Kreuzweg Past Events

2016 Highlights

Kreuzweg 2016 was held Saturday & Sunday, 9/17 & 9/18. 29 total pilgrims on 2 Ways over two days: Day 1 - Swiss Way 23 miles (17 Pilgrims) and Day 2 - Italian Way 37 miles (12 pilgrims) Pilgrims this year included several couples who were married in churches along the Swiss and Italian Way.

• Youngest pedaling pilgrim this year - Nate Hanson, Age 12 rode the 37 mile Italian Way with dad Joe Hanson. Long Distance participants Irina & John Nguyen of Reston, Virginia
• We thank our wonderful tour guides - Norb Albers, Ed McLurg, Fr. Paul Worlin and Tom Wellman, and Walter Brown, Carolyn Stucke
• Karen Romer of Romers Catering for providing box lunches and the St. Charles Senior living Center for allowing us to dine in the auditorium for lunch during the rain.
• Thank you to Don Rosenbeck & Matt Hess of the Shrine of the Holy Relics for opening the doors of the Shrine and bringing out a relic of the true cross.
• Thank you to Donna Grube of the Auglaize & Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau for assisting with advertising this year’s Kreuzweg ride in the Ohio Bike Calendar and spreading the news with post cards.
• Thank you to Bonnie Trzaska for picking up the 3 cases of Dannon yogurt and her sister Mary Bornhorst who is the Dannon contact for yogurt donations.
• Thank you Jim Wuebker who served as sweeper and made things safe with his big caution sign on the back of his Burley cart.

2015 Highlights & Thank You's

Kreuzweg 2015 was held Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. The event was once again free with a 9:00 start time that was delayed until 11:00 due to thunder and lightning storms. The German Way East route of 20 miles featured stops at St. John the Baptist, Maria Stein; St. Joseph, Egypt; St. Augustine, Minster; Holy Redeemer and Bicycle Museum of America in New Bremen,and Precious Blood Church in Chickasaw.).

• 40-100 pilgrims, record keeping was difficult with the rainstorm!
• The pilgrimage was delayed roughly 2 hours due to thunder and lightening. We safely waited out the storm at the Relic Shrine, which gave pilgrims an opportunity to tour the new museum and to participate in a veneration of a Relic of the True Cross.
• We thank the Bicycle Museum of America.
• We thank our tour guides - Tom Wellman at St. John; Willard Dahlinghaus at St. Joseph Egypt, Rich Stein at St. Augustine, and Harold Stammen & Scott Fry at Holy Redeemer Church in New Bremen.
• Thank you Karen Romer & Romer's Catering - food service for the event and providing award winning tap water from St. Henry Ohio.
• Thank you to Diana Russel who assisted in many ways, took photographs, arranged for bringing out a relic of the true cross for the prayer service.
• Thank you to Don Rosenbeck of the Shrine of the Holy Relics for opening the doors of the Shrine and managing the parking for the day.
• Thank you to Donna Grube of the Auglaize & Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau for assisting with advertising this year’s Kreuzweg ride in the Ohio Bike Calendar and spreading the news with post cards.
• Thank you to Bonnie Trzaska for picking up the 3 cases of Dannon yogurt and her sister Mary Bornhorst who is the Dannon contact for yogurt donations.
• Thank you Jim & Charlotte Wuebker who served as sweepers and saved the day for numerous riders with their encouragement and tire changing skills.

2014 Highlights & Thank You's

Kreuzweg 2014 was held Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014 on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The 2014 event was free and featured a later start time of 9:30 and a single "Way" or route - the Swiss Way (20 miles).

