This Easter season, the Rev. Ruth Amadio is settling into her new call and her new community. Amadio became the pastor of Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua last September.

“It’s been a whirlwind because starting at the end of September, I was starting close to Advent and Christmas,” Amadio said. “I think I can say things have gone pretty smoothly. I’ve truly had a wonderful experience at this church.”

A native of Ohio, Amadio first received bachelor’s degrees in applied conflict management and psychology from Kent State University. In May 2025, she graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, N.J., with Master of Divinity and Master of Christian Education and Formation degrees.

After graduating, Amadio began seeking out her first call within the church and was quickly drawn to Catasauqua once she met with the church’s pastoral nominating committee.

“I had talked to some other churches, but I just felt such a connection to the people on the committee,” she said. “It really felt like I had known them for longer than just the one-hour interview.”

Beyond the connection she felt when meeting church members during the search process, she also felt drawn by the church’s mission and outreach work, like the monthly free lunches the church organizes, Amadio said.

“I think that involvement in a community is a real part of church ministry,” she said. “That’s one of the things that really drew me to apply to this church position in the first place.”

Within the Presbyterian church, the pastoral search process includes some unique components, including a website designed to connect pastoral candidates with churches, Amadio said.

“We each put up profiles and [pastoral candidates] review the profiles of what the church community is like, and I have things on there about my own theological views and statement of faith, along with typical resume things,” she explained. “There are essays and other things on there, more personal than what other jobs would be looking for.”

During the interview process, Amadio met with the nominating committee both online and then in person. After that, she came in front of the entire congregation and preached, at which point the congregation voted to call her, she explained.

However, not only did the church have to select her for the pastoral call, but the presbytery had to interview her and approve her for the church as well, she explained.

“It’s a little bit of a different process because you’re agreeing to be part of a church community, not just an office job, so it’s really about that personal connection,” Amadio said.

Since arriving, the church has stayed busy, she said. Along with the monthly free lunches the church hosts, it also conducts a monthly food drive, collects money for different organizations and even held a St. Patrick’s Day event.

Amadio looks forward to getting even more involved as the church moves out of the busy Easter season, she said.

“I’ve been really focused on getting to know the church, and I would love to get to know the Catasauqua community more, show up to more community events and see what those community needs are,” Amadio said.

As a first-time pastor, she said she continues to learn and looks forward to that opportunity.

“There’s only so much you can learn in a classroom, so there’s a lot that’s new and that I’m still getting used to, but I think this is a perfect community to do that learning,” Amadio said. “Everyone is very supportive.”

Services at Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua are 10:45 a.m. Sundays. The church is located at 210 Pine St.