Fr. James MacNew, OSFS

November 10, 2023

Father Jim Mac New is an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, ordained in Philadelphia in 1980. After ordination, Father taught Spanish, History and World Cultures at Northeast Catholic High School.

Hailing from a military family, Father received permission to serve on active duty as a Chaplain with the Navy and Marine Corps. Father served God and country in uniform for a total of twenty six years in assignments ranging from Third Marine Division, Okinawa, the aircraft carrier USS AMERICA, the United States Naval Academy and a wide range of others. Retiring from the Navy in 2003, Father returned to Philadelphia where he served as Director of Campus Ministry at Holy Family University.

In 2022, Father “Mac” was appointed ‘Pastoral Care Specialist’ for the Philadelphia Police Union of 14,000 active and retired officers at Lodge 5. Father’s title is “Pastoral Care Specialist” rather than  “Chaplain” because of his Doctoral degree in Theology. Father’s current ministry extends from counseling, sacramental ministry, visits to police units across the city, hospital visitation and 24/7 emergency response. Father Jim summarizes his ministry succinctly, “Everything a priest does is real. There is laughter every day, as well as sacramental ministry, serious prayer and conversation with Christ as the focus, but particularly in emergency response, when it is ‘real’, it is very real.”