Associate Priest for Family Ministries & Communications

Full-time or three-quarter-time, depending on the preference of the candidate (see note 1 below)

St. Thomas’s, Huron Street is an Anglo-Catholic parish located in the heart of the St. George campus of the University of Toronto. Our parishioners gather from across Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area, via livestream, and beyond. Our mission statement is: “As an active and welcoming Anglo-Catholic parish rooted in Scripture, Reason and Tradition, we worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness and witness to Christ through pastoral care, music, education, discipleship, and service.” Affectionately referred to as “Smoky Tom’s,” we are particularly known for our liturgy and music, and our outreach to the hungry.

St. Thomas’s is in the midst of discerning a new understanding of ourselves as a parish in continuity with and rooted in one hundred and fifty years of the beauty of holiness expressed through our Anglo-Catholic liturgy, music, and outreach. With a growing livestreaming ministry with an international reach, and a weekly hunger/homeless feeding ministry in a major North American city, we are committed to active, life-changing ministry both locally and globally. It is an exciting time to be a part of St. Thomas’s, and it is a challenging one, as we pursue growth on several fronts, not least of which is a multi-million-dollar capital campaign for accessibility.

We intend to call an energetic priest who thrives in a collaborative team setting. While the primary role of the Associate will be to shepherd the Children, Youth, and Family Ministry of our parish, we are also seeking an enthusiastic leader who will take us to new heights in our Communications ministry, in addition to preaching, presiding, teaching, and pastoring.

As the job title expresses, the role focuses on two key areas alongside the usual duties of a priest in an active Anglo-Catholic parish. The percentages below thus demonstrate the emphasis and relative priority of each ministry area, and are not necessarily indicative of weekly time allocation:

Children, Youth and Family Ministry (30%)

After a decade leading the Church School, including through the pandemic, our volunteer Church School Coordinator has transitioned back to being an active member of the choir, leaving a well-developed curriculum that can be adopted and adapted as needed. The pandemic decimated our ministry to families and eliminated our nursery and youth group. Nevertheless, many children and grandchildren of parishioners are in the parish, in need of re-engagement and formation, and willing volunteers have begun to step forward. These volunteers, currently few in number, are searching for an inspiring and energetic leader. It will thus be the challenging but rewarding work of the Associate Priest to re-establish, support, liaise with, and cultivate the ministry of Christian formation, education, and the work of a reconstituted Church School, nursery, and youth ministry at St. Thomas’s. This includes personally facilitating and managing the development of all programming. The Associate Priest will have great freedom to explore new approaches, or bring previous experience to bear on this undertaking. The Associate Priest will help us discern fresh opportunities for engaging children and families in the life and ministry of the congregation – worshipping, learning, and serving. Other duties include: fostering increased liturgical participation of children and youth; offering pastoral support and encouraging Christian formation for multigenerational families, Church School teachers and youth leaders; and serving as the liaison to our relatively new Choristers program for children in grades 2-12.

Communications (30%)

Our current volunteer Director of Communications is transitioning out of this role over the next two years, and the Associate Priest for Family Ministries and Communications will play a key role in ensuring the high quality and continuity of all aspects of our communications ministry and its expansion. It is not expected that the priest will personally execute on the many and varied duties described in the job description for the Director of Communications (see the link at the bottom to access a PDF of the job description, which includes the appendix), but the priest called to this position will be an effective partner in and proactive recruiter of, pastor to, and manager of a team of volunteers in addition to undertaking significant communications work as a part of the priest’s portfolio.

Liturgy & Prayer (20%)

The Associate Priest will preach, celebrate, deacon, or officiate at Sunday and weekday services, taking one’s place in the Daily Office and weekday Low Mass rota, as well as other liturgies within the church and beyond (e.g., Christie Gardens and Belmont House). Other duties include: participating in the development, design, and implementation of weekly liturgies with the staff and lay leaders; and remaining faithful to their personal prayer, spiritual direction, confession, and study.

Pastoral Ministry (20%)

The Associate Priest will share in the pastoral care of parishioners, including hospital and home visits, crisis, and grief support. The Associate Priest will share the pastoral ministry and leadership of weddings, funerals, and baptisms.

Required Qualifications

• Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a valid work permit
• Ordination in the Anglican Church of Canada or otherwise qualified to be licensed by the Anglican Bishop of Toronto as a priest in good standing
• Must love Jesus and be committed to the mission of redemption and reconciliation at the heart of the proclamation of the Gospel
• Must be grounded in the Christian faith as expressed in the Nicene Creed and interpreted within the framework of a generous and hospitable orthodoxy
• Familiarity with or the desire to integrate the riches of the Anglo-Catholic tradition into one’s priestly identity and liturgical expression
• Musical competency (the ability to chant or a demonstrated capacity to learn liturgical chant)

Skills and Gifts

We are looking for:

• A talented children’s leader with proven ability to connect with and relate well to children, youth, and adults.
• Passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the laity.
• Great communication skills; writing, preaching, and teaching.
• Heart of a pastor and the skills of a motivator and administrator.
• Adaptability to changing ministry needs and able to serve a community that reflects the breadth and depth of Anglicanism in all of its complexity and contradictions.

Application process

Please prepare the following:

• A C.V. listing all relevant experience.
• A 500-word statement describing what appeals to you about this ministry position.
• A link to a recording (internet link or mp3 file) of a sermon being preached in worship, including the date of the event.
• A manuscript or transcript of the sermon would be helpful but not required.
• A sense of who you are as a human being, however expressed in word, song, image, or other creative gift.

Send via email to:
Associate Priest Advisory Committee to the Rector
frhumphrey@stthomas.on.ca

Deadline: 1 April 2025

1 This position as described herein is envisaged as full-time. However, if an exceptional priest applies who is seeking a three-quarter time position, e.g., due to graduate studies or family needs, this position description would be significantly revised and tailored to honour that candidate’s other commitment(s).