BRONX, N.Y. – Motorcyclists converged on Holy Cross Church here for the annual Blessing of the Motorcycles on April 1. Members of the Latin American Riders’ Association, decked out in full regalia, came from all over the Bronx.
After they roared into the church parking lot with a police escort, Thaddeus Sapio, complete in leather vest, offered a prayer of blessing and thanked the riders for their presence at and generosity to Holy Cross.
This annual blessing, along with an annual Christmas toy drive, has been a tradition at Holy Cross for the past several years. The toy drive, sponsored by the Latin American Riders’ Association, provides toys for orphaned children throughout the New York area.
Several Holy Cross parishioners belong to the association.