January 3, 1932 – December 10, 2000[1]

Having selected an episcopal motto of “What shall I return to the Lord,”[2] Bishop James McHugh returned souls to the Lord by tirelessly leading the pro-life movement as the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ first director of pro-life activities.[3]  Frequently described as the “father of the pro-life movement,”[4] Bishop McHugh bore witness to the evils of abortion before Roe v. Wade and was a major catalyst in the creation of the National Right to Life Committee.[5]