Above: Father Chris Ballard (as celebrant and godfather) and godmother Judeanne Rockford pictured with Spirit of Hope Youth Minister Mark Ranieri and his wife Nina at the baptism of their baby, Joseph Peter Ranieri, in 2025.
Father Chris Ballard is grateful for a purposeful and meaningful life
By Eileen Jevis
Staff writer
Photos submitted by: Fr. Chris Ballard
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series that highlights the joys our diocesan priests experience as they minister in their parishes.
Fr. Chris Ballard (left) poses with seminarian Mason Netzband and Fr. James Buttner at the ordination of John Brusa and Joseph Ryan in June 2025.
Father Christopher Ballard has been an ordained priest for 15 years. From a non-churchgoing family, he had only received baptism as an infant. Fr. Chris said his desire to become a priest came in the ninth grade. His desire grew as God opened doors and led him to receive his First Holy Communion and Confirmation during his sophomore year of high school. His call to the priesthood led him to apply for college seminary as a senior. We asked Fr. Chris about his vocational life, his thoughts on the future of the Church, and his trust in God, who guides him in his journey.
Q. What are the biggest joys and challenges of priestly life?
A. The biggest joy of my priestly life is the people that my ministry has brought me to know. People that I would otherwise never have gotten to know and love. The biggest challenge in this life is often demanding and sometimes overwhelming. Parish priests tend to move around a lot. With each move I have wanted to stay right where I was, but with each new assignment came wonderful people who entered my life. It is an act of trust to know that God will provide through all the changes and the demands.
Q. How do you find fulfillment in your vocation?
A. I find fulfillment because I recognize the work I do to be very meaningful. I think that is key in life. Do I have meaning and purpose? My work makes a difference in people’s lives – in their relationship with God, when they have a struggle of some sort, when they are grieving, and so on. And even if a day goes by where I didn’t directly make a difference in someone’s life, the fact that I offered Mass is purposeful and meaningful and makes a difference in the grand scheme of things because it is the offering of Christ on the cross. I find deep meaning and purpose in the work that I do every day.
Q. Was there a specific person or persons who influenced your decision to enter the priesthood?
A. My grandma made sure that I was baptized Catholic as an infant. She would take me to church when I was young. My childhood babysitter was also a constant in my life. I was close friends with her son and they were faithful Catholics. They inspired me to look more closely at my Catholic faith. It took root in me, and I loved learning more about it, even when I was a little kid and a young teenager. I am grateful to my grandma who made sure the seeds were planted in me, and for making sure I was baptized as a child. I’m also grateful to my childhood babysitter who made sure those seeds got watered.
Q. What do you envision in your priestly life as the years go by — the changes in the church, a declining congregation, etc.?
A. I wonder what the future will hold, but I try not to dwell on it. The Lord is my shepherd. He will guide and provide for me. He will protect me. We certainly need to prepare now for the future and I am trying to do that in my pastoral ministry. It does involve consolidation, yes, but it also involves building something new, vibrant, and thriving.
Q. As practicing Catholics, what is our responsibility to evangelize, and how do we encourage, inspire, and motivate those who stopped going to Church to return?
A. I think the bottom line is living a happy Catholic life that is inspiring to others. People see that our faith does something in our lives, how it makes a difference, and makes us different. They want to have that too. It is always on God’s time. Our job is to facilitate the introduction between someone else and Jesus. He will do the rest. God forbid I should be an obstacle for someone to come to know Jesus. I want to be a bridge. Every Catholic should want to be a bridge to Jesus for someone else.
Q. If you were having a conversation with someone after Mass, in a meeting, or when an opportunity presented itself, what would you say about your experience in religious life?
A. I would say that I feel very happy and fulfilled in my life as a priest. I have good days and bad days like anyone else, but it is a true privilege to be a priest. I love my community, and I am very blessed to be their pastor.
Q. What message would you like us to share about the fulfillment of committing to a religious vocation?
A. I think we have to let the Lord be our shepherd. It is not ours to know when we will walk through the dark valley or when we will be in green pastures. It is up to the Lord to guide the path, and it is up to us to trust and follow. The dark valleys and green pastures unfold as we go, and the Lord is at our side through all of it. Trust and follow.
