Way of St. James

Ron Reinhart

Straight & Narrow retreat leader to carry prayer intentions of diocesan faithful on 500-mile Way of St. James pilgrimage from France to Spain

STIRLING  Ron Reinhart plans to walk the physically demanding, yet spiritually enlightening 500-mile El Camino de Santiago [or Way of St. James] pilgrimage from France into Spain carrying more than just his backpack, filled with the necessities: a snack and water, a guidebook, money and credentials. In his heart, this leader of retreats for clients of Straight & Narrow diocesan substance-abuse treatment program, also will carry something even more essential: prayers for people, who are suffering and are in need of healing, and for the important ongoing work of diocesan Catholic Charities.

On April 8, the 67-year-old Reinhart begins his long journey in St. Jean-Pied de Port in France that will take him across the Pyrenees Mountains, across northern Spain and eventually to its conclusion at the magnificent Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which is believed to be final resting place of St. James the Apostle. He has been soliciting prayer intentions from the diocesan faith community and donations to defray the costs of his pilgrimage and contribute to the work of Catholic Charities and the Shrine of St. Joseph here, which helps support the Straight & Narrow retreats.

“I want to walk the Way of St. James for all the people who want to do it but can’t take the time off from work or because of their physical limitations and for the intentions of people who are suffering illnesses, addictions, abuse and another of life’s many problems,” said Reinhart, who has been in recovery from addiction for the past 27 years and beat breast cancer in recent years during his journey through life. “I will pray for the people along the way and will carry their intentions to places, where they are not able to go.”

On Saturday, April 4, Straight & Narrow staff members will celebrate the Easter Vigil Mass at the facility in Paterson with Reinhart and his wife, Dolly, who also leads the retreats. There, staffers will present him with the prayer requests and pray for him, before he starts his journey, which is expected to end 37 days later on Friday, May 15 at Cathedral of Santiago de Compo­stela, said Joseph Duffy, Cath­olic Charities president and Straight & Narrow executive director.

Intended for people of all faiths, the Way of St. James will guide Reinhart up the Pyrenees Mountains; through the plains of the Meseta; to many Gothic cathedrals and other places of worship, where he will pray; and through Basque lands and Celtic Galicia. The many roads, paths and trails of this route snake through some cities but mostly through countryside. Most pilgrims purchase for a few Euros a document called a credential that gives them access to inexpensive overnight accommodations at hostels, Reinhart said.

“Everyday, I won’t know what’s up around the bend or whom I will meet on the route. Sometimes I will travel alone and other times with another person or in a group. Sometimes I will pray the rosary [for the prayer intentions],” said Reinhart, who plans to honor the tradition of finishing the last few feet of the journey to Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela crawling on his knees. “I expect that this will be a life-changing experience.”

Reinhart started seriously considering embarking on this “life-changing experience” two years also, after having watched the movie, “The Way,” in which Martin Sheen plays a man, who undertakes the Way of St. James pilgrimage. “My wife thought I was crazy,” said the pilgrim. But soon he began walking for miles at a time through the bucolic surroundings of Stirling and training with weights, causing him to drop 76 pounds.

“When I would walk, I thought about God, my purpose in life and how to be of service to God and my fellow man and woman. I also thought about how to help Straight & Narrow and Catholic Charities to continue their work with people, who are suffering from various problems in life,” said Reinhart, who also participated in races and walks in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., to raise funds for cancer research.

An Ohio native, Reinhart began his journey of faith and helping others five years ago, when he and Dolly moved to St. Joseph’s to start monthly retreats for Straight & Narrow clients in the shrine’s Trinity House. Since then, they have doubled the number of retreats to twice monthly, one for men and another for women. Reinhart shares with the men about the depths of his addiction, before entering recovery. They emphasize the importance of believing in a “higher power” and taking a daily personal “inventory” of their lives — acknowledging wrongs to others and asking forgiveness.

“Presenters give witness to broken lives and to the fact that we all have problems,” said Reinhart, who told The Beacon in 2011 that the retreats are made possible by the generosity of the faithful of the Shrine of St. Joseph — who even cook meals for the retreatents — and other faithful connected to the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, which operate the shrine. “Having a relationship with God will help the clients be able to recover from this seemingly hopeless state of addiction.”

Duffy calls Reinhart’s Way of St. James pilgrimage “a good metaphor for what he has been doing his whole life.”

“Ron is passionate about helping people gain sobriety and stay drug free,” Duffy said. “This [pilgrimage] brings attention to the need for recovery and healing. People can carry their prayers on his back,” he said.

Those interested in submitting a prayer intention can email [email protected] or drop them off to Maria Vuoncino, Straight & Narrow, 508 Straight St., Paterson, or email her at [email protected]. Anyone interested in helping the $50 per in expenses per day for Ron Reinhart’s journey, can call Joseph Duffy at (973) 345-6000, ext. 6233 or Father Mike Barth at St. Joseph’s at (908) 647-0208 or email [email protected].