By Fran Darlington - Retired Priest, Diocese of Niagara
Published: December 2006
Related Topics: People
The Bishop of Niagara, the Right Reverend Ralph Spence, consistently encourages Anglicans across the Diocese to explore connections with Christ's Church Cathedral and the people who bring it to life in the name of Christ. One of those people is the Reverend Sue-Ann Ward, Assistant Curate.
With primary duties in pastoral care, outreach and Christian education, Sue-Ann has brought new energy to the Cathedral's ministry in Hamilton's central core, which reaches well beyond the congregation, particularly through St Matthew's House and SISO, the organisation which assists immigrants and refugees, women, youth and racial minority peoples integrate into the community.
Sue-Ann's first project has become the Jamesville Breakfast Club, nurturing children of three local schools. "The principal at St. Mary's [Elementary School] made us aware of the need, and asked for support. Now we feed sixty plus children and a handful of adults every morning!" A large sign welcomes all, and the local crossing guard even comes early to enable the children to arrive safely.
With many volunteers from the Cathedral congregation, most Diocesan staff and Bishop Bergie of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, "help is provided with assignments and tutoring. Some volunteers do the shopping, others provide games." A former teacher in Special Education and Behavioural Intervention in Juvenile Court, Sue-Ann reads with the children, and represents the community on St. Mary's Parent Council. She was warmly welcomed, but as an Anglican priest in a Roman Catholic school, "at first there were questions. 'Are you a priest? Tell me about that!"
Sue-Ann enjoys watching "older children integrate with younger ones in ways they can't in class... [It's] building community, getting to know each other, and sharing a meal. We encourage any children to come, and for parents to allow them to come," all part of the effort to keep children in school.
Local businesses generously support this outreach: "We're getting to know so many people from the community, businesses, markets, and organisations, too many donors to name them all! We're able to do this because of partnership! Partnerships are so much stronger when we work together. The Roman Catholic Church asked for help--Amen!"
This ministry has evolved into the Community Centre, which "began as a development project concerned with housing and recreation, paying attention to poverty issues around Hamilton, [and discovering] how to reduce poverty and strengthen our communities." Soil in "brownfield areas is contaminated so children cannot play there, and that there were no local recreational facilities and little green space. We approached the Roman Catholic School Board to ask if we could use some of their space." St. Mary's School now provides space after school and on weekends, "every day but Sunday: four classrooms, a seminar room, an office, a kitchen, and the gym after 4:00 pm."
Her eyes dancing, Sue-Ann explains, "We want to work with other individuals and groups in the community to provide programs, crafts, arts, dance, music of all ages, chess, sewing, table tennis, leadership for teens, and summer camps!" Cathedral members and staff have organised a clothing cupboard, and Sue-Ann is "working with [McMaster University] to provide child minding while immigrant women take classes."
Now, supported by HARRRP, the Hamilton Association for Residential and Recreational Redevelopment Programs, the hope is to purchase property to provide better housing, recreational and gathering space. A Board has been "formed to provide oversight, to foster various necessary skill sets, to facilitate protection for the Diocese in terms of liability should something go drastically wrong, and to enable grants the Diocese could not apply for." Sue-Ann grins, "I've learned how to write funding proposals!"
With Sr. Michael Community of the Sisters of the Church (CSC), who volunteers for twenty hours a week, Simon Mach, a Sudanese refugee hired as Community Centre Supervisor, has "done wonderful things in this community! His background is in nursing, he has a lovely family, with a wife and four children, and speaks at least six languages. He's teaching me Arabic!"
Sue-Ann is quick to recognise contributions by many other people, and her enthusiasm bubbles: "This is all out of identified needs within the community. We're not doing stuff for people, but with people!"
Sue-Ann's energy is also directed to other areas, such as Pastoral Care. "The Cathedral has a wonderful team. They're absolutely terrific, all twelve of them, going out. Some take communion to those unable to attend the Cathedral for worship."
