HEAVEN’S ANGELS
Brother Knights on Bikes members, Father David Miller, Jim LaLonde and Dave Tagye met up at Belmont Abbey March 20. The Knights on Bikes is a fraternal organization of men, dedicated to faith in action. The group is open to any members of the Knights of Columbus who are in good standing. (Troy Hull | Catholic News Herald)
CHARLOTTE — It’s not every day you see a priest and a group of bikers in black leather vests hopping off motorcycles in front of a church to spend time in prayer. But for parishioners around the diocese, this is becoming a common sight as more Knights of Columbus join the Knights on Bikes ministry.
Father David Miller, pastor of St. Dorothy’s in Lincolnton, was recently installed as the North Carolina chaplain of Knights on Bikes. He was encouraged by a fellow Knight of Columbus, Dave Tagye, the state president of Knights on Bikes, to take the motorcycle exam and purchase a bike to join the ministry and become its state chaplain.
“I’ve wanted to ride since I was 16,” Father Miller said. “My mother was vehemently opposed, so I put away the idea. When Dave asked me if I would be interested in riding, we talked about what my role might be in the ministry, and I reached out for permission from Bishop (Peter) Jugis before I bought a bike.”
He says his mother prayed a novena that Bishop Jugis would say no to his request.
When Father Miller received word that he did not have to have the bishop’s permission to ride a motorcycle, he ordered a 2022 Indian Chief Dark Horse bike, took the motorcycle exam and told his mother. “She was not happy with the bishop,” Father Miller said, smiling. “But she’s forgiven him now.”
To console his mother, he bought all of the protective gear a biker can wear – helmet, crushproof boots, gloves, knee pads and special clothing which covers his whole body when he’s riding. He also blessed a St. Benedict patch and sewed it to his Knights on Bikes leather vest in addition to a handmade cord of a decade of the Rosary one of his youths at the parish made for him.
Now officially one of “Heaven’s Angels” this side of the veil, Father Miller hops on his motorcycle whenever he can to experience the thrill of the road.
“It feels like you’re flying,” he said. “There’s no shell of a car to protect you. You feel the wind and you’re out in the weather. You’re flying down the road. It’s really an amazing feeling!”
He explained that even after a stressful day, taking a ride is very edifying. “I love to just to go ride for a while if the weather is nice, just to relax,” he said.
Tagye, the catalyst in Father Miller living out his childhood dream, is a parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo in Morganton. He rides an immaculate shiny royal blue Indian Challenger motorcycle. As state president of Knights on Bikes, he helps coordinate local rides and charitable outreach for the ministry.
“I also started riding later in life,” Tagye said. “My parents didn’t want me to ride either. Some time ago I finally went out and bought the biggest motorcycle I could find. I learned to ride and took the safety course.”
Tagye recalled he was speaking with another parishioner after Mass one day who suggested they start a motorcycle group to ride and do charity work. “I told my wife, and she found the Knights on Bikes’ website online. I called the prior state president, and he asked me if I would take over western North Carolina.”
He now collaborates with Father Miller and state chairmen, as well as the other state president in Raleigh.
“Our motto is ‘In God We Trust and Ride,’ and we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary by stopping in churches to pray the Rosary on our rides,” Tagye said. “Like St. Francis, as we ride we hope to preach Jesus often and sometimes use words.”
The Knights on Bikes have the Knights of Columbus emblem and a cross on the back of their vests. “We’re dressed this way with emblems of the Order so people can see what we represent and ask questions. It’s our opportunity to evangelize,” he said.
“It’s also a chance to tell people what we believe. It’s amazing to see how many people don’t know what the Catholic Church is about. They believe rumors, but when we talk and they find out we’re all brothers and sisters in Christ, they change their perspective,” Tagye explained.
He and the North Carolina Knights on Bikes riders also participate in regional and national rides as they are able. In times past, they have ridden from the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville to the Abbey Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Belmont, stopping at local parishes along the way to pray the Rosary. Some riders have also joined Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami on his annual ride from Miami to the Florida Keys in January.
“We also ride with the Christian Motorcycle Association when they sponsor rides. That’s our chance to do charity work and get out there and witness. We evangelize with other groups as we go on those rides,” Tagye said.
Jim LaLonde of St. James Parish in Concord rides his Harley Davidson Road Glide motorcycle as often as he can with Tagye and the other Knights on Bikes.
“Most weeks I wear my Knights on Bikes vest to church,” LaLonde said. “It’s a conversation starter. There’s been a very positive reaction and people come up to me and ask questions.”
