Now that the sun is out and the snow is mostly gone, people are starting up their motorcycles. There’s a gathering of riders every year in Syracuse to bless their rides. A dedicated priest has continued the event for decades. For 39 years, riders of all ages and sizes have come to get their bikes blessed at St. Daniel Church.

It’s a blessing to protect them on the roads ahead. According to the New York State Department of Health, more than 160 people die statewide from motorcycle crashes every year.

What You Need To Know

  • The 39th annual blessing of the bikes in Syracuse was led by Rev. Eugene Yennock

  • This was Yennock’s last year, as he retires from ministry at age 95

  • He won a battle against COVID-19 in December, which hospitalized him for weeks

“The last month there was four fatalities and none of them were the biker’s fault, its cars that don’t realize there’s other people on the road besides them,” said Michael Whitney, Onondaga Chapter of ABATE President.

Every year, Monsignor Reverend Yennock leads the blessing, but this is his last. After serving his current church for more than 40 years, he has decided to retire.

“Well I am 95, I should have retired when I was 75, but I didn’t have enough sense,” said Yennock. “And of course with the COVID, I feel a little more compromised in my health, so it’s a good time for a younger man to come in.”

He beat coronavirus back in December; a case that put him in the hospital for several weeks. Now he will be pastor emeritus at St. Daniel church, carrying on in his ministry as long as he is able.

Next year the Blessing of the Bikes will be held at the Saint Rose of Lima Church in North Syracuse.