Photo Caption: To mark the Year of Faith, Daniel Reinke is walking across the United States to inspire Christians to take their faith seriously. He is pictured along Highway 150 in East Peoria on July 9.

By: By Jennifer Willems

Mail carriers have nothing on Daniel Reinke.

They both walk through all kinds of inclement weather to keep their appointed rounds, but the message he’s delivering is much more important than when the electric bill is due or what’s on sale at the grocery store.

Toting only what he can carry on his back, the 25-year-old Minnesotan is walking across America with the express purpose of inspiring Christians to take their faith seriously. His Year of Faith journey started with a swim in the Pacific Ocean at Seaside, Ore., on May 5, and brought him to the Peoria area on Day 65.

As usual, it was his backpack that got a conversation started with a kind stranger after Mass at Sacred Heart Church. That led to lunch — and a call to The Catholic Post.

“I never go preaching unless people engage me on it,” said Reinke, who agreed to stop for a soft drink in an air conditioned fast food restaurant in East Peoria July 9. The backpack bears a simple sign with two crosses, the words “Cross America” and “Oregon to Virginia” and the address of his blog, DanReinke.blogspot.com.

“I’ll walk into a restaurant or walk into a library and I don’t say anything. I let the backpack do the talking,” he explained. “If they want to ask the question, I go into the story.”

That story starts in Forest Lake, Minn., just north of Minneapolis and St. Paul. A member of St. Peter Parish there, Reinke grew up in a large, practicing Catholic family that includes three brothers and a sister. He admits that he hasn’t always been the best example of a good Catholic, however.

“I recently came back wholeheartedly,” Reinke said. “God worked on my heart and brought me back to being fully practicing. The last two years have been awesome.”

He credits his family’s witness for helping him to “man up” and do something instead of talking about it. Reading Scripture and Matthew Kelly’s “Rediscover Catholicism” also fired up his faith.

“I felt called to make this little pilgrimage. Well, maybe not little,” he said with a ready laugh.

The adventure appealed to him, but he didn’t want to do it out of pride. “Pray about it and ask God to make it clear if he doesn’t want you to make this journey,” his pastor advised him.

“It never happened, so here I am,” Reinke said.

RAIN OR SHINE
He started out with a tent and about 30 pounds of clothing and necessities in his backpack, but has discarded items to drop weight along the way. He counts his Bible and YouCat (youth catechism) among the essentials that continue to travel with him.

“You live pretty simply,” he told The Post. “I don’t need much for this trip because you’re able to hit towns once in awhile. You kind of depend on God and the good will of people really.”

In fact, his misgivings about what he might encounter dissipated after the first week.

“Throughout this whole trip there have been just great people,” Reinke said. “People are always willing to help, whether it’s buying you breakfast or offering a ride or offering conversation. It’s amazing how generous and hospitable people are.”

Walking rain or shine, Reinke is able to cover about 30 miles a day and is nearing 1,700 miles. While he accepts rides from time to time — “Most rides seem to happen for a reason, whether it’s simply to get water or it’s inspired me or it’s inspired them” — he expects to log his 4 millionth step soon.

At each million-step mark, he issues a challenge of faith for himself or others. Learn about those challenges in a related story here.

He takes one rest day a week and has never had to use the dispensation he received to miss Mass due to the rigors of his trip. He also attends daily Mass whenever he can.

Reinke stops at libraries two or three times a week to plot out the next leg of his journey and send posts, photos and videos to his brother Robert, who maintains his blog. Reinke anticipates ending his trip in Virginia Beach, Va., around Day 100.

Don’t look for him to walk back to Minnesota.

“When I get done I’ve got a buddy working out there who will be ending his job around the same time. We’ll probably get a seafood meal, jump in the ocean and hopefully fly home,” Reinke said.

He doesn’t know what he’ll do with this experience or what his vocation is at this point. He worked in construction before he left, but is depending on God to guide him upon his return just as he has every step from Seaside, Ore.

“It’s a personal journey, too. I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’d like to think I’ve seen a decent amount of change, which is good,” Reinke said. “Hopefully it will inspire a few people along the way and I guess if it does one person that’s enough, right?”