St. Stephen's annual motorcycle blessing scheduled May 2

WARWICK — On Saturday, May 2, at noon, the Rev. Angelo Micciulla, parochial vicar at Warwick's Roman Catholic Church of St. Stephen the First Martyr, will lead a large formation of motorcycle enthusiasts on a police-escorted 40 mile ride through local country roads.

Micciulla, who will be riding his own Victory Cross Country Tour machine, is also the chaplain of the Hudson Valley Chapter of the Shamrocks Motorcycle Club, an organization open to all United States law enforcement officers.

Just before the ride and after a short service, Pastor Rev. Jack Arlotta and Micciulla will bless the bikes individually.

This blessing is not just for parishioners of St. Stephen's, but is open to all those who ride motorcycles and everyone is welcome and encouraged to join.

The voluntary scenic ride through the Town of Warwick will end at approximately 2 p.m. with a party at Pennings Orchard and Farm Market, 161 Route 94 South in Warwick.

The blessing and ride are free, but for anyone wishing to come to the get-together at Pennings, the fee is $20 for all you can eat: burgers, hotdogs, salads and soda. There will also be specials on other drinks.

Prizes will be awarded to the winners of three contest events at Pennings: Perfect Circles, Figure 8s and slowest roll.

The names of sponsors for this year's event will be on the back of T-shirts given out at the party and also listed in the church's Sunday bulletin.

"All of the sponsors are from around this area," said Micciulla, "which is a great show of local support for the Church as well as the motorcycling community."

For additional information contact Micciulla at 986-4028 or e-mail: parochial_vicar@aol.com.