By Jay Sorgi • Posted June 18, 2025

Msgr. James Oliver has loved bike-riding for as long as he can remember. He has ridden long distances on his bike, from  stretches of the 189-mile ride on the Benedictine Trail in Italy to cycling from one end of Florida to the other.

It made total sense for the pastor of Saint Bridget’s Parish in East Falls to use his passion for cycling to raise more than $40,000 for rectory repairs.  On Saturday, May 31, he embarked on a 103.8-mile ride called “Ride for the Rectory.”

“We were looking at some different projects, and somebody said, ‘Why don’t you do something for the rectory?’ There are more than 70 windows in the rectory (needing repair), and there’s a porch that would be really nice for parish events to fix up,” he said.

Upon arriving at the parish, Monsignor Oliver quickly realized his cycling reputation had preceded him.

“People kept saying, ‘Father, we’re right next to Kelly Drive, and you can ride your bicycle down there.’ I kept thinking, how do people know that I like to ride a bicycle? That’s crazy.”

His love for cycling took root in childhood, as the New York kid who settled as a youngster in Springfield, Delaware County, would put collector cards from the Batman TV show in his bike spokes.

“I’d ride the bike to school sometimes. I’d ride the bike to college (Penn State-Brandywine). When I was at the seminary, sometimes I would ride the bike there,” he said.

Recognizing Monsignor Oliver’s love of bike riding, a finance council member suggested a fundraiser centered around his hobby.

“‘Why don’t you do a ride for the rectory?’ I mean, this person even coined the name!”

At 65, Monsignor Oliver, had to train vigorously to prepare for the long-distance challenge. Yet he found encouragement in the parish members who said they would ride alongside him in at various points on the multi-lap route. The journey took him from the  St. Bridget’s Parish along the Schuylkill Trail, past the Philadelphia Museum of Art, through 30th Street Station, and back – a ride replete with four-story elevation climbs.

“It was me and two others,” he said of the bike ride on a rainy morning. “We started at 5:12 a.m. It was still dark. We had little headlamps and lights on the bicycles.”

The ride through some of Philadelphia’s most scenic spots offered chances for prayer, “to pray the Rosary, or just to stop and slow down and remember God’s presence.”

His morning came with a break to help a companion with a bike repair, plenty of energy bars, and meals put together by nearby religious sisters.

Support from parish members kept him going.

“About every hour on the hour, I came through the parish parking lot,” he said. “There was a lady there that stopped and said ‘Father, I’m here to just say, have a great ride!’”

After 50 miles, Msgr. Oliver took a lunch break, recharging for the second half of the ride which turned out to be a greater challenge.

“I was by myself. I did the seventh lap, and then the eighth lap was sort of hard. I was getting tired, and I kept trying to hydrate and eat power bars,” he said.

“I knew that I was going to have somebody join me on the last two laps, so when I hit lap number nine, it pulled me through. I knew that that person would be back there.”

His biking companion could see his exhaustion, and suggested what Jesus often did in his ministry: Rest.

“I took another break and that person said, ‘Lie down on the ground. Relax completely. You got two more laps. You’re pretty tired,’” he admitted.

He mustered up enough energy, and Msgr. Oliver completed the 14-hour journey, riding for nearly 11 hours, finishing around 7 p.m.

“I wasn’t in tip-top shape. Like prayer, we’re not in tip-top shape. St. Paul says, ‘The spirit will pray through you when you don’t know how to pray,” he said. “Trust in God. God’s going to work through you.”

With sore legs at Mass the next morning, he reflected on the overwhelming support he received.

“People who rode with me, people who told me they were praying for me.”

He couldn’t have done it without them.

In the end,  faith fueled his ride the same faith he preaches from the altar ,carrying him more than 100 miles of bike riding on a rainy Saturday in May.

“For the glory of God,” Monsignor Oliver said, “to do everything for the greater glory of God.”

For those interested in supporting Msgr. Oliver’s mission, visit ridefortherectory.com to learn more.