Father Ricardo Bailey was born on December 19, 1973 in Atlanta, GA. He attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Atlanta for his primary years and Saint Thomas More Catholic School for his middle school years. He attended high school at Shamrock High School in Decatur, GA and graduated from there in 1992.
He attended undergraduate college at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and graduated from there in 1997 with honors achieving a B.A. in Sociology. While enrolled in undergraduate college, Father Bailey was in the Program for Priestly Formation for the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1998, Father Bailey was sent to study Theology for ordination to the Priesthood at Saint Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, MD. In December of 2001, he was ordained to the Order of Deacons for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. He completed his seminary formation at St. Mary’s and on May 15, 2003, he was awarded the Baccalaureate of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) & the Master of Divinity Degree from the seminary. Father Bailey was ordained to the Priesthood for service in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta at the Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King in Buckhead on June 7, 2003.
His assignments as a Priest included:
Parochial Vicar- Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church (2003-2005)
Parochial Vicar – Holy Spirit Catholic Church (2005-2008)
Parochial Vicar – Transfiguration Catholic Church (2008-2011)
Chaplain – Blessed Trinity Catholic High School (2008-2011)
Father Bailey left the Roman Catholic Church and her Priesthood in June of 2011. He was hired by The Westminster Schools in Atlanta in 2011 and married his high school sweetheart – the former Mrs. Marica (Lowe) Bailey in September of 2011. Father Bailey was formally received into the Priesthood of the Episcopal Church for service in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta on November 7, 2013 at a ceremony at The Westminster Schools. He was assigned as an Associate Priest at The Cathedral of Saint Philip from 2013-2015. In 2015, Bishop Wright assigned Father Bailey as the Vicar & Neighborhood Missioner of the Episcopal Chapel at Emmaus House in SW Atlanta – he completed his assignment at Emmaus House in November of 2018. In June of 2015, Father Bailey completed his time at The Westminster Schools and currently, he is the Head Chaplain and the Upper School Chaplain of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Sandy Springs. In November of 2018, Father Bailey was called to be the Priest-in-Charge of Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Decatur, GA.
He is the Husband to Mrs. Marica Bailey & the proud father of Ms. Alexus Lowe, Ms. Makiya Williams, Ms. Zahria Williams & Mr. Ricari Bailey.