Bishop Pat Patrick, Founder

Bishop "Mama Pat" Pearl Patrick was born in Arkadelphia, Arkansas on August 15, 1923 and started singing at age 4. She married Johnny Patrick and moved to California in 1957. Mama sang in numerous churches by herself and with the Angelettes in both the Los Angeles area and in Oxnard. In 1973 she was ordained as a Minister. In 1978 Mama came to Santa Barbara to live and work as a nanny for the children of actress Anne Francis.

She chartered the Church of Inner Light in 1979 and was ordained into the New Order of Glastonbury in 1980. After being asked to sing in several of the churches in Santa Barbara, many people were encouraged by her zeal for Gospel singing.

In 1980, when a small group of people asked Mama Pat to teach them about Gospel singing, she founded the Inner Light Community Gospel Choir with only 6 singers and a guitar player. In 1981 the choir joined the national Gospel Workshop of America. The Santa Barbara/Gold Coast Chapter became one of the first Inter Faith / Inter Racial choirs in that organization. Since then, the choir has performed all over the United States and in 1988 traveled abroad and performed in Findhorn, Scotland. In 1986, Mama Pat was raised to Bishop in the New Order of Glastonbury. Since then she has ordained numerous people into the ministry.

Mama has always been an inspiration to people around the globe because of her spiritual and musical contributions. She received awards from the City and the County of Santa Barbara, the City of Oxnard, the NAACP and from various other organizations for her substantial contributions to the community. In 1995 she was honored as one of Santa Barbara's Local Heroes.

In 2001 Mama Pat was honored by being entered into the Congressional Record (Vol 147 No 153) for her efforts in uniting the Santa Barbara community through music ... for bringing diverse cultures together through the founding of the choir, for introducing African American Gospel music to the community through the Adult Education Program in Santa Barbara, and for being the visionary who helped obtain the Black History flags which fly each February on State Street in honor of Black History Month.

Years ago, when many still feared the disease, Mama was the only person who would perform burial services for AIDS victims. Mama Pat was also a writer and lyricist, and among the things written was a book called "Spiritual Vitamins", and a song called "Our God is a Right Now God". Through her many contributions and her enthusiasm for life, Mama positively impacted the lives of many, many people. Her music and gift of unconditional love truly touched hearts and lifted spirits wherever she went!

Bishop "Mama Pat" Pearl Patrick made her transition peacefully on December 24, 2004. The members of the Inner Light Community Gospel Choir have literally been Mama's children, her family since 1980. It is with great fondness and gratitude for the incredible enrichment she brought to our lives, that her relatives, her godchildren, her friends, and her sons and daughters of the heart and spirit will always remember her!

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