Fr. James Devine
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Fr. James Devine (88), a longtime JFK Chaplain at Our Lady of the Skies and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Short Bio
Fr. Devine was born on May 13, 1934, ordained to the priesthood on May 28,
1960, and died on November 1, 2022.
Father Devine was appointed the full-time Chaplain to Our Lady of the Skies
Chapel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in October of 1988. Father
Devine loved to work with his fellow Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim
chaplains.
Father Devine was at the airport when Pan Am Flight 103 crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, and was immediately sent to console the families of the victims waiting in the Pan Am lounge. He was also at the Travel Lodge Hotel to help family members of victims on TWA Flight 800.
In 1995, Father Devine was appointed one of the first Port Authority Police Chaplains. He encountered yet another episode of tragedy during the September 11 attacks of 2001.
“We lost at least eight policemen from JFK and many more from the Port Authority,” Fr. Devine said. “I did many of the funerals for those lost during the attacks because I personally knew them.”
Fr. Devine served as the President of the International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains from 1993 to 1999. He retired in 2008.
Visitation and Funeral
Visitation and Funeral will take place on Friday, November 4, 2022, at the Immaculate Conception Center at 7200 Douglaston Parkway in Douglaston, New York.
The wake will take place from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM.
The Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 AM.