In preparation for this year’s Rolling Thunder event, where hundreds of thousands of bikers descend on the nation’s capital in honor of fallen and missing heroes, several thousand strong showed up in New Jersey for the Motorcycle Mass, led by a Catholic priest, Father Mark Giordani. He’s actually been doing this since long before Rolling Thunder, now in its 21st year, began: Giordani, himself a biker, started the tradition 39 years ago, according to the Religion and Ethics Newsweekly piece on the event:
SEVERSON: Nobody loves to ride more than the biker priest, and it’s pretty clear that his “hog” belongs to an unusual rider.
(to Fr. Giordani): So you’ve got the whole story of Christ on the fender of your Harley Davidson?
Fr. GIORDANI: Basically, that’s right. We have the Nativity. We have the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, and, of course, the Holy Spirit on the tank, which branches out to the saddle bags.
SEVERSON: Is this what Jesus would drive?
Fr. GIORDANI: I think if he were physically present here on earth today, definitely this would be his choice.
SEVERSON: Hard to imagine this machine would be an evangelical tool, but he says it has an impressive record, like the time he came across another biker in Nova Scotia who asked if he could confess.
Fr. GIORDANI: And then he ended up saying, “It was the most beautiful day of my life. I never felt such freedom, such peace in my heart. Why did I carry this garbage all these years? Why didn’t I make a connection with God before?”
Read/watch the whole thing here.