“As you bike today pray for deliverance from the Covid pandemic for your family, for our communities and for our country.”
That additional prayer, added to the opening orientation of the 2020 Pedal Pilgrimage, was the first of many new additions and changes made to this year’s pilgrimage because of the coronavirus.
This year’s pilgrimage was in question until Church of St. Boniface in Cold Spring determined they could again sponsor the event. By then, some of the advertising deadlines had passed, which organizers feared might affect participation in the event, which draws cyclists from throughout the area, including Church of St. Philip in Litchfield and St. John’s in Darwin.
Because of the virus, the snacks and beverages available to the bikers were changed. Pilgrims also prayed outside the country churches along the way instead of the usual indoor prayers.
However, Aug. 15 was a beautiful day for a bike ride through the countryside after storms had swept through the area the night before. And word did get out — 24 cyclists participated.
The Pedal Pilgrimage is a three-and-a-half hour, 23-mile bike ride that starts and ends at Assumption Hill near Cold Spring. The pilgrims make stops to rest and pray at Richmond, Jacob’s Prairie and Rockville. The pilgrimage is always held Aug. 15, which in the Roman Catholic calendar is the Feast of the Assumption of Blessed Mother Mary.
The pilgrims gather, depart and return to the base of Assumption Hill just off State Highway 23. The Assumption Chapel atop of the hill was built in appreciation for answered prayers. Great grasshopper plagues wrecked havoc with Minnesota’s economy in the 1870s. People from the local towns prayed for deliverance from the destructive swarms. In appreciation for a miraculous end to the grasshoppers, a chapel was built and nicknamed the Grasshopper Chapel. To this day, the chapel attracts visitors from all over the country.
Plans are already in the works for the 2021 Pedal Pilgrimage. Go to www.pedalpilgrimage.com for more details.
