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Mar 24, 2017

Houston church to offer bicycle blessing

The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Houston will hold an ecumenical Blessing of the Bicycles on Saturday, April 1, at 3 p.m., for people to bring bicycles to the sanctuary for a blessing and prayers for safety.

Located in Houston’s diverse southwest corner, Epiphany is bordered on one side by the Brays Bayou Greenway Trail. The service will acknowledge the contribution local cyclists travelling bayou paths and beyond make to the community.

“A few of our members ride here for church services and other events,” said the Rev. Christine Faulstich, rector. “And many of our neighbors ride by on the bayou trail behind us every day,” Faulstich continued.  

Cyclists can feel vulnerable as they ride, and accidents are a frequent worry. Faulstich believes Saturday’s blessing will be a chance to come together and pray for the cyclists’ safety.

Epiphany is not the first church to offer a special blessing to bicyclists’ steel, aluminum, and carbon-fiber steeds. The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City has offered a yearly blessing of the bicycles service since 1999, with several hundred cyclists in attendance. 

Epiphany can be accessed by bicycle from the Brays Bayou Greenway Trail just south of Bissonnet. Up-to-date information may be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/events/231751053956654/. 

The blessing is just one of two special events occurring at the church the first weekend in April. On Sunday, April 2, the Missouri City Pops will play a free “Disney and Friends” family concert at 3 p.m.