James Martin Graham

James Martin Graham (February 10, 1956 – July 3, 1997) American Roman Catholic priest, founder of The Sts. Martin & James Respite in Waterbury, Connecticut and Director of the International Christian AIDS Network (ICAN).

Born in Lee, Massachusetts, Graham was the son of Theresa Barenski Graham. As a child, he had a part-time job working for the painter Norman Rockwell, tidying up his studio. Graham's own grandmother was a cook for the artist and sat for a number of his paintings. He graduated from Lee High School in 1974 and became the youngest elected official of Lee on the town's Board of Education. He pursued a short career as a licensed electrician until deciding to enter the seminary.

Father Graham attended St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, and was ordained in Springfield, Massachusetts on May 12, 1985. He served as assistant pastor at Our Lady of Sacred Heart in Springfield, Massachusetts, and St. Patrick's Church in Hadley, Massachusetts. During his time as a parish priest with the Diocese of Springfield, Father Graham also served as Chaplain to the Massachusetts State Police.

In 1989, he won support of then Archbishop of Hartford, John Francis Whealon, to establish the Archdiocese's Office of AIDS Ministry (OAM), headquartered in the Farrington Building on the Green in Waterbury, the first in the nation set up with a Roman Catholic priest as its full-time director. He started with a $4,000 grant from the Archdiocese and raised funds through private donations, grants and bequests as the operation expanded. The goal was to provide long-term housing for the terminally ill persons with AIDS, as well as HIV-infected individuals, who otherwise might live on the streets or be shuttled between hospitals as their disease progressed. It was at this time, when the ministry was just beginning, that CBS Sunday Morning did a feature story about Father Graham and his work. Father Graham canvassed Connecticut hospitals administering the sacraments to AIDS patients and offering bereavement counseling to family members. He visited parishes throughout the archdiocese to raise AIDS awareness and to teach tolerance, compassion and caring towards people with HIV-disease and AIDS. In at least two instances, Father Graham assumed legal guardianship over individuals who were too ill and without kin, to make decisions on their behalf for their care. The tagline of Father Graham's ministry was "Celebrate the Living Years". At the time, hope for living normal lives with HIV-disease was almost unheard of. AZT treatment was still in its infancy and the disease was still a virtual death sentence. "Celebrate the Living Years" became Father Graham's rallying cry of encouragement to people living with HIV-disease and AIDS. Through his ministry, Father Graham was able to recruit countless volunteers to help realize the goal of creating and operating the hospice that grew out of the OAM and became The Sts. Martin & James Respite.

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