• Kreuzweg 2014 was Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014 on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
• Statistics - 41 pilgrims, 1 dog, 18 miles, 7 churches, 6 hours!
• Pilgrims this year included: John & Sheila Kippley, founders of the Couple to Couple League - see Couple to Couple Article - and Rebecca & Mike Minardi descendants of Anton DeCurtins the architect of many churches in the Land of the Cross Tipped churches - see Kreuzweg blog post & photos by Mike on the Kreuzweg 2014.
• First Pilgrim Dog – Moses, trusted friend of Carol Leep, who chauffeured Moses along in a basket on the back of her bike.
• Youngest pedaling pilgrim this year - Henry Hanson , Age 6. Brother Levi, Age 3 got a ride in the tag along with Dad.
• Largest family participation - The Hartley’s – Mom, four kids and Grandma for a total of 6.
• Eldest pilgrim - Bill Kessler of Dayton. He is 86 and going strong. Close second goes to John Kippley. We won’t mention John’s exact age but the “30” he wore on his riding shirt was a very significant year in his life.
• We thank our tour guides - Norb Albers at St. Aloysius, Bertie & Willie Bruns at St. Sebastian, Fr. John Hoying at St. Charles, Tom Wellman at St. John, and Connie Schafer at the Shrine.
• Thank you to Don Rosenbeck of the Shrine of the Holy Relics for opening the doors of the Shrine and bringing out a relic of the true cross.
• Thank you to Donna Grube of the Auglaize & Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau for assisting with advertising this year’s Kreuzweg ride in the Ohio Bike Calendar and spreading the news with post cards.
• Thank you to Bonnie Trzaska for picking up the 3 cases of Dannon yogurt and her sister Mary Bornhorst who is the Dannon contact for yogurt donations.
• Thank you to Matt Riechert, EMT for the day and fortunately we did not need his services.
• Thank you Jim & Charlotte Wuebker who served as sweepers and saved the day for numerous riders with their encouragement and tire changing skills.

2013 Highlights & Thank You's

The first cycling pilgrimage event was held on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013. The one day event featured 2 ways - the Swiss and German with an option to extend the German way by 10 additional miles.

• 75 Pilgrims
• 2250 estimated collective pilgrimage miles13 Nationalities of heritage represented - Germany, France, England, Lithuania, Switzerland, Ireland, Croatia, Poland, Scotland, Netherlands, Cherokee, Sweden, Rwanda (There were probably many more - we forgot to ask on the registration form!)
• 3 US States where Pilgrims reside (Ohio - 73, Indiana - 1, and Illinois -1)
• 8 - Youngest Riding Pilgrim - Grace Bete - just learned to ride a bike 2 months ago and completed the Swiss Way, survived our only injury of the day we know of - a skinned knee in the parking lot of Niekamps (We did have one very young pilgrim in the womb who got a free ride with Mom!)
• 79 - Oldest Pilgrim - Jack Nash (celebrated his birthday just 3 days before the pilgrimage)
• 65 - most pilgrimage miles by Mark Gurnick of Springfield, Illinois who completed the Extended German Way and proceeded to follow that up later in the afternoon with the Swiss Way.
• Words used to describe the Pilgrimage - Awesome, Genius, Beautiful, Really Really Cool.
• Thank you to our volunteer hosts at the churches, and intersection safety patrol - you kept us informed, enlightened and safe!
• Thank you to Anne McGuire, Program Director at the Shrine - Pilgrim prayers and blessings, organizing teamwork
• Thank you Don Rosenbeck,Director and Sue Gehret, staff at the Shrine of the Holy Relics for organization and registration
• Thank you Donna Grube of the Auglaize - Mercer Counties Convention and Visitors Bureau, and husband Mark and staff for promotion, registration bags and SAG support
• Thank you Robin Goettemoeller of the Maria Stein Retreat Center for lodging some of our pilgrims
• Thank you Karen Romer - food service for the event and orientation training as well as managing the safety guards at intersections.
• Thank you Dannon Yogurt & contact Mary Bornhorst for 5 cases of yogurt
• Thank you Paterne Uwizera for assistance marking the ways and videotaping.
• Thank you Jeff Unroe, Catholic Telegraph for photography
• Thank you Nick Harlow mechanic and SAG service (no repairs were needed - just some air in tires and a brake adjustment)Thank you Joann Niekamp, Jerry Walling, Jim Elking & Kay Minardi for advice on how to organize a big group ride.
• Thank you Ascension Catholic School, Kettering and Principal Brent Devitt for water jugs, pilgrim shells, apples, adventure books, marking the ways, organization and a dream...