Bikin' for Jesus.

Think every Harley rider is one of the Hells Angels? Guess again, This past Labor Day, at the 100th birthday celebration of Harley-Davidson Motor Company in Milwaukee, more than 1,500 Harley aficionados attended an outdoor Mass celebrated by Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

The bikers rode into Mass atop the highest peak in southeastern Wisconsin, Holy Hill, at the National Shrine o Mary, Help of Christians. One priest made his way up the hill in the sidecar of a Harley painted to look like Wisconsin cheese. Dolan, who concelebrated with 15 other priests and 14 deacons, actually pulled up to the site on a farm wagon pulled by a tractor.

Instead of pews, there were rows of hogs and choppers, even a few sidecars. And instead of dress shirts, khakis, and skirts, there was black leather, denim, bandanas, and boots. Each Mass attendant received a commemorative medal with the inscription "Bikers' Mass 2003, Holy Hill."

Hundreds of thousands of bikers and fans traveled to Milwaukee from all over the world for the Harley anniversary, filling hotel rooms within a 200-mile radius of downtown Milwaukee. The Milwaukee arch diocese cashed in on the frenzy, renting out retreat center rooms for $125 per night.

In fact, the archdiocese planned a whole weekend of events for the bikers including blessings of motorcycles, a Friday night fish fry, even an organ recital called "Tuned Harleys in the Nave."

Archdiocesan vocations director and Harley rider Father Bob Stiefvater told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Aug. 29) that riding his motorcycle is a spiritual experience. "You're kind of in communion with the countryside,' he said.

"I think it's an encounter with creation and an encounter with the creator."