Farrs Begin New Ministry as Co-Pastors of United Church of Norwood-October 18, 1980

Unanimous Vote Establishes Husband-Wife Co-Pastorship-October 18, 1980

A unique ministry begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. when the husband-wife team of The Rev. Ronald S. Farr and The Rev. Patricia Heaney Farr are installed as co-pastors of the United Church of Norwood. Operating as a true partnership, the couple will share equally in the pastoral duties of preaching, teaching, and counseling.

The appointment follows a unanimous vote by the church congregation last month, successfully concluding a search for a new spiritual leader that spanned more than a year. Both 29 years old, the Farrs bring an extensive educational and pastoral background to their new Norwood pulpit.

A Shared Path in Education and Ministry-October 18, 1980

The Farrs share deep academic and spiritual roots, graduating together from Bucknell University in 1973 as religion majors with a specialized interest in comparative religions. Following undergraduate studies, both pursued advanced theological training at Yale Divinity School, earning master of divinity degrees in 1979.

During their time at Yale and in subsequent postings, the couple cultivated diverse ministerial experience:

• Rev. Ronald S. Farr: Served as program director of the Mercy Center at Madison, a major ecumenical retreat center in Connecticut, and taught courses on prayer and meditation at local schools and churches. Over the past year, he served as a psychiatric chaplain at Norwich State Hospital.
• Rev. Patricia Heaney Farr: Completed a year-long residency as a training chaplain at St. Raphael’s General Hospital and spent an additional year serving as a counselor at a community pastoral care center. Over the past year, she served as pastor of the Hadlyme Congregational Church in Connecticut.

In addition to their formal hospital and parish chaplaincies, the Farrs spent two years living in Washington, D.C., where they dedicated time to studying Buddhist meditation, further broadening their multi-faith perspective as they step into leadership at the United Church of Norwood.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger