He was ordained a deacon on June 14, 1953, and a priest on December 21, 1953, in Albany. He served as a curate at Bethesda Church in Saratoga Springs, in upstate New York, for three years.[1]
He was elected canon in 1956, serving until 1961.[1][2] He served three years as Canon Sacrist and two years as Canon Precentor.[1]
He was then elected dean of the Cathedral of All Saints in Albany in 1960,[2] and served over two decades, until 1984.[1] During that time, he served on a number of non-profit boards, including as President of the Dudley Park Housing Authority, which developed a housing project in Arbor Hill, Albany, New York.[1]
Ball opposed women's ordination in the 1970s and was briefly associated with the Episcopal Synod of America but later changed his position, serving with and ordaining female priests and deacons since at least 1989.[9]
He took part in several consecrations of other bishops, including that of his successors.[10][11] He was considered a conservative on issues such as apostolic succession.[12][self-published source]
He retired in 1998, at the then mandatory retirement age of 72.[1]
In retirement
Upon his retirement, Ball was succeeded by then-bishop Daniel W. Herzog. Ball again became active in many local charities.[1][13] The Bishop Ball Golf Tournament, an annual fundraiser for the cathedral, is named in his honor.[14] The Doane Stuart School, on whose board he sat until mid-2008, named a trustee award for him.[15][16]
Ball continued to serve as Bishop-in Residence at the Cathedral of All Saints.[17] He gained a reputation on such issues as ecumenism[18][19] and alternate oversight in the Anglican Communion.[20][21][22]
12345678910111213George J. Marshall (ed.). "Looking Back 90 Years: The 90th Birthday of the Right Reverend David Standish Ball". The Albany Episcopalian. Vol.13, no.3, May 2016. pp.13–15.
12George E. DeMille, Pioneer Cathedral: A Brief History of the Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, pp. 160, 181-183 (1961).
↑Mary S. Donovan, "Women as Priests and Bishops", UALR History Seminar, November 7, 1989; Revised February 13, 1992; July 20, 1992, found at Women as Priests and Bishops. Accessed March 30, 2008.
↑Robert David Redmile, The Apostolic Succession and the Catholic Episcopate in the Christian Church of Canada, p. 68, found at Google Books. Accessed April 14, 2008.
↑"Women as Priests and Bishops" by Mary S. Donovan, UALR History Seminar, November 7, 1989,
Revised February 13, 1992; July 20, 1992 unpublished article by a CUNY professor Accessed April 22, 2008
