Rev. Dr. Gail Paul's spiritual journey began as a very young child, three or four years old, sitting on her father's lap and listening to the story of God's love for us through the incarnation of Christ, as a little baby being born in a stable.

Gail began an earnest spiritual journey in her teens as an active member of a small Methodist church in rural Tennessee. In the mid 1950's she felt a call to full time ministry but never thought of herself as a pastor because women could not be ordained. She served in leadership roles as a dedicated layperson in the local church until one Sunday morning in 1983, when an ordained United Methodist woman minister visited Gail's church in Mr. Kisco, N.Y. At that moment she said to herself, "that's what I have wanted to do all my life, but couldn't name it." She enrolled in N.Y. Theological Seminary for a Master of Divinity Degree, and Maryknoll, a Catholic Seminary near her home, for one-third of her credits to be transferred to N.Y. Theological before graduation.

By the time she had graduated, she had already developed a passion for prison ministry through her work as a Foster Care Counselor in the Children's Center at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills, N.Y. She prayed soon after ordination, "Dear God, I want to be a prison chaplain, but I am not going to look for that job. I am happy serving as a pastor, but if you want me to be a prison chaplain, please open the door and I will walk through it." Three months later an Elder in the United Methodist Church called asking her if she would be interested in being a prison chaplain at the Danbury Federal Prison Camp in Danbury, Connecticut.

That unexpected phone call put Gail in touch with the Camp Administrator, who happened to have grown up in the same rural area of Tennessee as Gail. The woman had also graduated from the same high school, and had the same favorite teachers. Gail had no doubt that God opened that door leading to ten years of full time service as a prison chaplain and Religious Services Coordinator. The first two years were spent at the Danbury Federal Prison Camp, a low security women's prison. The next eight years were at Garner Correctional Institution a high security prison for men in Newtown, Connecticut.

Gail then retired to Arkansas and renovated her Grandmother's one hundred year old house in a rural part of Southeast Arkansas. She was quite content until she got another unexpected call, this time from a board member of the Oratory asking if she would be interested in the position of Director. This was to fill the vacancy left by Nigel Mumford, a giant in the healing ministry. Gail had met Nigel and developed a tremendous respect for him while giving retreats at the Oratory for survivors of sexual abuse with Father Larry Carew. Father Carew is a Catholic Priest Gail had worked with in prison ministry and with whom she had written, "Disregarding the Shame, Reaching out for the Joy: A Healing Retreat for survivors of Sexual Abuse."

After a lengthy time of discernment regarding the telephone call from the Oratory, Gail realized that God was once again opening a special door for her, this time to concentrate on a healing ministry. This would help her realize a long held belief and desire to pray for people for physical healing, as well as inner healing.

Gail is a deeply spiritual person who relies on the Holy Spirit for guidance, wisdom, strength and joy. In her letter of application she wrote:

"As I constructed this resume, I realized how God has been training and using me for healing ministry for a long time. My vision of healing is not simply the physical healing of bodies through prayer but is also a healing of relationships within, and between churches, groups and individuals, healing that not only incorporates psychological and sociological principles, but healing that depends upon Biblical and Spiritual insights and promises. It is awesome to be an instrument of God, and to see healing occur through the Grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

You might also like to know that I am an energetic, enthusiastic person who is both a mother and grandmother. My interests are reading, writing, being a tourist in my own neighborhood, and occasionally, traveling to far-away places, such as India and the Amazon River in Peru. I like adventure and challenge, creating helping programs, restoring old houses and most of all, serving God according to His will, for my life and others."

Gail has a Doctorate in Pastoral Care and Counseling from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, through an interfaith program developed for the seminary but open to Catholics and Protestants. Gail loves working in ecumenical and interfaith settings. That helps make her a perfect fit for the Oratory. Her hopes for the Oratory include continuing the already wonderful program developed under Nigel Mumford's leadership, and adding many retreats that focus on Spiritual growth and inner healing that reflect the origins of the Oratory's founder, Father Ben Priest. Gail thinks of the Oratory building and property as a "Home for Healing".