A church in the heart of the city, with a heart for the city

Bike blessings offer prayers for safety as cyclists hit the roads this National Bike Month

May 05, 2026

[Episcopal News Service – Dousman, Wisconsin] Getting to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church for Sunday services is a 17-mile round trip for Bob Perkins from his home in Oconomowoc. As an avid bicyclist, he is likely to cover those miles on two wheels instead of four. It’s an even longer journey for Mary-Beth Esser — 20 miles out and back — yet on May 3, there she was at this small-town crossroads church with her Trek road bike. On this Sunday, the congregation held a special outdoor worship at 8 a.m. in a grassy area next to the Bark River, and afterward, church members and the community were invited to participate in St. Mary’s annual Bike Blessing. The Rev. Pippa Lindwright, St. Mary’s rector, led the brief ceremony at the edge of the church’s parking lot, blessing three Trek bikes — brought by Perkins, Esser and another member, Marian Ketterer — as well as one motorcycle. “If it has wheels, I will bless it, but generally people bring their bikes,” Lindwright told Episcopal News Service. In this town of about 2,400 residents a few miles off the interstate between Madison and Milwaukee and located on the bike-friendly Glacial Drumlin State Trail, St. Mary’s is well-positioned for bicyclists. And it isn’t the only Episcopal church celebrating National Bike Month this May by offering bike blessings. In State College, Pennsylvania, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church invited bicyclists for a blessing on May 3 followed by a ride around the block. All Saints Episcopal Church in Homewood, Alabama, will offer its Bike Blessing on May 17. And on May 2, the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York held its annual Blessing of the Bikes, featuring sprinkling of holy water and “a moment of silence to remember those cyclists we’ve lost in the past year.” This was the cathedral’s 28th year blessing bikes, always the day before the city’s Five Boro Bike Tour. “When you are riding your bike, you are part of the healing of this city, and we’re grateful for that,” the Very Rev. Winnie Varghese, the cathedral’s dean, said before blessing the many bicycles that the riders had brought inside the cathedral. Bicycling is known as a low-impact fitness option available to people of all ages, and choosing a bike over a car whenever possible can also reduce the rider’s carbon footprint. Other churches offer blessings that cater more toward motorcycle riders, such as St. Helen’s Episcopal Church in Wadena, Minnesota. It is planning a blessing of “motorcycles, trikes, Spyders and their riders” on May 17 in a public parking lot next to the church. “Help us kick off a safe riding season in Wadena,” the northern Minnesota community’s Chamber of Commerce said in an online invitation to the event. In Wisconsin, home of Harley-Davidson, St. Mary’s in Dousman hosted its first bike blessing about two decades ago in connection with a local motorcycle club. Perkins, 83, told ENS he remembers that first bike blessing. It was about 30 Harleys, he said, “and me and my Trek and a little girl with a pink tricycle.” All vehicles are still welcome, though pedal-powered bikes now are most common. Lindwright adapted the liturgy from one developed by the Rev. Colin Matlbie, a Maryland priest who was serving at a church in Minnesota at the time of his first bike blessing more than a decade ago. His blessing can be found here. “May the sun rise up in front of me, may the rain fall behind me and the wind follow beside me,” one of its prayers says. “May God guard my travels, for the Lord knows the road ahead of me. Keep me safe, Lord, out on the open road.” After this year’s blessing at St. Mary’s, Esser, 70, pulled on her riding gloves and prepared to start the journey home to Oconomowoc, a larger community to the north. She told ENS she appreciates the tradition of the spring Bike Blessing. She also welcomes any available heavenly assistance navigating the roads safely on her bicycle. “God is my copilot,” she said. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.