The Rev. Barbara Ballenger

Last week I spent five days on retreat with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA. Their monastery is located in a beautiful patch of woods a stone’s throw from Lake Erie. I stayed in a little hermitage on the edge of their property, prayed with the sisters twice a day and ate my meals with them as well. The sisters are a Roman Catholic order; Joan Chittister was a former prioress. I followed her work in Catholic feminist writing for many years. She is 90 now and not making appearances. This...

It will take some time to process all that we learned a few weeks ago at the College for Congregational Development training in Maryland. Rector’s Warden Deborah Way; postulant and parishioner Rosalinda Ibañez-Memba and I spent five solid days learning numerous models for enhancing and facilitating parish life. This is a good space to introduce some of this thinking. You’ll also see some of this wisdom showing up in parish forums, leadership trainings and Vestry meetings this year. So buckle...

Summer has arrived at St. Peter’s. It snuck in quietly with the solstice last Sunday when the length of day reached its longest stride. Now incrementally, our hours of sunlight are inching in the other direction. Still, we are promised a season of long days, a break from busy schedules, perhaps a vacation or two. Here at St. Peter’s, the regular program year has drawn to a close. We had the final Lunch Club of the season last week. Godly Play and Come 4th Sundays and the LIFT Book Group are...