M. Patricia Ball, M.S.R.N. was born and raised and continues to reside in Baltimore, Maryland. All of her education through college and graduate school was in Catholic institutions. She entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame after high school, but left at the end of her novitiate year to pursue other career paths of service. After receiving an MS in Counseling, Patricia worked for several years with children and adolescents with severe mental health problems. She pursued a nursing degree intent on earning credentials to better serve those with severe mental health issues and has been a practicing psychiatric nurse since 1983. Her current professional work is in the area of research into treatments for Schizophrenia and she has published in this area. Throughout her adult life, M. Patricia has been active in church ministry, serving early on as a music minister and cantor. Since college she has also been active in advocating for social justice issues both in the church and the community. For the past 45 years she has been an active member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Baltimore, an intentional community committed to being inclusive and active in issues of social justiceand the workof Vatican II. She currently serves as a lector, liturgy planner, Eucharistic minister, and on the Committee on Church Reform. As part of her work for church reform, Patricia joined Discerning Deacons and has been active with them since its inception. She also serves as a hospice volunteer.