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…And Create Peace – Rev. Kathryn A. Barley
September 28, 1949 - February 2, 2014
by Rev. Deirdre Breen • Katonah, NY

 

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Kathryn Barley was a beloved member of the Creations Magazine family, most recently as a longtime advertiser, and previously as a key staff member ofCreations in its early years.Create peace by being peaceful,” she said. I did, and my world changed forever. So did the lives of thousands of others who received her simple and elegant request. If she touched your life, suffering diminished. Such was the heart and soul of Reverend Kathryn A. Barley.

She was a woman of profound faith, courage and conviction whose life was changed by a unique, metaphysical request from Mary, the Divine Mother. Yes, I do mean that Mary.

In 1991, while traveling in Medjugorje, the Blessed Mother appeared to Kathryn and asked her to be her hands and heart on earth. It is inconceivable for any of us to actually get it – but it happened. In the years since and up until her passing, many – myself included – were lucky enough to receive healing and prayers from Kathryn. We experienced something beyond this physical world. For me, divine love is the phrase that best describes Kathryn’s healing presence.

The “lucky ones”, numbering in the thousands throughout the world, received miraculous healing of grieving hearts, chronic illness, infertility and even pernicious tumors. More than once, baffled and confused medical providers would scratch their heads as they viewed clear x-rays that had been indicators of cancer, with no explanation for the healing. Such miracles became common once Kathryn accepted the path offered to her by Mary. Mary had given Kathryn a choice to refuse and she could have concontinued living a manageable and reasonable life. Fortunately for many, Kathryn accepted and took on a life dedicated to Mary’s healing mission.

Statue of MaryI met Kathryn in 2001, after being referred to the Sanctuary’s ministerial school. I arrived with a list of questions as part of my due diligence in shopping for a ministers’ program. My first question was, “What is your understanding of darkness, and what do you do about it?” She gazed at me, sizing up something about me, (I was ignorant of Mary’s visitation at the time), she took a soft satisfying breath and smiled in a way that I would learn to love for years to come, the smile that preceded a pearl of wisdom. She said, “Oh my dear one, the nature of light is to embrace darkness. You do not need to be afraid, just remember that the flame of a little candle lights the darkness – just by being itself.” To be with her was to feel a softening of the heart and an assurance that everything would be okay – even when that didn’t mean all troubles would dissolve. Although, sometimes they did.

To effect the work of Mary’s purpose, Kathryn and her twin sister, Connie, founded the Sanctuary of Peace and Harmony, Inc., in 1995, a not-for-profit organization with the mission of healing the world to peace. For many, that mission seemed a monumental task, fanciful in fact, but for the Barley twins, it became their life. Connie is also a healer as well as an astrologer. Together they conducted Reiki trainings, seasonal healing nights, group and private healing sessions and provided plush teddy bears infused with love and magic for ill children. Kathryn also led spirit sojourns to Sedona, Egypt, Tibet and Nepal. In 1997, the Sanctuary started a ministerial school for interfaith ministers.

Kathryn’s death was unexpected and has left her family and community in a state of shock. Her life’s teachings reverberate heartily as most grapple with and process their grief. Many I have spoken with, sense her spirit profoundly, as she is present and encouraging us to love and continue the mission: Creating peace by being peaceful. As Connie steps to the helm of the Sanctuary, she has more than 60 ordained ministers charged with upholding and forwarding Kathryn Barley’s peace mission.

 


Rev. Deirdre Breen, is founder of Self-Care Institute, Inc., and serves on the board of the Sanctuary of Peace and Harmony, Inc. She teaches evidence based self-care practices for health optimization and is often called to ministry at end of life, offering support to the dying and their family. She credits Rev. Kathryn A. Barley with saving her life. www.Sanctuaryofpeaceandharmony.com.