The Rev. Patricia R. Barrett, known as Patti, was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Massachusetts by Bishop Barbara Harris on Dec. 16, 2000. This date marked a fitting end to a call she had experienced for most of her adult life, beginning in college when she majored in religion and first applied to seminary. But God had other plans – and as she often says – coming to ordained ministry was definitely in God’s time, not hers!

Patti is married to William (Will) F. Barrett, III, an active member of any church where Patti serves. They celebrated their 39th anniversary in January 2010. They have two grown daughters, Callan, a social worker who lives and works in Nevada; and Catherine, a classical harpist, who lives in Portland, OR. Living at home with them are their dogs: Lulu, a Westie, and Ruby, a Border Terrier.

Patti brings a lot of life experience to the position of Rector. She came to us from the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Salinas, CA., where she served as their Rector from 2004 until 2009.

Before that, Patti was the Interim Rector at St. Luke’s in Scituate, MA., following a pastorate of 39 years. She also served for over two years as associate rector at St Paul’s in Nantucket, where she started many outreach programs and educational opportunities for the parish.

In the years before being ordained, Patti earned a master’s degree in educational psychology and taught children with learning disabilities as well as working with parents of developmentally delayed children. She later took up journalism and served as an editor of a weekly paper and then a daily paper, The Berkshire Eagle, in Pittsfield, MA. Working on the paper led her to a writing career – she has written numerous books on gardening including The Sacred Garden and a best seller on house cleaning: Too Busy to Clean (which paid her way through seminary!)

After this career path, Patti went on to run a $2 million box office in Interlochen, MI, when both daughters attended the music school. She feels everything she has done has led her to ministry: the managing of the budgets, hiring of people, writing under pressure, teaching – it all fits in so well with day to day ministry. Only life can teach you what seminaries tend to forget to mention.

Will and Patti lived over 30 years in the Berkshires where Will still has a hardwood flooring business, Green River Lumber Co., in Great Barrington. They love hiking; going to the gym; yoga, and walking their dogs. Will is also a runner and is curious about what trails are around the area. Patti loves to paint in oils and acrylics and is excited about the possibilities; she is also an avid mushroom hunter and can't wait to look around the Cape.

"You know, I think the sand is still in my shoe from when I lived on Nantucket," said Rev. Barrett. "I could never get that air and feel out of my system. It will be good to be home."

Our Curate, the Reverend Matthew Potts hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, though the last dozen years have carried far from the lovely shorelines of his home state. Matt attended the University of Notre Dame as a member of its undergraduate Arts and Letters Honors Program and received his bachelor's degree in English in 1999. Upon graduation, Matt entered military service as the Main Propulsion Division Officer onboard the forward deployed guided missile cruiser, USS Vincennes, in Yokosuka, Japan.

Finding himself more a lover than a fighter, Matt returned to Notre Dame to work as an admissions officer for three years while rekindling a love for theology. After flirting briefly with a Ph.D. in English, he answered a call to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to undertake seminary studies at Harvard. He took his Masters degree at Harvard's Divinity School and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Western Michigan in December of 2008.

In 2009, Matt moved from Harvard's Divinity School to its Graduate School in pursuit of a Ph.D. He is hoping to investigate the potential intersection of sacramental theology, formational ethics, and contemporary literature, but who knows where his studies will end - if they ever do. Matt has also helped to establish a non-profit named The Touching Tiny Lives Foundation which supports anti-AIDS work in southern Africa (www.touchingtinylives.org).

Matt is married to Colette, with whom he has one daughter, Millie. He loves cooking and theology, short stories and philosophy, Detroit Tigers baseball and Fighting Irish football, pickling produce from Colette's growing garden, and big, happy, slobbery German dogs.

A native of Washington, North Carolina, Randolph S. James began his career in church music at the age of 12 as Organist and Choirmaster in the church where his father served as Senior Minister. Randolph has been an Organist and Director of Music in the Episcopal Church since 1979. He served in parishes in the Dioceses of Alabama, Florida and Georgia before coming north to the Diocese of Massachusetts to serve in interim positions in two parishes (Worcester and Newton Corner). Randolph joined us at St. Barnabas in the summer of 2003.

In addition to providing music for worship and leadership for our choirs, Randolph has started a Children's Choir using the Royal School of Church Music curriculum. He also is the accompanist for two community choruses in Falmouth and is active in the local chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO). Randolph's office is located in the Music Room (first door on the left in the lower parish hall).