Northern Virginia Supports Mercy Ride in Arlington

Members of the Order of Malta Northern Virginia Region’s 2025 formation class are recruiting cyclists, volunteers, and donors for their first-ever Mercy Ride — a cycling event raising money for our lords, the sick and the poor. "This inaugural Mercy Ride will benefit the Mother of Mercy Free Medical Clinics run by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington in Manassas and Woodbridge, Virginia,” said Mike Rampino, who is currently in formation for the Order of Malta. “The work of these free medical clinics is very well-aligned with the mission of our Order: upholding human dignity and caring for people in need,” he continued. “Helping to plan and organize the Mercy Ride is a wonderful opportunity to have a positive, life-saving, life-changing impact for vulnerable people in our community."

The cycling event was first conceived by Paul Nasto, KM, who saw an opportunity for the Northern Virginia Region to create a charitable event that was capable of engaging the public and hopefully scaling up with each year. Nasto brought the idea to individuals in their Year of Formation for the Order of Malta at the Northern Virginia meetings, proposing they help him undertake the project as a means to live out their call to acts of charity. “This is the first step in organizing a national event for all of the United States regions to provide charitable funds to a Catholic charity of their choice,” Nasto said.

The Mercy Ride is set to take place on Sept. 14 at 7:00am. The race will begin and end at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna, Virginia. All proceeds are being donated to Mother of Mercy Clinics, a free health service provider based out of Manassas, Virginia. Last year, the clinics served over 1,500 under-privileged local residents across a total of 5,000 appointments.

Those interested in riding, volunteering, or donating to the cause are encouraged to visit mercyride.org for more information.