"For me it was and is important to combine faith and motorcycling. When I get on my bike and ride through the landscape, I thank God, who created everything and gives us the opportunity to enjoy it," shares Fr. Stefan Shaaf, founder and spiritual guide of the Schoenstatt motorcycle missionaries in Germany.
For him, motorcycling means "feeling freedom and constantly getting to know new perspectives." At the same time, "it’s an image of the path of life that I walk with God."
Fr. Stefan tells Aleteia that his motorcycle experiences lead him to think of the psalms. It helps him, he says, "so that I can pray again and again" using words inspired in those sacred texts: "You, God, carry me into the distance, you make my darkness shine."
Motorcycle pilgrimages
Together with Walter Spannagel and the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, Fr. Stefan organized the first motorcycle pilgrimage to Schoenstatt in 2005.
"This annual event where we carry the image of the Blessed Mother Mary seeks to emulate the mission of the Servant of God João Pozzobon: to bring Mary — and thus Jesus — to the world."
To this day, at almost 70 years of age, the German couple Walter and Hannelöre Spannagel continue to work hard together with Fr. Stefan Schaaf to invite other families to live their faith and to take the Blessed Mother throughout Europe, sharing their devotion and their passion for motorcycles.
Moments of prayer and reflection on the road
"These meetings aren’t just for riding, but also for moments of prayer and spiritual reflection as a community. These days, organized by Fr. Stefan Schaaf under the motto, 'Live the journey, follow the trail of life,' allow us to disconnect, reflect, and share our faith," says Andreas Nessner, a German missionary of the movement.
The Schoenstatt Missionary Motorcyclists' Club travels throughout Europe on pilgrimage to various Marian shrines, and invites men and women motorcyclists to encounter God. Their motorcycle tours allow them to take the Blessed Mother on the roads of the European continent, evangelizing on wheels.
