Fr. Richard Ballard serves as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of the Rosary. He is a convert, having worked as a Lutheran parish pastor for almost 25 years before entering the Church in 2006 with his wife Ruth, who is also a former Lutheran minister. They have been married since 1981.
He was ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Charleston in 2010, and assigned by Bishop Robert Guglielmone to OLR, where he served as Pastoral Associate for over 8 years. After a continuing period of discernment, and having received the necessary approvals and dispensations from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome and the Holy Father Pope Francis, Bishop Guglielmone ordained Fr. Ballard to the Sacred Priesthood on May 26, 2019.
Fr. Richard’s undergraduate studies were undertaken in religion and philosophy at Mars Hill University, and he holds a Master of Divinity degree, as well as two additional Master’s degrees in theology and counseling, and a Doctorate in pastoral theology, from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, the University of South Carolina, and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. He also completed post-graduate work in bereavement counseling at Madonna University.
Fr. Richard has a clinical background in professional counseling, and as a therapist licensed by the State of South Carolina, he offers pastoral care and counseling to members of our parish and others on a regular basis, as well as spiritual direction. He always stands ready to assist parishioners of Our Lady of the Rosary, and encourages you to call upon him if he may ever be of any help.