Jesuit Father Adrianus Suyadi (right) and another member of the team of Jesuits take a break during the charity bike ride held on May 29 in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta. (Photo courtesy of Father Adrianus Suyadi)
A team of Jesuits took part in a charity bike ride in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta to raise money for the needy struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Organized by FoodCycle Indonesia, a non-profit organization that distributes surplus food from supermarkets, bakeries and other sources to the needy, the 70-kilometer event, Riding to Share Kindness, sought to provide 3,800 basic-necessity packs for the underprivileged. They included street children, the elderly, scavengers and refugees.
The Jesuits were among 27 other teams participating in the May 29 event, organizer and FoodCycle Indonesia founder Herman Andriyanto told UCA News.
Each team of 10 cyclists was expected to collect at least 100 packs, worth about US$10.50 each, from donors by riding a bike for 70 kilometers or more.
Besides the teams, he said, there were also people from across the country taking part, with each cyclist donating 250,000 rupiah ($17.50) to ride a minimum of 50 kilometers in their localities.
“We urged all participants to strictly follow health protocols by avoiding crowds during this Covid-19 pandemic,” Andriyanto said, adding that they managed to help more than 10,000 recipients.
Many Indonesian people are basically generous. And I think they should always be motivated to be so
Father Adrianus Suyadi, a 56-year-old member of the Jesuit team, told UCA News that three priests, three seminarians, a brother as well as three Catholic laymen working at a Jesuit-run school took part in the event.
“Our team rode 85 kilometers in about five hours. We were divided into three groups to avoid crowding,” he said.
The priest said he took part in the event to help boost a spirit of solidarity.
“Many Indonesian people are basically generous. And I think they should always be motivated to be so. I need to think about others. This is exactly what Fratelli Tutti is about,” Father Suyadi said.
He was referring to Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship), released on Oct. 3 last year.
“Cycling as a hobby has become popular in Indonesia. This could be turned into an extraordinary fundraising vehicle. It would not be hard to encourage Indonesian people to do that. All we need is inspiration,” he said, adding that his team of Jesuits raised enough for 308 basic-necessity packs.
