St. Timothy's

The Reverend Clare Louise Stewart

Direct Line: 587.687.1490    clare@sttimothy-edm.ca 

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Clare+ was raised in a Valley Town at the base of the Niagara Escarpment outside Hamilton, Ontario.  From her bedroom window, she could see the rocks of The Escarpment and at night listen to the trains.  Now living on the outer edges of St. Albert, Clare finds comfort in once again being able to listen at night to the trains.

Clare was very involved in the Girl Guides of Canada throughout her childhood and young adulthood.  She spent summers first as a camper and then staff at the Ontario Provincial Girl Guide Camp, Doe Lake in Muskoka.  Through her involvement with Guiding, Clare was afforded many opportunities to explore both Canada and the world, with her adventures taking her to the provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland, the Northwest Territories, to the Republic of Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Brazil, and to Moscow, Russia.

Clare had an early passion for collecting rocks during all her adventures, and this led Clare to earn an undergraduate degree in Geological Engineering from the University of Waterloo, followed by a graduate degree (M.Sc.) in Earth Science all from the University of Waterloo.  For 20 years, Clare built a career as a Hydrogeologist/Environmental Engineer, specialising in the study of groundwater and contaminant flow at landfill sites, analysing the data from all parts of the natural environment to unravel the story it had to tell, finding solutions for landfill management, and sustainable solutions for future waste management.  Clare remains a licenced professional engineer (self declared non-practicing) in Ontario and Alberta.

In 2014, Clare left her career and enrolled in seminary at Huron University College at Western in London, Ontario.  She did this without a clear picture of where it would lead, but knowing she was called to the study of theology and church history, learning more about herself and her relationship with Christ, and to explore where God might be leading her.  While completing her Master of Divinity (M.Div.) Clare realised she was called to ordained ministry of the priesthood.

Clare began her ordained ministry on the Great Northern Peninsula in the Diocese of Western Newfoundland.  There she served a four point parish encompassing five communities and eight cemeteries. 

Clare arrived in the Edmonton Area about 3 weeks before the Public Health Orders around COVID-19 were issued in March 2020.  Thus, she found herself in a new place, during a challenging time for our world, society, and the church.  Clare was asked by Bishop Jane to undertake a 3-month part-time position as Interim Vicar at All Saint’s Cathedral whilst they searched for a new Vicar.  This was followed by a year of part-time ministry at St. Mary’s in Highlands.  During these part-time ministry positions, Clare also undertook contract engineering work.  Clare came to St. Timothy’s in October 2021 as our Interim Priest-in-Charge and was inducted as our Rector on June 1, 2022.

As the Rector of St. Timothy's, Clare+ is an Honourary Director of Canterbury Foundation where she also sits on the Governance Committee, the Nominating Sub-committee, and the CEO's Advisory Committee related to management of the Foundation's physical assets.  At least once a month, Clare leads worship for the community at Canterbury Foundation, but she is in the facility providing ad-hoc spiritual care to both residents and staff on a frequent basis.  She also leads worship once a month at Capital Care Laurier House, Lynnwood.

In addition to her work at St. Timothy’s, Clare is a member of the Diocesan Executive Council. She also sits on two working groups of the Diocesan Social Justice Committee ~ one related to environmental concerns (5th Mark in Action) and the other around advocacy and inclusion for LGBTQIA2S+ persons (Queerly Beloved).  

At the national level, Clare is a member of the Public Witness for Social and Ecological Justice Working Group Creation Matters of the Anglican Church of Canada.  In early 2024, Clare+ was appointed by the Primate as the representative of the Anglican Church of Canada to the Task Force on Carbon Neutrality of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.  In summer 2024, Clare was appointed to the Anglican Church of Canada's Feast of Creation Task Group whose mandate is to continue the work explored at the ecumenical seminar held in Assisi,  March 2024 in the Canadian Anglican context.

Clare’s ministry passions include Christian Education and running a meeting that is well planned, organized, and no longer than necessary.