CUTLER BAY, FLA. (WSVN) - More than a hundred bikers went on a morning ride across Miami-Dade County organized by Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, and it was all for a noble cause.
7News cameras captured motorcyclists riding into Doral to join Wenski at the annual event, Sunday morning — and yes, the archbishop hopped on a motorcycle and rode with them.
“Bikers are a generous group of people, and certainly they know how to pray,” said Wenski. “They should pray if they’re on the roads of Dade County.”
“We come every year when he puts it on, and you can see we’re so happy to be here. There’s a lot of us here,” said rider Victor Cotto, who came to the event from Palm Bay.
Riders paid $20 to participate. All proceeds will benefit St. Luke’s Center, a facility for people struggling with addictions.
“It’s a great place to help people that are struggling with addictions to recover,” said Wenski, “and the bikers here today are here to support that good work.”
Participants gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for Mass before the ride.
“We started with Mass this morning, and now we’re heading out,” said Wenski.
Wenski blessed the motorcycles before the kickstands went up for the ride.
“The Archbishop’s goal and the Catholic Church’s goal is to support people that are less fortunate than most of us, and we’re here to support that effort every year,” said rider Rafael Cotto. “We’re going to continue doing this for the people of this county.”
The ride ended at Peterson’s Harley-Davidson South, located on South Dixie Highway and 198th Street in Cutler Bay.
Riders were treated to good food and raffles when they arrived.
“It’s fulfilling for me to, as a Christian and a Catholic, support the people that this charity is focusing on: the drug-addicted and the homeless,” said Cotto, “so, with that, it gives me a lot of really good feelings inside my soul that I can be a part of this.”
St. Luke’s Center has offered specialized addiction treatment services for adults for more than 50 years.
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