From the very first moment I spoke to Jim in 1986 there was no doubt that he was an expert on the ways people in grassroots movements could be most effective in fighting Planned Parenthood. In fact, he spoke from experience, and he always knew exactly what to do to ruffle the culture of death’s feathers. But in my mind, that was the least of what he did for the babies, for American Life League, for Stop Planned Parenthood International (STOPP), and most importantly, for our Lord.
Jim joined the pro-life movement in 1980, and because of his tireless efforts received more awards and honors than we have the space to mention. But accolades were never the reason for Jim’s actions. Faith and love of Christ and His Blessed Mother, love of family, and a belief in the sanctity of all human beings were his motivators. And anyone who knew him saw and experienced the strength he exuded. It was a strength that overflowed to others, that motivated people, that taught them, and that encouraged them to stand up for the most vulnerable in our midst.
Jim was a faithful Catholic who had an incredible devotion to the Blessed Mother. He taught everyone who met him the value of remaining close to Our Lady and her beloved Son, and he did this not with words, but through his example. Together, he and I began a campaign known as Bringing Jesus to Planned Parenthood through Mary, in which prayer warriors invoke the Blessed Mother’s assistance in stopping the evil of not only abortion, but of America’s abortion giant. Through this program, we encourage those praying in front of abortion clinics to say prayers asking for Mary’s intercession and to display images of her as they pray. Additionally, just a little over two years ago, Jim helped launch ALL’s Marian Blue Wave—a weekly Rosary initiative with the intentions of ending all surgical, pill, contraceptive, and IVF abortion and shutting down every Planned Parenthood facility in the United States. This campaign has steadily grown and now has over 5,000 prayer partners who say at least one Rosary a week for these intentions. I believe Jim’s devotion to our Blessed Mother is the single greatest reason why he was so effective in battling the Planned Parenthood poison in our midst. PP feared him—and with good reason.
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