The Rev'd David Harrison, Rector

Father David was born and educated in Toronto. He has a Master of Arts in History from York University and a Master of Divinity from Trinity College at the University of Toronto. He was ordained priest in 2000 and served as curate at St. John’s Church, Port Hope. He has been Incumbent of St. Thomas, Brooklin, near Whitby, for the past nine years.
Father David sees St. Mary Magdalene’s as “a parish with a rich liturgical and musical life, a parish in which this liturgical life inspires, equips and feeds the community for its common life, and its Christ-formed witness to the world … a parish located in a community in which the diversity of God’s creation is manifested in human diversity of all kinds.”
Father David has worked extensively for the diocese in the areas of liturgy and clergy formation. He is a member of the diocesan Doctrine and Worship and Postulancy committees. He has written extensively on the liturgy and has been chair of Liturgy Canada, the national association of professional and parish liturgists. He is an accomplished musician and holds an A.R.C.C.O. diploma from the Royal Canadian College of Organists.
He reflects, “Anglo-catholic liturgy is incarnational – it is the centre of parish life and it needs to be strong. A parish lives its life in microcosm in its liturgy.”
His recent incumbency has seen great change in Brooklin, a rapidly growing exurban community. Father David has overseen a small village parish become a program-sized church. In November 2009, the congregation dedicated a new church building.
Father David is an experienced teacher and facilitator of Christian formation. He has served as co-chair of Momentum, the post-ordination training program for new clergy and has taught eucharistic presiding to students in the Faculty of Divinity at Trinity College. He has facilitated successful programs for children and youth in his parish.
Father David is married to Mary Lou who is a freelance writer and editor. They are parents to 11 year-old twin daughters, Sarah and Rachel. The family recently spent a month in the Diocese of Grahamstown, South Africa, visiting the Cathedral, other parishes and AIDS projects.
We commend them to your prayers as they join the SMM parish family.
Email address: rector@stmarymagdalene.ca

Stephanie Martin, Director of Music

Stephanie Martin has been appointed by the Wardens as the Director of Music. She was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Music, Faculty of Fine Arts at York University, Toronto, in July 2004. She teaches harpsichord and organ, Gregorian Chant, Renaissance Music, Sacred Music and Art, and two courses on J.S. Bach. In addition, Professor Martin conducts Toronto’s Pax Christi Chorale, an 85-voice oratorio choir who perform masterworks with full orchestra and professional soloists. In addition to teaching at the University, conducting the Pax Christi Chorale, and heading the music at our church, Professor Martin is also the organist for the Toronto Community of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine. A fuller biography of Professor Martin may be found at her website.
E-mail Address: stmartin@yorku.ca

 

Marian Horne Greenwood, Parish Administrator

Marian Horne Greenwood has been a member of St. Hilary’s Port Credit since it was a tiny white portable in a sea of mud - 51 years. She earned an honour degree in English Language and Literature from Trinity College and a post graduate diploma in Corporate Communications from Sheridan College and enjoyed her careers in fashion, legal conveyancing and association management in the health care and construction sectors. Marian shares her heart and hearth with Piccolo and is fortunate to live near her beautiful daughter Erin and her still very active 92 year old mother Mary Ellen. She can recite The Lord’s Prayer in English, French, Latin and Anglo Saxon, loves to entertain, enjoys travelling and the theatre and is blessed with a large circle of wonderful, interesting friends.
E-mail Address: office@stmarymagdalene.ca

Alvaro Castañeda, Sexton

Alvaro Castañeda comes to us from Colombia where he was a successful artist specializing in ceramic creations. As the parish sexton, or janitor, he is responsible for the day-to-day upkeep and cleaning of the facilities. He shares these responsibilities with his wife and son.

Rob Castle, People's Warden and Cantor

Rob has been a parishioner at SMM for the past 12 years and a member of the Ritual Choir for close to 13years. For the last 6 years, he has been SMM’s Cantor. Rob studied history at York University where he has been the Executive Director of the Student Centre since 1989. Though his work is important to him, Rob’s passion is Gregorian Chant.  He has participated in an advance programme in Chant at the Benedictine Monastary of St. Pierre, Solesmes, France. As well, he led the massed choirs of the Gregorian Institute of Canada at their National Colloquium on Chant. Rob’s responsibilities as People ’s Warden tend toward Human Resource support for parish staff.   Over the last 2 years, he helped guide SMM’s renovations and fundraising efforts.  He is currently chairing the Parish Selection Committee.

