Brother Shamus McGrenra recently returned from a hiking trip across Europe.
The mission of his trip was to deliver prayer requests that he received from donors following his annual “Brother Shamus Charity Bike Ride.”
Accompanied by 1976 Saint Francis alumnus Bob Goss, Brother Shamus hiked across Spain from Sept. 10 to Oct. 11 (31 days).
Together, the pair hiked from Pamplona in the northeastern part of Spain to Muxia on the north Atlantic Coast.
Brother Shamus delivered the prayer requests to the shrine and tomb of Saint James the Great in Santiago, Spain.
In total, Brother Shamus and Goss hiked more than 250 miles.
The prayer requests had been collected in conjunction with the annual Brother Shamus Charity Ride, a fundraiser for the Dorothy Day Outreach Center that its namesake initiated in 2011.
Each summer, Brother Shamus rides his bike across different trails. This year’s ride included the Rails-to-Trails in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
“The beauty of all of this is that every dollar we raise goes to help the Dorothy Day Center,” he said.
“I do it every year to spread God’s goodness through the assistance that we give to those who are less fortunate.”
Since its inception, the Charity Ride has raised over $800,000 for the Dorothy Day Center.
Brother Shamus has ridden many different trails since the first charity ride, including trails in California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio.
This is the fifth year that he has hiked to deliver prayer requests from those who made donations to the DDC.
Now 76, Brother Shamus said he plans to continue his yearly bike ride and hike for as long as he he is physically able.
