Cycling clergyman the Rev. Doug Boyd rolls through Pittsburgh
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At 6:58 a.m. on Tuesday, the Rev. Doug Boyd got on his Trek bicycle.
It wasn’t yet light out, as he made his way down Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood to his destination of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Oakland. The 2 ½ mile ride took him past St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland along Craig Street to Fifth Avenue and onto Halket Street.
The bike is the vehicle that gets him to his ministry.
Boyd, a Monongahela native, has ridden since he was 5. He lives in Bloomfield at St. Joseph Church, part of St. Maria Goretti Parish, where he just served a 6:30 a.m. Mass. Depending on the day, he then might cycle to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville or UPMC Shadyside in Shadyside. On this day he pedaled over to UPMC Magee-Womens.
“It’s easier to get around the city a little quicker,” said Boyd, who is clergy with UPMC’s pastoral care department. “Also, since I am getting a little older, I am getting some arthritis, so the bike makes me feel better. It does help my back. I also enjoy it. For me, riding a bike is something I always do, like breathing.”
Boyd, 70, was ordained on this day — Sept. 29 — in 1979 at St. Paul Cathedral. He’s been visiting hospital patients for 12 years.
He’s a wonderful example of Christianity and how you’re supposed to live, said Jim Herrle of Friendship, who attends most of Boyd’s morning Masses at St. Joseph Church.
“He cares about everyone,” Herrle said. “He reaches out to the homeless. He does 26 hours of work in 24 hours time.”
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Two speeds
Boyd is constantly in motion. He talks quickly, and his Mass on this day was 22 minutes. After greeting the handful of loyal parishioners, he left for his journey.
It took him 26 minutes.
“Father Doug has two speeds — fast and faster,” said the Rev. Charles Starr, director of the pastoral care department at UPMC Shadyside. “When he talks to you, he goes a mile a minute. And he knows everyone. Walk down the street and he says ‘hi’ to everyone. If he meets you once, he remembers your name and your wife, your husband, your cousin, your mother, your father.
“He has a caring heart. You can’t teach that.”
Starr said some clergy are nervous about coming into a hospital setting, but not Boyd. He knows how to put people at ease.
“Father Doug takes care of people at the most difficult times in their lives,” Starr said.
Witness to special moments
Boyd said what he likes about being a priest is he gets to see people at poignant parts of their life — births, baptism weddings and funerals.
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His work at health care facilities is an extension of that calling. He carries the supplies he needs in a backpack, from vestments to anointing oils to rosary beads to a Bible.
“I have always liked hospitals because it’s very spiritual and people are very open to God, to praying,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be with people a little bit near the time of when they are going to die and to help comfort their families. I like to call the family members a week or so after the death of their loved one, because that’s when grief really sets in.”
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Boyd said the people he visits inspire him. And if he can give them some level of comfort, then that’s why he does what he does. He said sometimes patients want to talk about how they are feeling, and other times they want to discuss anything but that.
One patient he visited asked to chat about Pitt football, where Boyd is the team chaplain.
“It’s good to have some joviality, even in the hospital,” Boyd said. “People are suffering, but that might help them forget about their medical situation for a little bit.”
Pandemic challenges
Boyd said the pandemic has made visits more challenging because patients can’t see his smile and he can’t hold their hands or hug them. But he’s there and will continue to be, he said. Starr said even though Boyd can’t physically hug you, that you feel hugged when you are around him.
Starr said he’s seen Boyd riding his bike in all kinds of weather.
There was a little bit of rain on his ride on this day. Boyd said a light drizzle doesn’t bother him, neither does the heat. He’ll get on the bike in most weather except extreme cold, snow or ice. Then he takes the bus.
Boyd, who served in the Army for two years, said he prefers the Trek bicycle, which he can stop quickly and is better for riding on uneven pavement. He said he definitely uses the bike lanes, but also knows some shortcuts.
That day at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, he was going to meet with Catholics and administer sacraments to those who need it, which might involve a baptism for a sick baby or a blessing for those in palliative care. He’ll visit intensive care unit patients or whoever needs a priest to talk to or to sit with.
Chaplain Natalie O’Loughlin of UPMC Magee-Womens hospital said Boyd is very much loved.
“He interacts with everybody,” she said. “When he talks to you, you can tell he cares about you. It’s all about you at that moment.
“He ministers to people. He follows in the steps of Jesus.”
Only, on a bike.