provincial council

Fr. Patrick McDevitt, C.M.

Provincial Superior

Fr. Patrick McDevitt, C.M., was elected Provincial of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) Western Province in March 2020 and began his tenure July 1, 2020. He was born and raised in Chicago, was ordained to the priesthood in 1986, and is a member of the Congregation of the Mission. He has worked in parish ministry and seminaries.

Fr. McDevitt has a long history with DePaul University. His family home and paternal grandmother lived on the Lincoln Park campus, and generations of his family attended St. Vincent’s Parish. Fr. McDevitt began his teaching career at DePaul’s Counseling Program in 1996 as a summer adjunct professor. He began teaching full-time in 2000 and eventually received tenure. Fr. McDevitt left DePaul in 2019 to become the Rector and Superior of the Vincentian Seminary (DePaul Centre) in Nairobi, Kenya, where he served until beginning his tenure as Provincial of the Western Province.

Fr.  McDevitt previously served as President of All Hallows College in Dublin, Ireland, a Catholic, Vincentian third-level institution linked to Dublin City University. Fr. McDevitt participated in the Harvard Graduate School of Education Seminar for New Presidents. He has an extensive record of professional and civic leadership through his service on boards and membership in various professional associations.

Fr. McDevitt has a strong background in counseling education, pastoral counseling, ministry, and leadership. He has written on education, leadership development, the psycho-social influences on ministry and education in today’s society, and on aspects of community mental health.