Jeannette Wynne, parishioner at St. Jude for over 50 years and founder of multiple ministries, died at age 92 on Friday, June 5, 2020. Jeannette left a powerful legacy in our parish and in the community.

Prayer Warrior and Leader
Tom and Jeannette Wynne and their 8 children joined St. Jude parish in the autumn of 1969. For the next few years, Jeannette raised her children and worked as a nurse, but soon she began to get deeply involved in the parish. She was in a small prayer group of women, including Gerry Baldwin, and by the early 1980s, they began praying for weekly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Eventually they approached Msgr. McCoy, and he encouraged their efforts, suggesting it be in conjunction with the St. Jude novena and veneration of the relic. Jeannette was the organizer of Adoration for many years since its inception, and gradually Gerry, the current leader, took the reins. This same group of women also prayed for a statue of the Blessed Mother in the chapel, and that, too, came to be!

Around the same time, Jeannette was among the founding members of Our Lady’s Prayer Chain. “For years she took the phone calls and passed the prayer requests along the prayer chain,” Gerry stated. Now run by JoAnn Quinn, Our Lady’s Prayer Chain is still going strong 40 years later.

A Voice for the Unborn
In the late 1970s or early ‘80s, Jeannette established the Respect Life Ministry at St. Jude. As the Ministry Leader for decades (now run by Deacon Mike Cushing), Jeannette not only led at St. Jude but throughout the region. She was a long-time member and a one-time vice-president of the Bucks County Prolife Coalition, and for many years she co-hosted the radio program “Voices for the Unborn” on Holy Spirit Radio 1570AM.

She and her husband Tom were a frequent presence at Planned Parenthood’s abortion mills in Philadelphia, Doylestown, and Warminster, praying for the unborn and their mothers, and she produced a monthly pro-life news bulletin that was distributed to a large mailing list. With the Respect Life Ministry at St. Jude, year after year Jeannette organized the bus trips to the March for Life, 40 Days for Life vigils, baby bottle drives, and rose sales, and was a significant support for Msgr. McCoy.

Words of Praise from Msgr. McCoy
“Jeannette was one of the most informed, balanced pro-life people I ever knew,” said Msgr. McCoy. “She never got discouraged when things didn’t go well. She was always there in good times and bad – a real steady presence. She was the person I would go to, if anyone had an idea about pro-life efforts, to bounce it off her first because she had such a balanced approach. She was very wise.

“Jeannette was a prayer warrior. I could always rely on her to help me with anything in the parish. She and Tom were very much a presence at everything. Jeannette was someone a lot of parishioners could relate to and feel comfortable with. She helped a lot of people without getting any publicity.”

Msgr. McCoy concluded, “My prayer is that others will rise up to follow her example and fill her shoes.”

Other Voices Join in Praise of Jeannette Wynne
Others shared their memories of this great lady:

• JoAnn Quinn: “Jeannette was quiet but forceful. She got a lot of things accomplished, but in a quiet manner. She gave many, many years to this parish. Jeannette was kind to everyone, and was very active in the church even until recently. She was very interested in praying for people, especially the pro-life issue. She was, I think, still going to Warminster to pray in front of Planned Parenthood every week.”
• Cushing Family: Donna: “Jeannette spent a lot of time in the chapel. I would pop in at different times, and I feel like I always saw her. That’s maybe why she was so holy – she spent so much time before the Lord. Just a lovely soul, really special.” Cara: “She was kind-hearted.” Deacon Mike: “Jeannette always had that nice, gentle, peaceful smile. A very gentle demeanor.”
• Mary Ellen DeVito: “Few people have the faith and conviction to actually do anything; Jeannette did, and so in her own quiet way, undeterred, made the world a better place. She is a great role model for peaceful change, especially in this day and age, when passion seems to equal anger and violence the means to change.  Jeannette was undeterred by obstacles because she had such faith, hope, and love, and that is what I admired and loved about her! To my mind, she single-handedly kept the pro-life movement going through her prayer and perseverance.  I was only involved with the group for a short time, but during that time Jeannette had so many projects going: selling Mary Mother of the Life Within statues, praying at abortion clinics, baby bottle projects, Our Lady’s Prayer Chain, roses on Mother’s Day, the list goes on.  She was a lady with a heartfelt cause to help women and babies and she never gave up.  Also, it was very hard to say no to Jeannette when she asked for help with a project!  She gathered a few good women to help her and really made an impact and helped so many.
• Gerry Baldwin: Besides the information Gerry shared about Jeannette’s work over the years, she added, “Jeannette was a willing worker and gladly gave her time to benefit the church in many ways. She was my friend for so many years and we even went around the world together on a pilgrimage to Marian Shrines. I miss her.”
• Julie Formica: “I knew Jeannette from St. Jude’s Respect Life Committee, which she led for many years. I adored Jeannette! She was one of the most energetic advocates for the unborn I’ve ever met. She worked tirelessly for years and years, between her radio show (Voices for the Unborn) and our parish’s Respect Life committee.  What was most admirable about her was her ability to maintain a serene and peaceful demeanor even in the face of the sheer ugliness of the abortion industry. She was always so Christ-like in her behavior. I truly thought she was a living saint.  She went every Friday morning to pray the Rosary in front of the Planned Parenthood in Warminster. Every Friday she was there... a faithful servant of Christ if ever I saw one!”
• Lori Holmes: “I knew Jeanette Wynne when I lived in Holland in Bucks County years ago and we were both very involved with Respect Life. Then I moved away and I lost touch with her.  It was so good to see her when I moved back.  I will remember her as a very gentle and loving person.”
• Jeannette Williams: “Though I’m the Communications Coordinator at St. Jude and a parishioner of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, I was also the Respect Life leader at OLSH for nearly 20 years and knew Jeannette well. As a pro-life leader, she was my mentor and my inspiration. I marveled at the older pro-lifers like Jeannette who had been in the battle since Roe v. Wade and never seemed to tire or get discouraged. Jeannette was a beautiful, cheerful soul, a saint, and someone whose memory I will forever cherish.”

A Lasting Legacy
St. Jude Parish would not be what it is today without the tireless service of Jeannette Wynne. She touched many lives and truly lived the motto of St. Jude Parish, “Live, love, and serve in the image of Christ.” Thank you, Jeannette, and God Bless You. May you rest in peace.