He loves doing the Rosary rides where they stop into parishes along the way. “Our Knights of Columbus emblem on our vest helps ease tensions when people see motorcycle riders stopping at the parish,” he said.
Now, with Father Miller on board as chaplain, LaLonde believes that Father Miller “is helping hold us accountable and gives us more visibility and credibility.”
When it comes to Knights on Bikes, all three men say the brotherhood has made an impact.
“I pray the Rosary so much more now,” Tagye said. “To ride with brothers in Christ and to serve our vets, parishes and priests however we can is important.”
LaLonde echoed those remarks, adding, “Having a group that can help hold me accountable is good. As Isaiah 27:17 says, ‘Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.’ It’s important to have like-minded men with the same morals and values to help each other.”
Father Miller agrees. “It’s true for most people, but especially for men, we need groups men can be a part of,” he said. “The Knights of Columbus are themselves a group, but motorcycle riders have their own little niche. For the Knights to combine both of those loves, it creates a further niche where men can tighten their brotherhood and support one another, and that is wonderful.”
“It has made me work even harder to stay in a state of grace in case I get in an accident. So, in case anything happens, I am ready for the Lord!” Father Miller said.
— SueAnn Howell. Photos by Troy Hull and provided
Looking for a Knights on Bikes chapter near you?
For more information about Knights on Bikes, go online to www.knightsonbikes-international.org. Questions? Email Knights on Bikes North Carolina State President Dave Tagye at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
CHARLOTTE — At St. Matthew Parish, ministering to both body and spirit are top priorities. For years, parishioners have enjoyed spiritually enriching educational programs in addition to its 100-plus ministries. Now the parish has established a health ministry, aimed to promote wellness and provide education by connecting parishioners to community resources.
In an effort to provide health-focused initiatives for St. Matthew parishioners, the parish has entered into a partnership with Atrium Health and its Faith Community Nursing Program.
Sandy Farrelly, who chairs the new health ministry committee, has been a nurse for 40 years. The first step she and her committee took was to hire a part-time Atrium Health Faith Community Nurse, Maryanne White, to work directly with the parish.
“I presented the idea of faith community nursing some 10 years ago, but it just wasn’t the right time,” Farrelly said. “This is a great place to have parish nurses. This ministry has such potential to expand and with Atrium we will have access to more resources. I’m really excited about that!”
“It’s wonderful to be a nurse in your own faith,” said White, who has been in nursing for 48 years and a member of the parish for the past 30 years. “It’s a chance to combine my faith with health. It’s wonderful to be working in my own parish and to be the first nurse at St. Matthew.”
Faith community nursing was formally recognized as a specialty by the American Nurses Association in 1998. A faith community nurse is required to complete an approved basic preparatory training to support holistic health and provide spiritual care for people connected to a house of worship.
White will coordinate programs at St. Matthew Parish in cooperation with the health ministry committee. Currently the committee has a survey posted online for parishioners to respond to. Once the results are in and an understanding of the needs of the parish can be gleaned, specific programs will be scheduled at both the church’s Ballantyne and Waxhaw locations.
“We do a wonderful job of meeting spiritual needs at the parish, and we have a great counseling center,” said parish ministry leader Deacon Joe Becker. “Physical needs are what we wanted to turn to next, and to do it from a faith-based perspective.”
He explained that the faith community nurse is not intended to be a one-on-one healthcare provider, but rather someone who can connect parishioners, such as the elderly, with community resources.
“What we’re trying to do is to be present to our parishioners in a way that can help them with whatever unmet needs they have,” Deacon Becker added.
Last month, as part of the parish health and wellness education and outreach efforts, White conducted an orientation program on CPR, AED use, and what to do if someone is choking. On Saturday, March 25, she will offer blood pressure checks after the 4 p.m. Mass at St. Matthew’s Waxhaw location.
Father John Allen, St. Matthew’s pastoral administrator, is pleased with the new ministry and faith community nurse partnership. “Since our spiritual life and spiritual health involves both body and soul, I am delighted that St. Matthew is partnering with Atrium Health to provide a parish nurse and wellness opportunities for our parishioners,” he said.
St. Matthew Parish joins Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Charlotte in offering a Faith Community Health Ministry. St. James the Greater Parish in Concord also has a parish nurse to assist parishioners with their healthcare needs and offer educational programs at the parish.
Learn more
For more information about St. Matthew Parish’s health ministry or survey, check the parish bulletin online at www.stmatthewcatholic.org; or email Maryanne White, faith community nurse, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell