p3-heyd-mug-shot.jpgGRANITE CITY - Father James Heyd, priest associate for Priests for Life, will be the keynote speaker following the annual Diocesan Respect Life Mass, rosary walk and prayer vigil on Saturday, Oct. 4 in Granite City.
Bishop George J. Lucas will be the celebrant of the Mass, which begins at 9 a.m. at Holy Family Church, 2606 Washington Ave. The rosary walk and prayer vigil to the abortion clinic in Granite City will take place at 10 a.m. Following the vigil, participants are invited to a luncheon and to hear Father Heyd's keynote address at the Holy Family Community Center building.
Father Heyd was born and raised in Chicago and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1989 by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. Since his high school days he has been drawn to pro-life work, witnessing the life-saving efforts of Joseph Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League. He studied at the University of Notre Dame and completed his studies for the priesthood at Mundelein Seminary. There, his dissertation reflected on Pope John Paul II's document The Gospel of Life.
While he was associate pastor at St. Philomena Parish from 1990-1995, Father Heyd expanded his pro-life outreach, working with Father Lee Kaylor and Father Frank Pavone. With Cardinal Bernardin's blessing, Father Heyd began to assist Father Pavone in developing Priests for Life into a national organization.
On a local level, Father Heyd organized and promoted the Holy Hour for Life, and brought together many lay associates in Chicago to the work of Priests for Life. He also assisted with sidewalk counseling and prayer in front of abortuaries. "These were very exciting though challenging times, trying to galvanize the clergy to speak out and be prophetic on pro-life issues," he says. "In truth, we were supported and encouraged by John Paul's encyclical The Gospel of Life."
From 1995-1997, Father Heyd worked at St. Joseph Seminary of Loyola University as a vocations director and theology instructor. He was also one of Cardinal Bernardin's master of ceremonies for liturgical events and served as associate pastor of St. Athanasius Parish in Evanston.
His vocations work brought him in contact with pro-life students and seminarians. He also began to collaborate and write for Seminarians for Life. "It is my firm belief that the pro-life movement fosters solid vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and strengthens the life and belief of the church," he says.
In 2005, Father Heyd received permission from Cardinal Francis George to work with Priests for Life full-time.