in the evening. It will consist of about two to five
hours each day riding to the various destination points, with the rest of the
time allotted for free time to worship, pray, and set up camp to maintain gear
and recover.
It’s
amazing to see how many people want to help even if they can’t ride,” said
Fitzpatrick, “
A
woman who wanted to participate but could not because of her pregnancy came to
Fr. Nix and offered to follow the riders in a van to provide water bike tubes
and alternative transportation for riders who needed it.
Bike
for the Unborn while only in it’s first year, will be following the work of
events such as March for life in D.C. (40th year), Walk for life in
California (9th year) and Biking for Babies which starts in New
Orleans and ends in Chicago (4th year).
In
2011 Biking for Babies raised $21,185.20 for pro-life organizations traveling
860 miles. Bike for the Unborn,
while starting out small, has the hopes of it’s team to continue the ride to
spread the pro-life message in the same way.
Organizers
suggest for anyone interested in riding to start training right away.
“I've
just been trying to make sure I get on my bike every day. I usually bike for
about an hour. I went running today because I left my bike at work yesterday.
Just making sure I do something in the ways of exercise. Hopefully I'll be
okay,” said Schneider.
Links
Bike
for the Unborn
Pro-life
Organizations mentioned:
Project Rachel
40 days for life
Students
for life
One
Billion Stories
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