Father Matt Ruhl, SJ, and three companions cycled more than 3,800 miles across the United States to raise $5 million for critical infrastructure and supplies for Belize’s Catholic schools. The team took off from Portland, Maine, on July 15, 2025, and ended in Santa Monica, California, on October 1.
“Trying to raise $5 million dollars is a well-nigh impossible task,” Fr. Ruhl said. “But we need not fear. Our faith teaches us that our God is Lord of the impossible.”
Jeff Chattin, Tom Makarewicz and Mike Johnson joined Fr. Ruhl on his journey. Susie Johnson, Mike’s wife, supported the team’s efforts. All four share Fr. Ruhl’s passion for ensuring a better future for the children of Belize.
In Belize, where there is no legal separation of church and state, the Belizean government pays teacher salaries, while the Catholic Church is responsible for school buildings, grounds, nutrition programs and maintenance. In a developing country, the Church has struggled to maintain buildings, and many are literally crumbling around the students. Children are learning in buildings that are collapsing from water damage or infested with termites or bats.
As pastor of St. Peter Claver Parish in Punta Gorda, Fr. Ruhl oversees the schools in the southern part of Belize. He knew he had to raise money from outside Belize to provide a decent education for the students in his care. As chairman of the Bishop’s Commission on Education, he also recognized that all 112 Catholic schools in Belize are in disrepair. So, he determined to raise $5 million to benefit all 32,000 Catholic school students in Belize.
“What a dream it is, the sweetest dream in my life right now,” Fr. Ruhl said. “To imagine children returning to schools with solid buildings; classrooms with ceilings that insulate and fans that cool; lunchrooms that offer nutritious meals; desks with books, pens and paper; schoolrooms free of termites, bats and mold. This Lighthouse Ride is the highest mountain to climb – and we’ve climbed plenty of mountains on this journey – and this dream is why I pedal.”
At the conclusion of the ride, the team had raised about one-third of their goal. To learn more or to donate to the future of Belize’s Catholic schools, visit www.lighthouseridebelize.org.
Top image: The Belize Lighthouse Riders pause before crossing the Mississippi into St. Louis. Tom Makarewicz, Fr. Matt Ruhl, Mike Johnson and Jeff Chattin (left to right) rode more than 3,800 miles from Maine to California to raise money to improve Catholic schools in Belize.
