An alert reader sent this my way: the story of a pastor in the Archdiocese of New York who is standing up for his church — and walking:

Got a problem? Walk it off!

That’s what Monsignor John Budwick is doing.

Budwick, the soft-spoken pastor at St. Patrick’s Church in Newburgh, recently learned the parish was looking at a $100,000 shortfall for the current fiscal year.

What to do? Well, one day while Budwick was out walking, the answer came to him: walk.

To be specific, he set a goal: He would walk 1,000 miles by his 70th birthday on Oct. 6. Parishioners and others could sponsor his walk. He figured if 1,000 people would pledge $100 each, that would wipe out the deficit. But the amount wouldn’t be carved in stone: Anyone could pledge any amount they wanted, large or small.

And that’s happened. Some pledged more than $100, some less. So far, he’s got 33 sponsors who’ve pledged a total of $5,470.

Five times a week (weather and his schedule permitting), Budwick makes the seven-mile walk from the church on Grand Street down toward the waterfront and then north to the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, across the bridge walkway and back.

It’s a slower-paced version of what Budwick did back in 1993, when the parish needed $20,000 for repairs to St. Patrick’s Cemetery on Broadway. The only difference? Budwick, then in his mid-50s, ran the course that time. Also, this time, Budwick has a partner.

Michael DiTullo, a parishioner and local businessman, offered to walk 1,000 miles, too, and get pledges from his circle of friends and acquaintances.

DiTullo’s working off his miles at Gold’s Gym — dedicating about 80 percent of his 90-minute daily workout to the walk.

Budwick is a regular walker anyway, but he says this project gives him an incentive to get out there more often. Sometimes he even pushes beyond the normal course. One day last week he walked an extra mile. And when he goes on vacation, he’ll log up to 10 to 12 miles a day.

As for DiTullo, he’s enjoying his part in helping the parish he joined 10 years ago.

“I’m averaging eight miles a day,” said DiTullo. “At this pace, I figure I’ll be in Chicago by mid-July.”

Clearly, this guy doesn’t need any of this advice. He looks fit as a fiddle.

Anyone interested in chipping in? If you want to help, visit this link for details.

Photo: by Tom Bushey, Times Herald Record