WE NOW HAVE A NATIONAL DIRECTOR!

After only a few months of searching, Priests for Life Canada finds a National Director.....

Priests for Life Canada

1996, Issue 1 (Fall)

Priests for Life, Canada now has a National Director. After nine short months since the first meeting of the steering committee, Priests for Life is now fully established in Canada, complete with a priest as National Director. Additionally, nine Canadian bishops have already responded to our appeal for members.

Supported by seven lay people, two deacons and a priest, our first meeting was held in December of 1995. Since that time, we have been busy spreading the news of our new Canadian organization. It was expected that it could take up to two years before a priest could be found to take on the national leadership, but after only a few months of promotion, a priest has already taken on the position of National Director.

In about mid August a call came to us from Archbishop Gervais of the Archdiocese of Ottawa. He had received the Priests for Life 'Pro-life Information Package' produced by the steering committee and was delighted to nominate Father James Whalen, a priest in his diocese, for the position of National Director. We wasted no time in approaching Fr. Jim who has eagerly taken on the position.

Father Jim, pastor of Saint Margaret Mary bilingual parish in Cumberland (just outside the City of Ottawa), was born in 1939 and has been a priest with the Ottawa Archdiocese since 1972. Prior to becoming a priest, Father Jim taught in the Ottawa Separate School system for 8 years. After earning his Doctors of Philosophy Degree in Formation Spirituality, complete with writing a thesis which was published and used as a teaching text by Duquesne University, Pittsburg, PA, Fr. Jim taught Religious Science for two years at the Ottawa University. In addition to being bilingual 'enough to get by', he presently serves as the spiritual director of The Senatus (Governing Body of the Legion of Mary, Northern Ontario). He has also spent many years assisting the Native people of Canada as Chaplain for Native Peoples of Ottawa. He was also one of the founders of Odawa Native Friendship Center. Further involvements includes his work assisting the Ottawa area Catholic Home Schoolers Association.

Father Jim is not new to the pro-life movement. For the past five years, he has been the designated Pro-Life Researcher and Analyst for the Archdiocese of Ottawa. Though Fr. Jim will remain as the pastor of the Cumberland parish, he is willing and able to rearrange his priorities to take on the leadership of Priests for Life, Canada.

When asked why he is willing to take on the challenge as the National Director for Priests for Life, Fr. Jim said "as a priest, we cannot 'not be involved'. We must use all the forces available to us to attack the problems of abortion and euthanasia. His past commitment to pro-life will prove to be a valuable asset to our Priests for Life movement. +