Father Gary Graf is taking a walk. A very long walk, to be exact.

On the morning of Oct. 6, Graf took his first steps, leaving from Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home in Dolton. His destination: the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

Graf, pastor of Our Lady of the Heights in Chicago Heights, is walking for immigrant children as part of his “Step Up. Speak Out” 50-day pilgrimage.

A longtime supporter of immigrants living on the margins in Chicago, Graf is also a member of the Priests for Justice for Immigrants, a local group of clergy who have been working for immigration reform for the past 20 years. The group led a press conference and prayer service in front of the pope’s childhood home to pray for Graf’s pilgrimage.

Graf figures the route will take 1.65 million steps. Along the way, he plans to meet with communities and faith leaders.

“Today begins a sacred journey,” said Father Larry Dowling, a retired priest and one of the moderators of Priests for Justice for Immigrants. “A walk for immigrants, which is not only a physical act of endurance but a spiritual act of solidarity. A prayer in motion for the innocent victims of injustice in our world.”

“What is now happening to immigrant families in the United States, and especially to children, is an assault on those fundamental values of people of all faiths,” Graf said during the press conference. “Children taken from parents. Children weeping in fear. Families torn apart. Again and again we are left with the same truth — there must be a better way.”

Tearing immigrant families apart wounds the heart of God, he said.

“We must denounce these actions for what they are — immoral and un-American,” Graf said. “This pilgrimage is intended to mobilize Americans from every state to demand that compassion, humanity and helping hands be restored to the immigration process.”

Follow Graf’s walk at stepupspeakout.org.