James J. LeBar (May 19, 1936 – February 21, 2008) was a Roman Catholic priest who was the chief exorcist of the Archdiocese of New York in the United States. 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 from 1980 to 1982; St. Stanislaus, Pleasant Valley from 1979 to 1980; St. Catherine Laboure, Lake Katrine from 1973 to 1979 and from 1965 to 1967; St. Joseph’s, Kingston from 1967 to 1973; St. Gregory Barbarigo, Garnerville in 1967; and St. John the Evangelist, White Plains from 1962 to 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 from 1966 to 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 published his book Cults, Sects, and the New Age. He counseled many former "cult members" and was a frequent speaker on this subject. He appeared as a guest on the Geraldo Rivera special Devil Worship Exposing Satan's Underground, which aired on October 22, 1988. Exorcist of the archdiocese of New York He first came to prominence in 1991 when he took part in an exorcism in Palm Beach, Florida, broadcast on the 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, 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