Katherine grew up in a UCC church on Cape Cod where she developed “a deep prayer life that drew her to nature as a location for meeting the Divine.” As a teen she led ecumenical Christian retreats for youth and had her first opportunities to engage in pastoral duties, e.g., to preach, offer pastoral care, and lead prayer services. Referring to her early commitment to the pastoral life Katherine said, “I recognized that it was actually possible to have a career that combined walking with others on their life journeys, helping people feel God’s love, sharing the Good News of the gospel, and singing praises to my Creator. How amazing!”

She went on to earn a BA in Religious Studies from Hamilton College in 2005 followed by a Master of Divinity from the Chicago Theological Seminary in 2010. She became an ordained minister in the UCC in 2011.

Rev. Katherine has served as Interim Minister at Memorial Church at Harvard University, Minister for Campus Engagement at the United University Church in Los Angeles, Pastor at First Congregational Church in Wareham and a five-year period of service as Interim Associate Minister at Old South Church in Boston, a 700-member UCC congregation founded in 1669.

Commenting on her work as a pastor, Katherine says, “My work as an ordained minister has both tempered and reaffirmed my sense of calling. I have held the hands of those in grief and learned the value of a quiet, listening pastoral presence.”

We are excited that Rev. Katherine has come to lead our Church. She lives with her family - Dr. Adilia James, a professor of sociology at Endicott College, and their two young children, Rosie (3) and Eliot (10) in neighboring Beverly.