For Christian Education, "There's a team of leaders. We got input from parishioners about topics and scheduling, so it varies through the year." Brian Stopps supports Sue-Ann in offering Youth Ministry for "about a dozen" young people.
Another responsibility for Sue-Ann is "the privilege of helping to organise and MC events at the Cathedral, [such as] the celebration of Confirmation, Ordination and the Order of Niagara." Echoing Bishop Ralph, she says firmly, "I strongly believe that those services should all happen here, to bring people together, to function as [the Diocesan] family."
Acknowledging that she "sort of replaced [the Reverends] Dan Brereton and Ann Turner," past Cathedral Vicar and Deacon respectively, Sue-Ann also does "regular priestly wonderful things. I visit people in their homes, baptise, marry, bury, do Confirmation preparation." At the recent Diocesan Leadership Conference, Sue-Ann shared her experiences in a presentation on outreach and empowering a parish. She says, "We all need a reason to get out of bed in the morning. A parish is no different; it needs a reason to be too."
Sue-Ann also appreciates ministry deeply shared by the Cathedral Dean, the Very Reverend Peter Wall. "I'm very blessed to have a Rector who has entrusted me with many other duties."
"[Unlike most curacies] I'm not here to do a two year curacy and (then) move on. I'm here!" That means stability for Sue-Ann and those she serves with great enthusiasm and real humility, doing "lots and lots of different and wonderful things! This is the best place to do ministry. Christ's Church Cathedral needs to be here!" Asking, "Where would Jesus be?" she answers her own question, "With the most disadvantaged! We can do so many ministries without spending money if we just bring resources together. There's money out there. If you can show people they're touching lives, they'll open their wallets. People need to know what they can do."
For someone who, when she revealed her strong call to ordained ministry, was laughed at by her high school guidance counsellor, Sue-Ann Marilyn Alexandra Ward, nee Jones, has offered energy and commitment and taken on responsibilities that would intimidate many others. Earning a B.A. in Science in 1992, and a B.Ed. in 1993, Sue-Ann became a teacher, but never forgot that call. Sue-Ann married Jeff Ward, who became an engineer, and a senior manager with the technology firm Celestica. Together they brought four children of their own--Danielle, Michael, Justine and Zachary, who are now young adults--and have been fostering "mostly special needs children for years." Sue-Ann and Jeff have also been caregivers for Jeff's younger brother who was severely brain-injured in a car accident in 1991, "but now he's making a new life."
Sue-Ann reads "just about anything," makes music on the piano and guitar, actively participates in and/or coaches various sports, walks, hikes, runs, and loves to laugh! Four plates on her office wall say a lot about this serene, gracious woman: Mother Teresa, the loaves and fish of Capernaum, a ballerina, and one from Cooke's Presbyterian Church in Toronto, where Sue-Ann's Grandfather was an elder and she was baptised.
God had more in mind for this gifted couple. Following studies at Trinity College, Toronto, Jeff and Sue-Ann were ordained together as Deacons in May, 2005, and as priests in December, 2005. The Dean commented fondly that it was the first time he had seen two candidates for ordination holding hands! Jeff is now serving as Assistant Curate at St. Simon's Church, Oakville.
Reiterating her advocacy for partnership, Sue-Ann says, "We are very, very blessed with the folks we have. We've got parishes doing wonderful things, let's work together! We can learn from wisdom, and support each other." Acknowledging that "anxiety is natural when we feel threatened," she continues, "if we demonstrate that we're doing God's work, if people see generosity and loving out there, they'll want to be involved."
The editor of this newspaper, Christopher Grabiec, wrote, "Advent is about hope and living a life anticipating and working toward the fullness of God's reign on earth. It's about growing in our understanding of the immanent presence of Christ and God's spirit among us. It's joyful and hopeful."
The Reverend Sue-Ann Ward's joy and hope in her life and work shines in her eyes as she proclaims, "I love it, love it, love it!" Indeed "anticipating and working toward the fullness of God's reign on earth," she is a gift and inspiration, not only for this holy season but every day, not only to the Cathedral and the community around it, but to us all, and we are thankful.