Paulist Fr. Kevin Devine was ordained a priest in 1956. He served as a U.S. Army chaplain from 1962 to 1993. During his years in the service, he was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star.

In 1969 and 1970, he served 18 months in Vietnam.

When he returned home in 1970, he created this presentation on the topic of war and peace and first delivered it in late 1970. It was a slide presentation shown with a projector, using Fr. Kevin’s own photos.

On September 11, 2001, Fr. Kevin was serving on the pastoral staff of Good Shepherd Church in the Inwood neighborhood of northern Manhattan. In this role, he helped to lead the community’s response to the tragedy and served at the World Trade Center site. After this experience, he added a coda to his 1970 presentation.

In the fall of 2017, after watching the new PBS documentary on the Vietnam War, Fr. Kevin was inspired to create this new video of his 1970 presentation.

The creation of this video also was inspired by Fr. Kevin’s recent attendance at an event in Washington, D.C., for one-time military chaplains. Seeing no other Vietnam-era chaplains with whom he had served, he knew it was time to transfer these memories and reflections into a new medium.

Fr. Kevin is available to speak and dialogue with parish-based groups and other organizations on the topic of peace. For more details, please contact (202) 269-2502 or [email protected].

UPDATE: Paulist Fr. Kevin Devine entered eternal life on March 25, 2021. He was 90 years old at the time of his death.