Kyle Lee is on a journey. Yes, the 25-year-old seminarian at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary is on a vocation journey. But he’s also on a bicycle journey across the United States. Lee is making his way from Manchester, N.H., to Vancouver, British Columbia, by bicycle, raising money and awareness about the need for affordable housing as part of a trek organized by “Bike and Build.” By the time the riders reach Vancouver, they will have stopped nine times to spend a day building Habitat for Humanity homes and will have given many presentations about affordable housing in the communities where they stop. He’s one of 32 riders in his group, although the organization has other groups taking other routes across the continent, Lee said. And while he raises awareness about affordable housing, he also is evangelizing for his faith and raising awareness about priestly vocations. Vocation awareness “These trips are for people who are 18-25,” he said. “A significant number of other riders are agnostic or atheist. There are few Christians and even fewer Catholics. I’m there to show them you can be a healthy, well-adjusted person who is interested in a life of celibacy. I talk to them about why I am seriously considering devoting my entire life to the church. I’m trying to use this as a vocation ride as much as possible.” The response Lee has received has generally been sincere support, he said. Lee did not always think he was called to be a priest. After growing up in Columbus, Ohio, he came to Illinois to attend the University of Chicago, where he graduated in 2008 with a double major in biology and psychology, with plans of becoming a doctor. But thoughts of being a priest arose during the year after graduation, while he was working at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. They were strong enough that he could not ignore them. The bike trip has been challenging physically, Lee said, and it has challenged his own assumptions about people who are in need of affordable housing. Sweat equity It wasn’t until he signed on to Bike and Build that he understood that the people moving into Habitat for Humanity homes are not receiving a handout; they pay for them with no-interest loans. They also must contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” to the project. When he stopped in Chicago on his way across the country in July, his group had completed about a third of their journey and five “build days,” working alongside the people who would move into the homes. “I had fallen into the temptation of thinking that people bring it on themselves,” said Lee. “But the people moving into these homes are not deadbeats or drug addicts. I’m seeing how hard these people are working, but they are still below the poverty line. The people that we’re serving are hardworking Americans who want to do well for their families.”