June 10, 2015 — Though he's served in Brazil for the past 50 years, the people of El Paso, Texas, have not forgotten Jesuit Father Harold Rahm, who served as assistant pastor of Sacred Heart Church in El Paso from 1951 to 1964.
Now 96 years old, Fr. Rahm received a warm welcome when he returned to Texas last month to receive the first-ever "Segundo Barrio Person of the Year" award, named for the neighborhood surrounding the Sacred Heart Parish.
While serving in El Paso, he founded several service organizations in Segundo Barrio that continue today, including Camp Juan Diego, for children who could not afford summer camp, and Our Lady's Youth Center, an outreach program targeting at-risk youth. He also helped to alleviate gang warfare, ministering to gang members whom others were too afraid to approach.
Fr. Rahm became known as the “bicycling priest” for his habit of riding his bike to visit people in the neighborhood and deliver breakfast to the homes of the elderly. "The bicycle, when you work with teenagers, is great because you know where they gather and can get there quicker than in an automobile. On a bicycle, you can just come up and become part of them," Fr. Rahm said.
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