Msgr. Joseph Devlin, who taught religion at La Salle for more than three decades, died April 1, 2015, at Our Lady of Lourdes
Hospital in Camden, N.J. He was 85.

A South Jersey native, Msgr. Devlin completed his undergraduate studies at St. Joseph’s University and then attended seminary at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md. He was ordained at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia on May 26, 1956. He also earned master’s degrees from Seton Hall University and Princeton University, as well as a doctorate in canon law from Latern University in Rome, Italy.

As a young priest, Msgr. Devlin participated in Vatican II and in the preliminary discussions on Nostra Aetate, the 1965 declaration redefining the relationship of the Catholic Church with non-Christian religions. He also served as a parochial vicar at a number of parishes in South Jersey, taught briefly at Camden Catholic High School and Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, and served on the Diocesan Liturgical Commission.

Msgr. Devlin joined the faculty of La Salle’s Religion Department in 1973 and became a part-time instructor in 1990, teaching courses in biomedical ethics, religion in America, world religions, political and social ethics, psychology, and religion and culture, as well as in a graduate program in conjunction with the University’s Psychology Department. He retired in 2010.

“Taking a class taught by Dr. Devlin was a challenging but rewarding experience,” said Michael Boyle, Ph.D., ’99, an assistant professor of political science at La Salle. “He was a real character in the classroom—rigorous, feisty, intelligent, but also generous to his students. He showed a real delight in ideas and in people that was inspirational.”

Msgr. Devlin is survived by several cousins.