James J. LeBar
Encyclopedia
James J. LeBar was a Roman Catholic priest
who was the chief exorcist
of the Archdiocese of New York
in the United States
.
He taught religion at John A. Coleman Catholic High School, 1966-1970. In the 1970s LeBar was asked to become part of the Office of Communications of the Archdiocese of New York which at the time was dealing with the rise of groups they called "cults" and occult
activity. In 1976 he was one of the priest advisors who supported the National Catholic Committee on Scouting's attendance with a Scout Service Corps at the 41st International Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia and attended that event. He performed his first exorcisms in 1988 and 1989. In 1989 he also published his book, entitled Cults, Sects, and the New Age
. He has counseled many former "cult members" and is a frequent speaker on this subject.
, which was broadcast on the ABC
television program 20/20. He was appointed the chief exorcist of New York in 1992, by Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor. On June 25, 1995 Father LeBar was one of the guests on the Geraldo Rivera
television program exploring satanic ritual abuse.
When asked during an interview if he ever witnessed levitation during an exorcism he said, "I myself, have never seen a major levitation in the course of an exorcism. However, in one case in the preliminary investigation, I had a person who rose up above the pews of the church and was suspended there for a few minutes."
He told Spirit Daily at the time of the 25th anniversary release of the film The Exorcist
that it, "is about the most accurate portrayal of what can happen at an exorcism that I have ever seen."
Actress Winona Ryder
spoke with Father LeBar about exorcisms in 1999 in order to prepare for her film role in the movie Lost Souls
in which LeBar was one of the consultants. He even allowed her to view some videotapes of exorcisms he had performed. Performance artist Linda Montano
has also done work related to him since he died.
In July 2002 Father LeBar addressed a conference of Roman Catholic exorcists in Rome
. He lived and worked in New York State and was assigned as Chaplain of the Hudson River Psychiatric Center in Poughkeepsie
, a post he has held for almost twenty years.
Fr Lebar had won an essay contest in his high school which was run by the Cardinal at that time. He was noticed at that time by the Cardinal and later enterred the seminary. During his time prior as a high school student he was the secretary of the coach and Le Bar himself did not play sports. Later on after ordination he was accused by the first Pastor he had as a new priest of trying to kill the Pastor by knocking him down the stairs and his first Pastor made that complaint known to the Cardinal. Fr Lebar was never allowed to become a pastor because he was considered not to have the skill of being one and later in life he always wanted to be made a pastorseeing it as an achievement he himself was incapable of. Besides his roll in television for the Archdiocese of NY he also collected files on people who used to go to the archdiocese requesting an exorcism and then he presented all the files to I believe Cardinal O'Connor at that time. Cardinal O'Connor had Fr Lebar train other priests in what he knew about exorcisms. In a closed meeting Fr Lebar himself was not going to be made an exorcist with the other priests by Cardinal O'Connor. According to Fr Lebar a Fr Benedict Groechel recommended to Cardinal O'Connor that Lebar be made an exorcist and so Cardinal O'Connor did so. Later on the Office of Exorcist in the Archdiocese of NY was closed by Cardinal Egan because of the lawsuits against the archdiocese because the condition of the people who went for help became worse after meeting with Fr Lebar. Then Fr Lebar was accused of sexually abusing child mental patients at the Midhudson Psychiatric Center by an administartor who was the wife of an episcopalian priest and he was told that he could no longer be a chaplain there. Fr Lebar with the help of a union attorney for chaplains decided to fight for retirement pay as a chaplain. He was granted retirement on the condition that he not return to to the hospital. At that time Fr Lebar told people he was retired from being an exorcist and that he was waiting to be made bishop of Aruba. I know all these things because Fr Lebar told me these things himself. In my judgment Fr Lebar was a homosexual, pedophile pervert who should never have been ordained a priest and caused incalculable suffering and damage to those he was supposed to be helping. Also the priests he trained are as dangerous and evil as Fr Le Bar was. I would have to say in the case of Fr Lebar that the devil won.
Father LeBar was buried from Regina Coeli Parish in Hyde Park, New York (roughly two hours north of Manhattan) where he was in residence for nearly the last 25 years, especially while he served during most of that time as priest-chaplain to the Hudson Valley Psychiatric Center. His body lay in-state at the church, where visitation were held on Sunday, February 24 in the afternoon and evening; the Mass of Christian Burial was concelebrated with one of the auxiliary bishops of New York on Monday, February 25, at 10:00.
According to a colleague of Father LeBar:
"For those of us who knew and worked with him, were served or mentored by him, we are trying with God’s grace to come to terms with this loss, both personally and for the Church in America. I have often remarked about Father’s disarmingly dry sense of humor—a hallmark of the same man who at times directly addressed and expelled demonic forces. A friend asked yesterday, “I wonder what Fr. LeBar will say when he sees God the Father?” I have no doubt that his sincere but usually witty response, along with his slight Bronx accent, will be something like, “Well—you do look better in person...”"
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who was the chief exorcist
Exorcist
In some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demons. A priest, a nun, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
of the Archdiocese of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early career
Father LeBar was ordained in 1962. He was assigned as chaplain to Hudson Valley Psychiatric Center in 1982 and served until his retirement there in 2005. Previously he was a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Poughkeepsie, 1980–1982; St. Stanislaus, Pleasant Valley, 1979–1980; St. Catherine Laboure, Lake Katrine, 1973–1979 and 1965–1967; St. Joseph’s, Kingston, 1967–1973; St. Gregory Barbarigo, Garnerville, 1967; and St. John the Evangelist, White Plains, 1962-1965. He served briefly as administrator of St. Colman’s, East Kingston, and Holy Name of Jesus, Kingston.He taught religion at John A. Coleman Catholic High School, 1966-1970. In the 1970s LeBar was asked to become part of the Office of Communications of the Archdiocese of New York which at the time was dealing with the rise of groups they called "cults" and occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
activity. In 1976 he was one of the priest advisors who supported the National Catholic Committee on Scouting's attendance with a Scout Service Corps at the 41st International Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia and attended that event. He performed his first exorcisms in 1988 and 1989. In 1989 he also published his book, entitled Cults, Sects, and the New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
. He has counseled many former "cult members" and is a frequent speaker on this subject.
