Holy Rollin': 250 bicyclists take tour of downtown Detroit Catholic churches

Allie Gross | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption See 250 Catholics ride during Holy Rollin' event 250 Catholics descended upon downtown Detroit on Sunday, June 25, 2017, for a bike ride and tour of the city's Catholic churches.

For years, Danielle Center dreamed of bringing together Catholics from across metro Detroit for a bike ride and tour of the city's historic downtown churches.

The 30-year-old was hesitant to act on it, however, because she wasn't sure how people, many of whom left the city decades ago, would respond.

"Would they be afraid Detroit?" she wondered.

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On Sunday — an overcast, but warm afternoon — she realized she had little to have been worried about. Nearly 250 practicing Catholics from across southeastern Michigan milled around downtown's St. Aloysius Church, the second stop in the multi-part bike ride and tour, that Center began planning in March.

What you need to know about the Holy Rollin' event Danielle Center, the coordinator of the Holy Rollin' event, discusses her motivations for planning the bike tour of churches on June 25, 2017.

"My friends and I came down because we wanted to see the churches," said Cindy Hastings, 54, of West Bloomfield who noted that she and her friends frequent the city about once a month already for bike rides.

"This is a great opportunity to see all of the churches in one day. If you were to venture off and do it on your own it just could never be done in a day. It's just nice to have them come, welcome you in, you get to see each church up close and personal and they give you a bit of history. We like to be a part of the community."

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The day's festivity — christened Holy Rollin' — began at Ste. Anne's Church, where Center works. The group then biked east toward Detroit's downtown to hit up St. Aloysius, St. Peter and Paul, Old St. Mary in Greektown and finally St. Joseph Oratory.

"We have Slow Roll in Detroit, which is a great opportunity for people to ride their bikes, see the city, but this one had a bit more of a Catholic edge to it," said Annie Schunior, 27, who volunteered to help with the event Sunday. "In the Catholic church there is a lot of beautiful art but there are not a lot of opportunities for people to tour and see it."

Schunior, who works for the Archdiocese of Detroit, was eager to help her friend Center make sure the day ran smoothly — especially considering the huge interest the event garnered.

"I know originally Danielle was only expecting 50 people to be here and we were counting the bikes and we're at 250. To have so many people here is pretty special," said Schunior, as she and her husband, David, watched over the bikes outside St. Aloysius.

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Inside, the riders had the opportunity to tour the church and speak with pastor Loren Connell.

While Connell said he would be happy if people decided to come back to the church after the tour, he really didn't open his doors to increase membership.

"It's about hospitality," he said. "We open our doors to street people and visitors and everyone in between."