How many flat tires did you get on the 2,400 mile bike ride?
13 flat tires! Half of those were in the state of Louisiana alone, beware! The picture to the right was the first flat tire in Florida, just look at that screw! Many dangers and hurdles arose on the roads of America, but the strength of the mystical body carried the mission all the way back home safe to Colorado!
Who is the patron saint of OneBillionStories.com?
Kolbe! A 20th century saint who not only gave his life in a starvation bunker for a stranger at Auschwitz, Nazi Germany’s death camp during World War II. He also used the most modern means of communication as an Immaculata Friar, by aiding the formation and distribution of a daily newspaper and monthly magazine. Therefore, with the fortitude of living out sacrificial love like Saint Maximilian Kolbe, OneBillionStories.com strives to emulate his talents for communicating the Catholic faith through modern means.
How long did the bike ride take from Florida to Colorado?
The pilgrimage took 90 days, three months. The longest day of biking was 110 miles, while most frequent distances covered was 70 miles in a day. The pilgrimage took so long because getting across the country was not the mission. Rather, the mission was to capture on film the inspiring stories from within the ‘one billion Catholics’ in the world. Therefore, some cities along the route presented many opportunities for sharing stories. For example, my longest stop was in New Orleans, where I resided for four days before moving along. Why the long stop? Great stories, charitable hospitality, and an ancient Catholic city captivated my attention.
Where did you sleep on the bike ride across the country?
God called the mission of OneBillionStories.com forth in December 2009. The bike ride across the county commenced January 3rd, 2010. Therefore, the mission had one month of preparation before casting in to the deep. Due to the brevity of prep time, contacts across the
Blue Bag
country were sparse from the outset. In fact, over 2,400 miles, four contacts were pre-arranged for shelter (it was the coldest winter in 50 years across the south!). What did these mean, pack the camping gear! And that’s exactly what I did (see blue bag left). In my mind, I thought I was going to be under the stars most the way, but God had different plans. Out of 90 nights, guess how many I was out in the elements….? Seven! What can be said except God was in charge of this bike ride by opening up faithful Catholic homes, dorm rooms, and retreat centers all along the pilgrimage route.
What inspired you to start OneBillionStories.com?
Stories! Simple as that! For the first time in my life, I was meeting young Catholics who knew what it meant to be Catholic, and were passionate about sharing it with me over coffee or a brew at Conor O’neils. They were not beating me over the head with a Bible either, simply sharing their personal story of discovery for God’s calling in their life. By 2009, after 5 years at the University of Colorado, I said, “these stories are too good for just me to hear. Somehow they need to be captured and shared with as many people as possible.” And really, it was simple as that!
Why is it called OneBillionStories.com?
Simple, there are ‘one billion Catholics’ in the world, actually 1.2 billion! And guess what? With a little reflection, and fortitude, all Catholics have the opportunity to share their personal story on what our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, calls the ‘digital continent.’ Therefore, the website is called OneBillionStories.com because all Catholics have a story to share.