Exorcist of the archdiocese of New York
He first came to prominence in 1991 when he took part in an exorcism in Palm Beach, FloridaPalm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
, which was broadcast on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television program 20/20. He was appointed the chief exorcist of New York in 1992, by Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor. On June 25, 1995 Father LeBar was one of the guests on the Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...
television program exploring satanic ritual abuse.
When asked during an interview if he ever witnessed levitation during an exorcism he said, "I myself, have never seen a major levitation in the course of an exorcism. However, in one case in the preliminary investigation, I had a person who rose up above the pews of the church and was suspended there for a few minutes."
He told Spirit Daily at the time of the 25th anniversary release of the film The Exorcist
The Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
that it, "is about the most accurate portrayal of what can happen at an exorcism that I have ever seen."
Actress Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
spoke with Father LeBar about exorcisms in 1999 in order to prepare for her film role in the movie Lost Souls
Lost Souls (film)
Lost Souls is a 2000 American horror film directed by Janusz Kamiński, and stars Winona Ryder, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas, and John Hurt. It is about a man who is told he will become the Antichrist.-Plot:...
in which LeBar was one of the consultants. He even allowed her to view some videotapes of exorcisms he had performed. Performance artist Linda Montano
Linda Montano
Linda Mary Montano is a central figure in contemporary performance art. She was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic household, partly Irish and partly Italian, that was surrounded by artistic activity...
has also done work related to him since he died.
In July 2002 Father LeBar addressed a conference of Roman Catholic exorcists in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He lived and worked in New York State and was assigned as Chaplain of the Hudson River Psychiatric Center in Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
, a post he has held for almost twenty years.
Fr Lebar had won an essay contest in his high school which was run by the Cardinal at that time. He was noticed at that time by the Cardinal and later enterred the seminary. During his time prior as a high school student he was the secretary of the coach and Le Bar himself did not play sports. Later on after ordination he was accused by the first Pastor he had as a new priest of trying to kill the Pastor by knocking him down the stairs and his first Pastor made that complaint known to the Cardinal. Fr Lebar was never allowed to become a pastor because he was considered not to have the skill of being one and later in life he always wanted to be made a pastorseeing it as an achievement he himself was incapable of. Besides his roll in television for the Archdiocese of NY he also collected files on people who used to go to the archdiocese requesting an exorcism and then he presented all the files to I believe Cardinal O'Connor at that time. Cardinal O'Connor had Fr Lebar train other priests in what he knew about exorcisms. In a closed meeting Fr Lebar himself was not going to be made an exorcist with the other priests by Cardinal O'Connor. According to Fr Lebar a Fr Benedict Groechel recommended to Cardinal O'Connor that Lebar be made an exorcist and so Cardinal O'Connor did so. Later on the Office of Exorcist in the Archdiocese of NY was closed by Cardinal Egan because of the lawsuits against the archdiocese because the condition of the people who went for help became worse after meeting with Fr Lebar. Then Fr Lebar was accused of sexually abusing child mental patients at the Midhudson Psychiatric Center by an administartor who was the wife of an episcopalian priest and he was told that he could no longer be a chaplain there. Fr Lebar with the help of a union attorney for chaplains decided to fight for retirement pay as a chaplain. He was granted retirement on the condition that he not return to to the hospital. At that time Fr Lebar told people he was retired from being an exorcist and that he was waiting to be made bishop of Aruba. I know all these things because Fr Lebar told me these things himself. In my judgment Fr Lebar was a homosexual, pedophile pervert who should never have been ordained a priest and caused incalculable suffering and damage to those he was supposed to be helping. Also the priests he trained are as dangerous and evil as Fr Le Bar was. I would have to say in the case of Fr Lebar that the devil won.
Death
Father LeBar died of heart failure on the morning of February 21, 2008 at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY. According to friends and colleagues, he was admitted to St. Francis and diagnosed as having what seemed to be (or at some point turned into) a bacterial infection which became septic. He was placed in intensive care and placed on a ventilator, until he died of heart failure.Father LeBar was buried from Regina Coeli Parish in Hyde Park, New York (roughly two hours north of Manhattan) where he was in residence for nearly the last 25 years, especially while he served during most of that time as priest-chaplain to the Hudson Valley Psychiatric Center. His body lay in-state at the church, where visitation were held on Sunday, February 24 in the afternoon and evening; the Mass of Christian Burial was concelebrated with one of the auxiliary bishops of New York on Monday, February 25, at 10:00.
According to a colleague of Father LeBar:
"For those of us who knew and worked with him, were served or mentored by him, we are trying with God’s grace to come to terms with this loss, both personally and for the Church in America. I have often remarked about Father’s disarmingly dry sense of humor—a hallmark of the same man who at times directly addressed and expelled demonic forces. A friend asked yesterday, “I wonder what Fr. LeBar will say when he sees God the Father?” I have no doubt that his sincere but usually witty response, along with his slight Bronx accent, will be something like, “Well—you do look better in person...”"
External links
- James LeBar Profile at ICSA
- Internet Movie Database
- October 18, 2000 Interview
- Exorcism: To Hell, and Back
- The Rite of Exorcism On 20/20 New York Times, Walter Goodman, April 5, 1991
- Teacher Lesson Plan, Sociology of Cults