After years of mothering, ministering, graduating, serving on Quaker Valley School Board and as an interim pastor twice, Pastor Nano of Sewickley believes she finally has found her niche.

The Rev. Nancy Chalfant-Walker (affectionately known as Nano -- a cross between Nancy and her middle name, Oliver) has accepted the position as rector at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Wilkinsburg.

The Sewickley Academy graduate, who also attended Sarah Lawrence College, says the work at the small church seems to be a good fit as its main focus is on youth.

With a bachelor's degree in religion and philosophy from Chatham College and a master's degree in business administration from Boston University, she accepted her first job as youth minister at St. Stephen's Church in Sewickley, where she had been a member most of her life.

She then moved on to work with the youth ministry at Carnegie Mellon University through the Campus Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO).

Last month, she became rector at St. Stephen's, Wilkinsburg. "The church has a strong outreach ministry to youth of the neighborhood," she says, "but it is too soon to tell what else God wants us to do right now."

She has been with the church since October and served as "priest in charge" before being named rector.

The church draws about 60 to 70 on a Sunday, and she likes the people there, who, she says, are funny and interesting with a sweet spirit about them.

"And, Wilkinsburg has a lot of problems we can sink our teeth into. There are lots of closed businesses like Ambridge or Aliquippa, and there are job losses from the '70s and '80s that have families struggling."

With that in mind, she and church members are exploring the possibilities of some job development activities and also a mothers support group as the area is home to many single mothers.

And, not only as a rector but as a woman, Nano feels she could have a lot to bring to the church. "Women tend to be hierarchical in their leadership style. They tend to go at problems from a different angle.

"They seem to have an out-of-the-box creativity. They tend to relate to the person instead of tending to the task."

Although being a woman pastor is not as unique as it used to be, it still gives them an understanding from a minority perspective, she says.

But, for Nano, being a rector with her own church was not exactly something she expected to be doing in her late 50s.

While serving on Quaker Valley School Board for 12 years, she was trying to figure out what to do with her life, especially since her children had left the nest.

Her son, Mark, 26, is working on his Ph.D. in molecular biochemistry. Her daughter, Elea, 24, is moving back to the area in August to start medical school at University of Pittsburgh, and the youngest, Becca, is in her senior year at University of Colorado.

Born and raised in Sewickley, she and husband, Jon, had lived in Washington, D.C., then moved back to Sewickley when Mark was entering kindergarten and the two girls were babies.

That was the time when she focused on activities such as PTA and the Girl Scouts.

"But I always was interested in talking to people about their faith," she says.

So, she decided she would work to eventually get a Ph.D. to teach at the university level.

It didn't quite work out that way.

To reach her goal, she first had to get a master's degree in theology.

She began attending Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. About a year and a half into her studies, she tried to fight a persistent nudge toward becoming an ordained minister. She soon had to acknowledge she was losing the fight.

She ended up getting a master's degree in divinity instead, and in June 2003, she was ordained a deacon.

In January 2004, she was ordained to the priesthood.

She taught adult education studies and preaching at the Church of the Redeemer in Squirrel Hill, acted as a Doorway Deacon at Trinity Cathedralm and served at Lydia's Place, a prison pre-release program.

Her first post-ordained position was as assistant at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Monroeville. When the rector left, she served as interim rector.

She soon left there to serve again as interim rector at St. Paul's Church in Mt. Lebanon.

"I found out interim is not for me," she says.

She didn't like having to move from one group of people and meet up with another group of people just when she was getting used to the first group.

"I was hoping my next call was where I could stay for awhile."

She believes she will stay at St. Stephen's until she retires.

"I feel like it is an exciting place to be," she says.

"It has a lot of potential."