Rev. R. James Balint passed away March 22, 2016. He was born on May 6, 1930, in Yonkers, New York. Father Jim attended elementary and secondary schools in Yonkers and graduated from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. in 1951 with the degree of Bachelor of Architectural Engineering. Upon graduation he was employed as a civilian naval architect with the United States Navy in Washington, D.C. In May of 1954, he entered active duty with the United States Air Force, serving at Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Texas. He left active duty as a First Lieutenant in September of 1956, in order to begin his theological studies at The Catholic University of America.
In May, 1961, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dallas – Fort Worth and was assigned to St. Luke’s Church, Irving, Texas as an Assistant Pastor. From 1963 to 1967, he was a teacher of religion and mathematics at Jesuit High School in Dallas.
Father Jim was commissioned as a chaplain in the Texas Air National Guard in 1963 and was assigned to the 136th Air Defense Wing at Hensley Air National Guard Base, Grand Prairie, Texas. In December of 1966, he re-entered active duty as a chaplain and was assigned to Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Other assignments were to the Remote Site Ministry in Alaska; Homestead Air Force Base, Florida; Tachikawa Air Base, Japan; Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; Aviano Air Base, Italy; and Bolling Air Force Base, Washington D. C. He is a 1973 graduate of The Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and from 1977 to 1980, he was a faculty member of The Air Force Chaplain School also at Maxwell Air Force Base.
In 1985, Father Jim was appointed The Command Chaplain for Air Force Logistics Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. And in 1987 he became The Command Chaplain for Military Airlift Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He was retired from the Air Force in the grade of Colonel on May 31, 1990, with 28 years and 3 months of service.
Father Jim returned to the Diocese of Dallas in August of 1990 and served as Interim Associate Pastor of All Saints Church in Dallas until he was appointed the founding Pastor of Prince of Peace Catholic Community in Plano, Texas, on December 19, 1990.
He is survived by his sisters, Margaret Murray, Bernice Flynn, and Judith Fasano, all of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Mary Lou Blute, of Plano, Texas; brothers, Andrew Balint of Yonkers, New York and Vincent Balint of Fairfield, California; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Margaret Balint, brother, John Balint, Jr., and sister, Kathleen Kane.
In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to our sister parish Las Mercedes in Honduras, John Paul II High School, 900 Coit Rd., Plano, Texas, 75075, or Prince of Peace Catholic Community.
A funeral mass will be held at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at Prince of Peace Catholic Community in Plano, Texas. A vigil will be held at 7:00 p.m., Monday evening at Prince of Peace Catholic Community, Plano.