• A 2010 People of Praise directory states that she held the title of “handmaid,” a leadership position for women in the community, according to a directory excerpt obtained by The Washington Post. “Handmaids give advice to other women on issues such as child rearing and marriage.”

• Also, while in law school, Barrett lived at the South Bend home of People of Praise’s influential co-founder Kevin Ranaghan and his wife, Dorothy, who together helped establish the group’s male-dominated hierarchy and view of gender roles.

• One former People of Praise member told The Post: “Women were homemakers; they were there to support their husbands. My dad was the head of the household and the decision-maker.” Another person raised in the People of Praise community said elders instructed her not to “emasculate” male peers by outwitting them in conversation.

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