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Church in Portugal
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News

When 180,000 bikers come to Mass

Meet the motorcycle pilgrims at Fátima's 'Blessing of the Helmets'

Filipe d’Avillez
Sep 26, 2024
∙ Paid

It’s mid-morning in a small Portuguese town, and I am standing in a dirt parking lot, which is rapidly filling up with hundreds, and then thousands, of motorcycles.

Bikers hold helmets aloft during the 2024 Blessing of the Helmets. Credit: Fátima shrine photo archive.

The machines range from very large to pretty small; some are classics, and some are bran…

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