A Jesuit priest who has called Belize home for more than a decade completed an extraordinary 3,800-mile cross-country bicycle journey on Wednesday, Oct. 1, arriving at the Santa Monica Pier after nearly three months on the road to raise funds for a Catholic school system in crisis.
Father Matthew Ruhl and three companions began their transcontinental trek July 15 in Portland, Maine, cycling 50 to 60 miles daily through small towns across America to draw attention to the deteriorating condition of 112 Catholic schools in Belize that serve 32,000 students.
The ride, dubbed the Lighthouse Ride Belize after the historic Baron Bliss Lighthouse in Belize City, aims to rebuild an educational infrastructure that has been crumbling for four decades.
"The inspiration for the Lighthouse Ride came in the form of 27,000 students who must attend class in increasingly dilapidated school buildings, toilets, and infrastructure," said Ruhl, who chairs the Bishop's Commission on Education for the Diocese of Belize City/Belmopan. "These same students lack nutrition programs resulting in many students not only being hungry but stunted by malnutrition."
The scope of the crisis is staggering. Belize's Catholic education system encompasses 432 buildings housing students across the Central American nation, and according to Ruhl, every single school is in "utter disrepair."
The deterioration stems from a fundamental funding problem that began when Belize gained independence in 1981. At that time, the Jesuits transferred administrative control of the school system to the Belizean government, creating a split responsibility that has proven financially unsustainable.
Under the current arrangement, the government pays teacher salaries using tax revenue, while the Catholic Church must fund all building maintenance, school grounds, and nutrition programs without any access to public money. The result has been four decades of steady decline as the Church struggled to maintain hundreds of aging structures.
"The Government of Belize has the benefit of receiving tax money, which goes toward paying teachers," Ruhl explained. "Conversely, the Church has zero access to tax money and thus no financial support to upkeep school infrastructure."
Now a naturalized Belizean citizen, Ruhl has witnessed this crisis firsthand during his 13 years as pastor of St. Peter Claver Parish in Punta Gorda in the Toledo District. The 40-year Jesuit veteran sees the daily impact on students who attend classes in buildings that lack proper facilities and often go without adequate meals.
The cross-country ride has not been without its challenges. Ruhl cited "raising money, wind-heat-rain, dangerous roadways, interminable nature of certain landscapes such as corn and soy fields, desert conditions from Oklahoma to California, missing family and friends" as obstacles the team has faced during their journey.
Joining Ruhl on the ambitious ride are Tom Makarewicz, Mike Johnson, and Jeff Chattin. The four cyclists have traversed diverse American landscapes, from Maine's rocky coastline through the Great Plains and southwestern deserts to reach California's Pacific shore.
The funds raised through the Lighthouse Ride will address both immediate infrastructure needs and long-term educational goals. Money will go toward rebuilding school facilities to create "safe, welcoming spaces" for students, while also establishing nutrition programs to combat malnutrition among the student population.
The ride represents more than just a fundraising effort for Ruhl – it's a personal mission rooted in his deep connection to Belize and its people.
"Upholding the Catholic schools in Belize is personal and critical to Fr. Matt," organizers noted. "And he has an up-close view of the needs of a place he loves."
Those interested in supporting the cause can visit the Lighthouse Ride website at lighthouseridebelize.org to make donations and learn more about the ongoing efforts to revitalize Catholic education in Belize.
The arrival at Santa Monica Pier marked the end of the cycling journey, but Ruhl emphasized that the work to rebuild Belize's Catholic schools is just beginning.