Worship with us at 10am every Sunday.

Meet Rev. Catherine Ann Ballinger

Catherine received her Master of Divinity from the School of Theology (Sewanee) at the University of the South in May 2021. Following her ordination by Bishop Mariann E. Budde to the Sacred Order of Priests in June at the National Cathedral, she served as Assistant Priest at St. Paul's K Street in Washington, DC. Since then, she has served as a supply priest in her sending parish (Christ Church Georgetown) as well as parishes in the Diocese of Maryland. She will continue serving other parishes in her home Diocese of Washington until she arrives in late August.

Before Catherine heeded the "still small voice" that had for years beckoned her to Holy Orders, she spent a career in public service, first as a Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer and later as a federal civil servant. Her diverse tours of duty included managing the infrastructure and facilities of a 500-bed trauma care hospital and medical center in San Diego, one of the Navy's largest; overseeing a staff of 225 personnel as the Public Works Officer at one of the Navy's "boot camps" in Orlando, FL; and in her last naval tour, Catherine led the Navy's construction office in Keflavik, Iceland, where she and her staff were responsible for executing Department of Defense and NATO infrastructure and service contracts. 

As a federal employee, Catherine served as the legislative advisor and financial resource director for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations, and Environment). In this capacity, she developed the presentation strategy and (along with others) briefed congressional staff on the Department of the Navy's infrastructure program. Catherine also prepared the Assistant Secretary for his annual appearances before the relevant Congressional committees, authoring his written and oral statements and "back-benching" him at congressional hearings.

Before becoming a priest, Catherine’s lay ministries included choir, altar guild, lector, acolyte and mission work with the homeless. 

As a priest, she has taken vows in the Companions of St. Luke, Order of St Benedict. She has served on the boards of the United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida, the Junior League of Washington (including as Chair of its 1000-member "Sustainers"), and the Georgetown Ministry Center, a non-profit homeless advocacy organization.

In addition to a Master of Divinity, Catherine holds the following degrees:

  • Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering (Construction), San Jose State University

  • Master of Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University

  • Master of Science, National Security and Resource Strategy, The Eisenhower School, National Defense University

She is also a registered Professional Engineer in the State of California.