Rev. James Allen Havens
Deceased: 2018-02-27
Diocese: MOBILE
ICTE Fall: 2004
The Reverend James A. Havens, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Mobile, died in his home on February 27, 2018. Father Havens was born on September 30, 1950 in Brooklyn, New York, the first of eight children born to Elmer J. “Al” and JoAnn Goodwin Havens. He responded to his call at an early age in high school at the Cathedral of St. Francis in Brooklyn, and completed theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He was ordained to the Priesthood on May 5, 1979 at St. Bernard Parish in Brooklyn.
After ordination, Father Havens served as associate pastor at St. Dominic and Little Flower Parishes in Mobile. In 1988 he was named Pastor of St. John Parish, Butler, Alabama and in 1996 as Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Grove Hill. In his thirteen years in Grove Hill, also serving the Clarke County mission parishes in Jackson and Thomasville, Father Havens was a wonderful witness of Catholic faith to the rural community. He also served as Chaplain to the Thomasville Police Department from 2001 to 2009. In 2009 he returned to assignments in Mobile at St. Dominic Parish and as Pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Tillman’s Corner.
Father Havens is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Dennis. He is survived by his brothers and sisters; Carin, Dolores, Diane, Brian, Muriel and Larry; their spouses, children, and the next generation that will regale in the stories of Father, brother, James.
Visitation will take place at St. Dominic Parish, 4156 Burma Road, Mobile, AL 36693 on Monday, March 5, 2018 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm, with the Office of the Dead for a Deceased Priest being prayed at 7:00 pm. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, March 6, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Dominic Parish, with interment in the Priests’ Section of Catholic Cemetery, Mobile. Arrangements by Ascension Funerals & Cremations, 1016 Hillcrest Road, Mobile, Alabama 36695.
