Did you know there were Catholic Priests who were circuit riders in the 1800s? The operated in South Texas and were known as the Cavalry of Christ. I spoke at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at North Carolina State on Friday about Circuit Rider preachers. While the Methodist had the most circuit rider preachers, nearly every religious denomination had some circuit riders. They were dedicated, hardy individuals who braved cold and hot weather, robbers, marauding Indians, wild animals, sickness, thugs, poverty, and impassable rivers to spread the word of God on the American frontier. It was a hard life. Neatly half of the Methodist circuit rider preachers died before the age of 30 in the early 1800s. My presentation focused on true stories about these brave messengers of God.
