Father Benjamin Barr grew up in Chippewa, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He is the middle child of Ronald and Mary Anne Barr, who currently reside in South Carolina inland from Myrtle Beach. He has an older brother, Aaron, who is married with two children. Aaron and his wife Olesya, as well as their children James and Olivia, reside in Chippewa. He also has a younger sister, Sarah, who is married with two children. She and her husband, Stephen, as well as their two children, Scarlett and Samuel, reside in South Carolina.

Father Barr attended St. Philomena School in Beaver Falls and graduated in 2000 from Blackhawk High School, Beaver Falls. He was accepted into the Diocesan Priestly Formation Program in the Fall of 2000 and attended St. Paul Seminary and Duquesne University from 2000-02. He was then enrolled in the Basselin Program at Theological College and the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., from 2002-05, during which time he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy. He withdrew from the priestly formation program in 2005 due to medical concerns.

In 2011, Father Barr was reaccepted into the priestly formation program and completed a year of pre-theology studies at St. Paul Seminary and Duquesne University. He was assigned to Theological College and The Catholic University of America to begin theological studies in the fall of 2012, and finished his third year of theological studies in 2015.

In June 2015, he was assigned to St. Bernard Parish, Mount Lebanon, to begin a pastoral year. He was ordained a deacon on June 25, 2016. In summer 2016, Deacon Barr again was assigned to St. Bernard Parish before returning to Theological College and The Catholic University of America to finish his fourth year of theological studies. In 2017, he was ordained a priest and returned to serve at St. Bernard Parish as Parochial Vicar. He was assigned to the newly formed Saint Michael the Archangel Parish following the merger of Saint Bernard Parish and Our Lady of Grace Parish, where he served until his assignment to Holy Spirit Parish in New Castle.

Fr. Barr was installed as Pastor of Holy Spirit Parish on August 24, 2024.

Fr. Barr greatly enjoys the outdoors. He is an avid hiker, as time allows, and also enjoys kayaking, bonsai, and astronomy. Some years ago, he served as chaplain to a diocesan pilgrimage, hiking some 200 miles across Spain along the Camino de Santiago. He also keeps two birds as pets and maintains a number of freshwater aquariums.