In the fifth grade Father Jim Wilmes dreamed about becoming a missionary priest. He began his vocational journey when he entered the preparatory seminary for the Archdiocese of Chicago as a high-school freshman. Two years before ordination he asked Chicago’s archbishop for permission to join Glenmary, but the archbishop told him to discern God’s will further. Father Jim knocked on that same door for the next five years till he received permission and Glenmary got a priest three years ordained.

Spirited and full of energy Father Jim embraced his first Glenmary assignment in the late 1950s in the mountains of Western North Carolina. He did outreach to surrounding small towns. Turning to Robbinsville, the county seat of Graham County, he realized the town had three Catholics but no church. There, he rented a small storefront and began a parish. Today Prince of Peace Church serves 35 parishioners in winter and 80 in summer.

His mission outreach fluctuated between mass communication and personal appeals. At one time he wrote a weekly Catholic information column, called “Christian Seeds,” for three county newspapers while doing weekly programs for two local radio stations. And for 19 years he joined Arlene Francis for a Thanksgiving broadcast on WOR in New York. But, always looking for a convert, he also spent hours “porch- preaching,” just sitting and rocking with folks, never shy about asking them to join the Catholic Church.

His talent for preaching encouraged numerous invitations for funerals, Catholic or not. His sermon, “Life Is Like a Persian Rug,” delighted people with an everyday image: “On the underside—that is, from our viewpoint of life—all we see are knots, tangles and threads going in different directions with no order....But on the topside of a Persian rug, from God’s viewpoint, we see amazing designs and beautiful patterns.” The point: the deceased, by entering eternal life, sees life’s patches of bright colors as God does from the topside.

His preaching prompted one fellow to pay him the ultimate compliment: “Father Jim, you speak just like a Baptist preacher!”

Behind that preaching Father Jim developed a deep spirituality and rich devotional life. The clock in his bedroom chimed every quarter hour reminding him during his waking hours to say a short prayer like “Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.” He lived in the presence of God. His devotion to the Blessed Mother led him in his later life to conduct numerous pilgrimages to Medjugorje, Fatima, Lourdes and other Marian shrines.

Father Jim celebrated his golden jubilee of priesthood last summer. Besides North Carolina, he served Glenmary missions in southern Georgia and eastern Oklahoma. He also worked with Glenmary’s vocation and promotion team.

For the last 17 years he lived in the Robbinsville area. He chose in his last five years to occupy a small room in the back of the Robbinsville church. There he lived a simple life. He survived with no stove, just a microwave. At night he slept on a couch. His shower was located next door in the parish hall.

In early February 2003, a deep mountain snowfall covered the area. Father Jim, 76, suffered a heart attack removing snow from the church grounds. He died symbolically doing the work of a missioner: helping others find God by shoveling a path to the Catholic church.