Hi! My name is Mary, and I am a second year missionary with Biking for Babies. This summer I will be biking from Ann Arbor, Michigan to St. Louis, Missouri. I am representing Waterleaf Women’s Center in Aurora, IL.

At the heart of Catholic teaching is the truth that all humans are created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore have inherent worth. This means that the dignity of every person is not something that can be earned or given out, but it is something that is inherently human. In Matthew, Jesus sends out his disciples “like sheep among wolves,” but he tells them not to be afraid because they are of so much value to the Father, saying, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. [Matt 10:29-31] God values each life so much, and it is comforting to hear these words in the gospel.

Waterleaf Women’s Center works to ensure that the way they serve every woman who walks into the center represents the inherent dignity that that person has. They provide resources to make it possible for women with unplanned pregnancies to actually provide for their families. I am biking because I think that women's centers like Waterleaf need the support to keep doing what they are doing!

God works through Biking for Babies to show missionaries that it is possible to find joy in our suffering. Blessed Mary Teresa of St. Joseph wrote, “To suffer for God is the only joy which heaven does not have.” Learning to have joy in suffering is very difficult, but the physical biking aspect of the mission helps to make that more tangible. God works through quiet and solitary moments on the bike to provide peace and calm any restlessness.

If you would like to support my fundraising efforts this year, you can donate online here or send a check to:
Biking for Babies, PO Box 644, St. Charles, MO 63302
(Please make checks payable to “Biking for Babies” and write my name, Mary Schiltz, in the memo line so it counts towards my goal.)

Thank you!