Notre Dame’s annual celebration of the Feast of St. Francis will expand this year to include a unique outdoor service called the Blessing of the Bicycles.
Fr. Bob Dowd, C.S.C., will perform the brief service at 12:30pm on Friday Oct. 4th at the Fr. Sorin Statue on South Quad. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are invited to bring their bikes and receive God’s blessing for safety and health in their biking.
“We ask for God’s blessing in the biggest moments in our life, but also in daily life, like study and sports – even riding our bikes,” said David Halm, C.S.C., Assistant Rector of Fisher Hall. “The Blessing of the Bicycles combines our prayer for safety and health with praise for God’s creation, since bike riding lessens our carbon footprint.”
The Feast of St. Francis program continues on Friday evening with a 5:15 Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, festive desserts at North and South Dining Halls, and an 8pm lecture in DeBartolo 101 by award-winning author and Arctic photographer Subhankar Banerjee.