Worship with us at 10am every Sunday.
Meet Rev. Catherine Ann Ballinger
Dear St. John’s Parishioners,
Each Sunday we have joined together in our prayer for the search process. Our prayers have been answered! The Rev. Catherine Ann Ballinger will be the next rector of St. John’s Church. Thanks be to God!
The process that led to the vestry’s decision to call Catherine was thoughtful, deliberative and always prayerful. Your participation in the Parish Survey helped the Search Committee clearly define who we are as a parish and describe the characteristics of an individual who would be the person we want for the position of Rector at St. John’s. First and foremost, our future spiritual leader must possess deep faith, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and feel a strong calling to Holy Orders. On a personal level, we concluded that this individual must be an attentive and thoughtful listener who has a deep-seated respect for all of God’s children and is committed to reaching out to others to build a vibrant and engaged community of Christ. Finally, we recognized that the rector should have the strong organizational and management skills that are necessary for the day-to-day aspects of the position.
Our process included interviewing and getting to know Catherine and her husband Bill as they came to Essex for a visit. All of her references were extremely positive, as was the Bishop’s assessment after he met with her. Catherine has been a priest for three years and this will be her first job as Rector. In the search committee’s opinion, her life experience from her Navy and civilian Pentagon career and her personal attributes give her what is needed to be a strong Rector of St. John’s.
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.