Priest walks from Pope Leo's childhood home to Statue of Liberty in show of solidarity with immigrants
A Catholic priest from Chicago's south suburbs took an interesting journey, walking from Dolton to New York, a trek of more than 50 days, as he sent a message of solidarity with immigrants.
For 56 days and more than a million steps, Fr. Gary Graf took a spiritual journey, walking from Pope Leo XIV's childhood home in Dolton to the Statue of Liberty in New York.
It was an act of solidarity with immigrant families.
"I saw how particularly previous parishioners' families were being terrorized, and the fear that I heard, the stories. I just felt so impotent. I had to do something," said Graf, a member of Priests for Justice for Immigrants, a coalition of immigrant and native-born priests from the Chicago Archdiocese.
He walked to New York, stopping along the way, listening to the stories of immigrant families, praying and reflecting with local faith communities, and inviting religious leaders and citizens to join in calling for humane immigration reform.
"Listening to those stories and telling those stories, the issue of immigration became not an issue, but a person, people; and I think it's humanizing us, all of us," he said.
Graf returned to Chicago a couple days ago, and on Friday, he joined other religious leaders in a "faith over fear" movement.
"Let's speak the truth of our own stories and tell their stories to one another," Graf said.
You would think walking for 56 days would be taxing on the body, but Graf said his community kept him going.
"I think a lot of it was the prayers of people back home. I think the body just, you start walking and after a couple of days, you continue. The legs just keep moving," he said.
Graf said his steps carry the message that there's still a glimmer of goodness in America.
"I think what's happening in our country now is there's a renewed desire, I really believe, to listen to each other. Not to talk at one another, but to listen to one another, talk with one another. And when we do that, I think there's compassion and empathy in all of our hearts," he said.
Graf was proud of his accomplishment, but wanted to point out he didn't walk home from New York, he flew back.