New York Priest a True Inspiration for the Pro-Life Movement

Fr. Jim Hewes, a 77-year-old senior priest at Saint Mark’s in the Diocese of Rochester, New York, is an unapologetic and inspirational champion for life. Unafraid to live out and preach about his pro-life beliefs, Fr. Jim has spent nearly the entirety of his priesthood prioritizing the sanctity of life. His tireless work teaching about the humanity of the preborn baby and saving not only their lives but the lives of their mothers and fathers has spanned decades.

It all began when Fr. Jim was in the seminary in the 1960s and a fellow seminarian asked him to attend a talk on abortion. Not knowing much about abortion, Fr. Jim agreed. He said that when he saw the images of the preborn baby and of aborted babies his “jaw dropped.” The talk, given by the pro-life duo Jack and Barbara Willke, was one of the pivotal points in his life, and he remembers, “It grabbed my heart.”

He was so inspired and encouraged by what he had seen that, along with some new pro-life friends, he started Rochester Right to Life.

But it wasn’t just the preborn baby Fr. Jim was concerned about. He wanted the mom to feel cared for and valued as well, as he worried what would happen to both her and her baby after the baby’s birth. This led to the creation of the Human Life Commission and a beautiful Pledge for Life. In this pledge, each pro-life volunteer promises to help moms in a crisis pregnancy with whatever they need—from talking with parents to finding resources to adoption and more. They want no mom to feel abandoned or helpless.

Healing and forgiveness

About 10-12 years after becoming involved in the pro-life movement, Fr. Jim was called to the NICU by a couple he had married. Their son had been born very prematurely at 22 weeks, and they wanted Fr. Jim to baptize him. He explained that the baby was so tiny that he could have held him in his hand, yet he was fully formed and absolutely beautiful. Because of his fragile state, Fr. Jim baptized him with an eye dropper.

Afterward, as he left the hospital, the realization hit him that somewhere in that hospital, a baby that same age could be killed in an abortion and that the only difference between those two babies was that one was wanted and the other was not. He lamented, “If that’s the basis of life, we’re in trouble.”

Fast forward a few years to a new assignment. Fr. Jim was now a college chaplain, when an acquaintance called him saying she and others were trying to form a post-abortion healing ministry; she asked for his help. Though he was still passionately pro-life, he explained that he just didn’t have the time. But her relentless attitude persuaded him to attend just one meeting. That one meeting turned into 18 years as the director of Project Rachel.

In that ministry, he saw the devastation of abortion and how it affected both the mother and the father. He said that every single woman who went to one of their retreats was “crushed” by her decision to abort her baby. And the men were equally as distraught. But through God’s grace and mercy, he also saw the healing, as the moms and dads allowed God to forgive them and started to forgive themselves.

Fr. Jim knows that these experiences were all gifts from God and that God was placing him exactly where He wanted him. But he said that something recent was “one of the most profound lifechanging” things he has ever been involved with. And that is an ultrasound van.

Tiny images

Just prior to the COVID pandemic, Fr. Jim had the privilege of touring an ultrasound van and was “blown away” by how welcoming and comfortable it was for moms. He could see what an immense gift it is for moms to see their growing child. Once he saw that van, he wanted one in his diocese. Always a man of action, Fr. Jim set to fundraising, and within the span of just a few weeks, he was able to raise enough money to purchase one.

It’s all God’s work, he says. He is just part of the plan.

Though Fr. Jim is retired, he fights for the babies every moment that he can. In addition to his work within St. Mark’s parish, Fr. Jim educates those in his community. In fact, he collected over 550 pro-life books and donated them to the library at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry.

He also works with the superintendent of Catholic schools in his diocese and has donated over 20 children’s pro-life books to all 13 diocesan schools.

He also gives pro-life homilies, has written numerous online articles, writes posts for his parish’s bulletin, and works to give priests and deacons the tools to speak to parishioners with conviction and compassion. He does this because, as he explained, many priests don’t know how to address the topic of abortion with parishioners or are often afraid to speak out. To help them know what to say, he has come up with four talking points that he uses to teach the truth about abortion.

First, he describes the nonviolent teaching of Jesus and explains the philosophy that it’s easier to kill someone if you make him an object, which is what the pro-abortion movement does with babies. Second, he talks about Project Rachel and forgiveness. Third, he talks about the science of embryology and the development of the preborn baby. He shows slides of growing babies and discusses what they can do at each stage.

Finally, he introduces a book entitled Redeemer in the Womb, which draws from “scripture, the Church Fathers and chief Doctors, Christian philosophy and theology, liturgy, poetry, and iconography” as it discusses the growth of Jesus as a preborn baby.

By giving these pro-life tools to men in Church leadership positions, Fr. Jim hopes that they will become more comfortable teaching these truths, as the humanity of the preborn baby is something that should be discussed more frequently from the pulpit.

Fr. Jim Hewes is truly an inspiration to those of us in the pro-life movement, and he serves as a shining example of moral courage, pro-life enthusiasm, and strong Catholic leadership. Over 50 years ago, the love of preborn babies grabbed his heart and never let go. We are so glad it did. And so are countless mothers and babies who owe their lives to this priest who is never afraid to stand up for truth and the sanctity of life.