![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/148\/2012\/07\/Motorcycles-downtown-Laconia.jpg\" "\\"Motorcycles")
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<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nJune 9-17 was Bike Week in Laconia, New Hampshire.<\/strong>\u00a0 Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from around the country descended on New Hampshire\u2019s Lakes Region, home to \u201cAmerica\u2019s Original Riding Rally.\u201d\u00a0 Bikers traveled winding roads through picturesque mountain forests, alongside stunning lake vistas; and they rode on historic roads like the Kangamangus Trail.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oh, and they preached the Gospel.<\/strong><\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n Visiting the Granite State<\/strong> for a family wedding, I couldn\u2019t help but notice the proliferation of motorcycles along Route 9.\u00a0 We passed \u201cThe Tent\u201d<\/strong> just north of Keene, New Hampshire\u2014a roadside stop where, I later learned, Crossroads Ministries has been serving up free meals and coffee for the biker community for 34 years.\u00a0 Hungry bikers look forward to the good food at The Tent, and every year Cornerstone gives away 10,000 to 15,000 meals and 24,000 homemade cookies with pieces of paper that say, \u201cNeed to Rap?\u201d<\/p>\n Cornerstone is an Evangelical motorcycle ministry; but working alongside them at The Tent\u2014flagging motorcycles, picking up trash, dishing the food and dishing the faith\u2014are the Catholic Cross-Bearers<\/strong>.\u00a0 Volunteers are always needed, and both ministries exist to bring the love of Jesus to the streets.\u00a0<\/p>\n Catholic Cross-Bearers, a national organization, has a prison ministry, as well;<\/strong> and its members step up to answer any questions about the Catholic faith.\u00a0 Their statement of purpose is:<\/p>\n To provide a Catholic evangelistic presence in the motorcycling world and to all those who are in the streets or imprisoned; and to provide a riding group for Catholic Christian men and women for fellowship and ministry.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n One of the most popular events at The Tent during Laconia Bike Week is a \u201cbike blessing.\u201d\u00a0 Scott reported that this year, someone was even baptized at The Tent.<\/p>\n For Scott Hemenway, the experience of riding for Jesus has been positive<\/strong>.\u00a0 Frequently, he reported, when he\u2019s stopped at a traffic light, a nearby driver will wave and give him the \u201cthumbs up\u201d signal.\u00a0 He\u2019s occasionally been asked to pray for someone.\u00a0 Never has this \u201cmotorcyclist with a message\u201d encountered a negative response from another traveler.<\/p>\n I spoke by telephone with Tom McGuire,<\/strong> national sergeant at arms for the Catholic Cross-Bearers, and heard much the same message:\u00a0 People are friendly and are happy to share the road with the devout bikers.\u00a0 Tom told me that there are chapters of Catholic Cross-Bearers throughout theUnited States, as well as inIreland andEngland.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tom referred me to Eric Waldron, founder of the Catholic Cross-Bearers.<\/strong>\u00a0 Eric enjoyed riding, but he had come to feel that in the Evangelical motorcycle clubs, it was sometimes necessary to suppress some parts of his Catholic faith which might be at odds with the Evangelical viewpoint.\u00a0 He founded the riding group for Catholic men and women, as a place where they might join with fellow Catholics for fellowship and ministry.<\/p>\n Eric had embraced his Catholic<\/strong> faith<\/strong> after serving time in prison.\u00a0 Following his reversion, Eric sought to reach out to those still confined behind bars; so one aspect of the service of Catholic Cross-Bearers is prison ministry.\u00a0 Eric was proud to report that the membership includes priests, deacons, Eucharistic ministers, and others<\/strong> who desire to serve God while participating in biking.\u00a0<\/p>\n Asked to cite a particularly memorable encounter,<\/strong> Eric explained that he occasionally encounters prostitutes during his rides, and he has sometimes offered assistance or referred a young woman to a program which could help her to chart a new course and prepare for a different career.\u00a0 He began talking occasionally to one young woman on the street, and eventually he saw a hopeful change.\u00a0<\/p>\n Who can become a Catholic Cross-Bearer?<\/strong>\u00a0 Membership requirements are:<\/p>\n If you are interested in learning more<\/strong> about the Catholic Cross-Bearers, or if you\u2019d like to combine the sport of biking with the practice of your Catholic faith, you\u2019ll enjoy the photo albums and history on the group\u2019s website<\/a>.\u00a0 Contact them to find a group in your own state, or help to found a new chapter.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a>So it was that I met Scott Hemenway<\/strong> at the Saturday, June 16 Vigil Mass at St. Theresa\u2019s Catholic Church in nearby Henniker.\u00a0 I spotted Scott in the communion line, his black leather vest bearing a purple cross with a Chi-Rho on the vertical beam, and the Alpha and Omega on the arms of the cross.\u00a0 After Mass, I stopped him in the narthex of the church; Scott, a member of Catholic Cross-Bearers since 2010, and his wife were happy to explain the \u201ccolors\u201d of the club, as displayed on his leather vest:\u00a0 Purple is a liturgical color and represents a call to repentance.\u00a0 Chi-Rho are the first letters of the word for \u201cChrist\u201d in the Greek alphabet; and the Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters.\u00a0 Hence, the symbols on Scott\u2019s motorcycle vest attested to the fact that Christ is the Beginning and the End.<\/p>\n\n