What is Brake the Cycle?

Brake the Cycle is a multi-year Social Justice mission to increase poverty awareness in the United States and, in particular, throughout the state of Connecticut.  We are a Social Action minded take action group.  We are a cycling team.  We use our bikes to ride throughout Connecticut each year to meet with parishioners and any group concerned with social justice issues as they relate specifically to Matthew 25 and the themes of Catholic Social Teaching.

The original Brake the Cycle of Poverty Ride began on June 1, 2003.

In association with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, 24 cyclists rode from San Francisco to Washington, DC to raise the consciousness of poverty in the United States stopping along the way at various parishes.

Their mission:

• to educate about poverty issues
• to talk about effective ways to permanently eliminate the effects of poverty
• to urge people to take action

On July 27, 2003, a group of 8 cyclists and 6 support staff from St. Bridget Church in Manchester, CT began a similar ride for six days, visiting parishes along their route, meeting with parishioners and CCHD funded groups and offering testimony as to why they rode and what they learned from those they met. Both groups met in Baltimore and rode into Washington together.

In March, 2004, a new CT Brake the Cycle Team began riding for poverty awareness delivering the same message but with a new mission….. This Time Connecticut! . Now 14 riders and 8  support staff, they traveled throughout Connecticut to various parishes bringing their message about the prevalence of poverty in the wealthiest state in this country. They completed their initial week-long ride on August 6, 2004.

Their multi-year mission had only just begun.

In 2005, Connecticut’s Brake the Cycle Team continued by traveling to various parishes to raise awareness of poverty. Their 2005 week-long ride was from June

In 2006, the third annual tour of Connecticut brought them from Manchester to New Haven, Bristol, Norwalk, Litchfield, Milford, and Hartford.

In 2007, the fourth annual tour of Connecticut brought them from Manchester to Norwich.

This time Connecticut ……..

 What does this mean?

• We are taking our Brake the Cycle of Poverty experience and extending it to CT parishes, raising awareness of poverty and hopefully stimulating discussion and energizing talk in your parish about poverty issues.
• We meet with CCHD funded groups and parishioners interested in Thinking About, Talking About, and Taking Action against poverty in Connecticut.
• We began our visits in March 2004, completed our initial week-long ride in early August 2004 and will continue our multi-year mission.

Would you like to ride with us?

…..drive a sag wagon?

…..help with our presentations?

…..learn about poverty?

Please Contact

Bob King at king547@cox.net or (860) 647-0310

Lou Terzo at twoterzos@att.net or (860) 649-1546

John Ryan at JRyan@saintbridget.com or (860) 643-2403 x14