The Incumbent

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Stephen was born in Barbados on May 20, 1959. He is the first of four children. On completing his tertiary education at age 18, sponsored by the Diocese of Barbados, he was admitted to Codrington College in 1977 to test his vocation to the priesthood. Three years later, he graduated from that institution and the University of the West Indies with the Diploma in Theological Studies and the Bachelor of Arts (Honours, Theology).

For the next two years, he attended the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York City and completed the Master of Sacred Theology degree (S.T.M.). While there, he was made a Deacon (1981). He returned to Barbados in 1982 and spent the next 11 years serving the church at the parochial and diocesan levels. In 1993, he was invited to be the Associate Priest at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Toronto. He was appointed to his present Incumbency on July 1, 1996.

At its beginning, 1994, and for the next five years, he was very involved in the No Longer Strangers. He was the founding coordinator of The Black Anglicans Coordinator Committee. One hall mark of this committee’s work is the annual Diocesan Celebrating of Our Black Heritage, the largest Anglican celebration to mark Black History Month in Canada.

He coordinated the Fifth Caribbean Anglican Consultation which was held in Toronto in 1999. This Consultation is a biennial conference that seeks to examine the ministry and ministry needs of the clergy and those of the congregants in the Caribbean and the Caribbean Diaspora and to determine how they are contributing to the life of their church communities and how the church is responding to their needs.

At present, he is the Chair of a Local Committee assisting with the planning for The 3rd International Conference on AfroAnglicanism. The first conference was held in 1985 in Barbados while the second was held in Capetown, South Africa in 1995 at the invitation of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Approximately 800 Black Anglicans from across the world are expected to attend this conference in July 2005.

Since 1996, he has served as the Chaplain of the Caribbean Chorale of Toronto. He has been a member of several school councils in York Region since 1999. He currently serves as a member of the School Council of Maple High School. Canon Stephen is continues to serve the Diocese of Toronto as member of the Diocesan Council, the Social Justice and Advocacy Board and the Chaplaincy Committee.

In 1999, he was recognised for his Leadership in the Caribbean Anglican Community in North America at the Fifth Caribbean Anglican Consultation in Toronto. He was featured in the inaugural edition of Who's Who in Black Canada which was published in 2002. In 2003, he was the recipient of The Caribbean Chorale of Toronto President’s Award and was appointed by the Archbishop of Toronto as a Canon of St. James’ Cathedral.

In 2005 he received the prestigious African Canadian Award for Excellence in Religion given by Pride News Magazine.

His ministry is supported by his wife, Lucy, and their two sons, Marc and Luke.

Fr. Stephen's Interests

Fr. Stephen is particularly interested in the spiritual growth and development of the children and young adults and that of the Lay (unordained) Ministry of the Church. He is committed to the total integration of minority cultures, particularly the Black community in the life of the Diocese of Toronto. For this reason, the multicultural nature and ministry of the Diocese of Toronto continue to beckon him to further involvement. He is quite involved in organising programmes in this area but is mindful that he is seen as a symbol (and role model) for other visible minorities in the Diocese. He has acquired a measure of proficiency with the computer and uses it extensively in his ministry. Of course, as he puts it, "I treasure the privilege of being able to preach the gospel and to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, no matter what the tradition of the parish may be. I have found much value is using non-eucharistic liturgies as a way of allowing the Holy Spirit to find further expression in our life and worship."

How His Parishioners Rate Him

The following comments are excerpted from the results of Together in Ministry (TIM), a mutual assessment of ministry supervised by a diocesan consultant.

Sacramental and Worship Ministry

Stephen is very well organized, punctual and orderly. He shows dignity and exudes a sense joy. He puts a lot of thought in preparing and conducting worship services and likes to see things done well. The assessors also noted that he is knowledgeable, creative and leads services that are uplifting. He is also spontaneous and sometimes incorporates new ideas into the Service. He is committed to the Anglican tradition.

Prophet and Evangelist

There is consensus that Stephen has a passion for justice and is not afraid to speak out against injustice of any kind. He is outspoken yet gentle and kind, purposeful and focused, but open to different opinions and values. He is also described as understanding, truth-seeking and knowledgeable, with a special ability to apply the gospel message to people’s real life. He is welcoming to newcomers and supportive to the African groups.

Pastor

Stephen is described as very caring and always available to those who need pastoral care. He is patient and attentive to people’s needs. He visits the sick and shut-ins and shows a real concern for people and their welfare. Most of the assessors observed that Stephen comes across as well trained and equipped with counseling skills. He is warm, approachable, listens actively, remembers people’s names and is able to empathize with people in need.

Teacher

Stephen does a fair amount of teaching through his Sermons. Most assessors acknowledged his gift as a teacher in this regard. They especially noted that he is very effective in sharing with children. The children often look forward to the ‘In God’s Garden’ sessions on Sundays mornings. He has a good grasp of Scripture and theology and a gift for communicating his knowledge to others. He is able to speak to all ages.

Ministry Leader

tephen is gifted in dealing with diversity. He treats people equitably and is able to understand and weave different strands of people’s experience into one whole. He articulates a vision of the church that is sensitive both to the local needs of the community as well as the Diocese. He is a very good administrator. The assessors observed that he has the ability to encourage people’s involvement.

Personal and Professional Life

The assessors hold Stephen in high regard both as a person and spiritual leader. He is knowledgeable, socially conscious, sensitive to people’s values and concerns, committed to excellence in whatever he does and open to criticism. People value his willingness to show his vulnerability, and to freely share his own personal limitations. He is described as a wonderful brother and friend, a person who is humble and mixes well with others. He reflects the hope, joy and peace of the gospel.

Overall, there was a general satisfaction with Fr. Stephen’s ministry. People lifted up his gifts as a pastor, leader, teacher and administrator. He was described as someone who is dedicated to his calling, committed to social justice and takes his work very seriously. Some have used words like “inspirational”, “available”, “passionate” and knowledgeable” to describe Fr. Stephen’s ministry and how he has touched their lives.

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