Allen Park priest readies for 500-mile hike in memory of fellow priest

By LUKE LASTER

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    ALLEN PARK, Michigan (WWJ) — The Camino de Santiago is a nearly 500-mile hike in Spain that is widely known as a spiritual retreat. It is popular in Catholicism, although you don’t have to be Catholic to partake.

“I always had the desire to do the whole pilgrimage, which is almost 500 miles, 491 miles,” says the Rev. Tim Birney of St. Frances Cabrini in Allen Park. Birney is preparing to head out to Europe for the summer to complete the hike.

He’s done portions of the Camino de Santiago in 2013 and 2015. Along with him, young men considered priesthood themselves. This time around is different, with a vision to complete the entire 491-mile hike while also passing a milestone.

“This is my 25th anniversary of being a priest, being ordained a priest, and I chose this occasion to request the time away to be able to go accomplish that,” says Birney.

This hike isn’t just about the 25th anniversary. On the first two go-arounds in 2013 and 2015, another priest, a dear friend of Birney’s, was also there on their journey. The Rev. Stephen Rooney died in a boating crash in 2020, and he was supposed to be alongside Birney on their third Camino de Santiago.

“He and I had always talked about going to do the whole Camino. He was due to retire this year at age 70 and my 25th was this year,” Birney says.

His memories of Rooney will be with him for the duration of his trip, not only spiritually, but physically too.

“I decided since he won’t be there physically with me, I need to remember him in a specific way. So I’m going to name my backpack Rooney. I’ll have a picture of him, one that was used in his funeral and that’ll be what I carry with me,” Birney says.

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