Bishop Barres was ordained in 1989 for the Diocese of Wilmington. He earned degrees from Princeton University, the New York University Graduate School of Business, The Catholic University of America, and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Trustees for The Catholic University of America. Before his 2016 appointment as Bishop of Rockville Centre, he was the Bishop of Allentown from 2009 to 2016.