A Flushing man with a long record of endurance-driven pilgrimages for peace, faith and remembrance is once again receiving international recognition.
Victor Mooney, 59, presented a commemorative pennant to Pope Leo XIV during a recent Jubilee Audience in Vatican City, marking a highlight in his latest spiritual endeavor: a 1,000-kilometer solo bicycle pilgrimage across Poland.
Mooney called the journey his “Pilgrimage on Wheels,” undertaken in honor of Pope Francis and in the spirit of the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee theme: Pilgrims of Hope. Over the course of the journey, he cycled to several Catholic shrines throughout Poland and made solemn visits to the former Nazi concentration and extermination camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek, where he paid tribute to the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust.
The pilgrimage ended in Rome, where Mooney completed a final symbolic ride to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. He then donated the bicycle used for his journey to the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, a hospital closely affiliated with the Vatican.
In a public statement, the hospital foundation thanked Mooney for the act of compassion, saying: “This act of generosity not only demonstrates a personal commitment to solidarity but also represents a symbol of hope and strength for those who face difficult challenges. The bicycle, in the hands of a boy or a girl, will be a tangible message of courage and community.”
Mooney is also known for completing a solo transatlantic row from the Canary Islands to the Brooklyn Bridge — a feat he achieved after three previous unsuccessful attempts. The 21-month journey was undertaken to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS and in memory of his brother, who died from AIDS-related complications.
That row, which covered more than 5,000 miles, was supported in part by Pope Benedict XVI, who blessed Mooney’s oar at the Vatican in 2006.
Mooney’s presentation of the pennant to Pope Leo XIV took place during a Jubilee Audience — part of the lead-up to the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year. The Jubilee, which officially begins on Christmas Eve 2024, is expected to draw millions of pilgrims to Rome and is the first Ordinary Jubilee since the Great Jubilee of 2000.