Heather McGregor, Rector's Warden

Heather has been a member of the congregation since 1967 and was the first woman Warden in the parish of St. Mary Magdalene. She has served as the Secretary of the Advisory Board, and is currently the Rector’s Warden. She was appointed by the Bishop to the Parkdale Commission which was established to examine the future of seven parishes in the downtown west area of the city. As the Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA Toronto, Heather McGregor oversees a budget of over $20,000,000.00, more than 300 staff members, and 40-plus programs and services located across the City of Toronto. Since January of 1995, Heather has been the guiding force behind the city’s largest multi-service organization by, for and about women and girls. Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia. She is the mother of two children – Mark, a retired professional dancer and current fashion stylist, and Solange, a Production Manager and Field Director for Tricon Film and Television.

Elizabeth Cowling, Deputy People's Warden

Elizabeth Cowling has been a parishioner since 1973 and sang for many years in the Gallery Choir. She was a elementary teacher with a specialty in Special Education in Toronto for 29 years until her retirement in 2007. She has arts and education degrees from the University of Toronto and studied at the Université de Toulouse. She is a member of the Tallis Choir and has a lively interest in the arts. She has been active in the Folk Mass and has been a member of the Advisory Board, a counter, lector, sideperson, and Lay Delegate to Synod. She was a member of the Parish Selection Committee and is involved with Out of the Cold. She lives in the parish with her husband Douglas and has two sons, John and Aidan.

David Widenmaier, Deputy Rector's Warden

David and his wife Linda are the proud parents of twin daughters Robyn and Shannon and grandparents of Lula and Penny. Dave was a warden during Fr. Hutt's tenure at SMM. In the intervening years he was a long time member at St. Dunstan of Canterbury in Scarborough. Dave has been back at SMM for the last four years since moving back downtown where he and Linda are enjoying condo living. In the work world Dave is manager of estimating for a large international curtainwall company and as such has been involved in construction projects all over the US, Canada, France and the UK. For leisure he has been involved in community musical theatre for almost 40 years and he and Linda love good food, good wine and travel.

The Rev'd. Theo Ipema, Honorary Assistant

Fr. Ipema was born in Rotterdam, Holland and moved to Canada with his family as a young boy. After a short stay in Flin Flon, Manitoba he moved with his family to Calgary where he had his first encounter with the Anglican Church as a high school student at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer. He sang in the choir under the leadership of Robert Hunter Bell and was prepared for confirmation by a former Master of Ceremonies of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, so it was almost inevitable that he should end up at SMM at some point in his life. He first came here as a student at Trinity College and has been here as an honorary assistant since 1989. He is currently Interim Priest-in-Charge, St Timothy-by-the-Humber, and therefore he assists our parish on weekday feasts and with some daily masses.

The Rev'd. Paul MacLean, Honorary Assistant

After graduation in the 1970's Paul served as a priest and teacher in Anglican parishes and schools in Vancouver, the United Kingdom and Toronto. He holds four degrees, two each in theology and English literature, and has had a lifelong passion for helping people discover and develop faith through theology, the arts and liturgy. Paul is the executive director of Potentials, a unique Canadian ecumenical centre for the development of ministry and congregations, which he helped to found in 1995. Prior to Potentials, Paul held various consultant positions in the National Programme office of the Anglican Church of Canada.

 

The Rev'd Canon John Whittall, Honorary Assistant

Father Whittall is no stranger to SMM. He was Interim Priest-in-Charge for the 6 months prior to Farther Harold's arrival as Priest-in-Charge in 1983 and began attending SMM while a divinity student at Trinity College (1966-69). Ordained priest and deacon in Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal in 1969, he spent his curacy at the Church of St Barnabas, St Lambert (1969-1971) and then was Priest-in-Charge of the parish of St Hubert until he was appointed rector of the Church of St Bartholomew, Hamilton in 1974. In 1980 he became Dean of Residence at Trinity College, University of Toronto until 1988, during which time he was Honourary Assistant at SMM. Father Whittall was rector at St. Wilfrid's in Etobicoke for 21 years before his recent retirement. The Whittall/Maybee family consider SMM to be their home parish - their son Richard was married in the church on August 21, this summer. Fr John is pleased to be back home. Email address: johnwhittall@bell.net.

The Rev'd Canon Maylanne Maybee, Honorary Assistant Deacon

Maylanne Maybee was born into a diplomatic family and spent her childhood in Australia, Washington DC, and Beruit Lebanon as well as in Ottawa. She received a degree in French Language and Literature from Trinity College, Toronto and studied education and theology at Oxford University. She first came to St. Mary Magdalene as an undergraduate, and returned in 1982 as a newly ordained deacon and young mother of two boys . She began serving as a deacon at the Folk Mass and at the High Mass and preaching from time to time in the late 80's, took some time out to serve the parish of St. Matthias, and later St. Stephen-in-the-Field and returned to St. Mary Magdalene's as honourary assistant deacon in 2007. Maylanne has been an advocate of the diaconate as a distinctive order of ministry, and serves as Ecojustice Coordinator on the staff of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada.