Clergy, Staff and Wardens

The Reverend Dr. Irina Dubinski

Incumbent

Email: priest@sttimothy.ca

Personal website and blog: https://irinasart.ca/

Irina was ordained in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto in 2015, following the completion of her Master’s of Divinity degree at Wycliffe College, and Spiritual Direction Diploma at Regis College. Prior to this, she had earned a PhD in Speech-Language Pathology and BA in Linguistics, and pursued an academic path. She has served in churches of various sizes in Toronto, as well as as a chaplain in school and long-term care settings. Today, her ministry focuses on parish life combined with occasional teaching at Wycliffe. She also has a strong interest in the children’s faith development, end-of life care, and new clergy formation. Her personal spirituality reflects a combination of the Orthodox heritage of her country of birth, early faith experiences in the Evangelical church, transition to Anglicanism for theological and liturgical reasons, and formal training in Ignatian (Jesuit) spiritual direction. The practices she borrowed from each tradition together facilitate her awareness of God’s presence and activity in the world, which she is delighted to share in her parish work and spiritual direction practice. Irina is also an amateur artist, belonging to The Artists’ Network and regularly showing her work. If she isn’t at the church or at her easel, she could also be driving the kids somewhere, running/biking/swimming in preparation for another triathlon race, baking, reading, or watering her garden or “indoor jungle”.

The Reverend Carol Shih

Assistant Curate

Email: curate@sttimothy.ca

Carol Shih was newly ordained to the transitional diaconate in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto on April 30, 2023 and graduated with her study of Master of Divinity at Wycliffe College this past May. It is her second Master’s program. The first was a Masters of Christian Studies completed in Hong Kong years ago. She worked part-time at St Martin-in-the-Fields (Toronto) as Children’s and Youth Pastoral Associate before joining St. Tim’s. She also worked in marketing, church policy, administration, advocacy, theological education, and education for a number of years. Outside work, she regularly volunteered in a variety of church ministries like children’s, youth, family, seekers’ and newly baptized. Discipleship and pastoral care are her focus. She appreciates how the studies, work, and volunteering help her grow in faith.

Staff

Ed Connell

Music Director

Edward Connell is a life-long professional musician with an impressive rainbow of skills and talents. He began training as a concert pianist in his native Edmonton, eventually accumulating a stack of degrees, diplomas and medals. He then embarked on a career as a theatre musician, and along the way, wrote plays and musicals (published and produced), acted, and composed incidental scores to everything from Shakespeare to Torch Song Trilogy.

Simultaneously, he took up a secondary career as an organist, choir director and singer, mastering those skills, and earning more diplomas and prizes, including the coveted FRCCO and the Healey Willan Prize. In 2000, he moved to Toronto to take up the musical leadership of Timothy Eaton Memorial Church.

In 2005, he was appointed pianist to the National Ballet of Canada. He has been lauded for several high-profile performances. These include Chopin’s 24 Preludes at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and across Canada, and piano etudes by Philip Glass in a new ballet by Guillaume Côté, performed here, in Moscow and in St. Petersburg. Most recently, he was on stage (and in costume) playing and conducting the orchestra in the ragtime ballet “Elite Syncopations”. He is currently deeply involved in helping to set the new Karen Kain production of “Swan Lake”.

Since 2002, he has been the artistic director of Forte-Toronto Gay Men’s Chorus. Over 20 years, he has built the chorus into one of Canada’s finest men’s choirs, and is particularly admired for the 200+ custom arrangements that he has made for the group. He continues as a church musician, and for more than a decade has been the music director of St. Timothy’s Anglican, where his skills led that church to install a new and magnificent organ that he designed.

Jonathan Kang

Lay Pastoral Associate

Email: associate@sttimothy.ca

Jonathan was born in Korea, raised in Singapore, and has lived in the U.K., the U.S., and Canada. He has a B.A. from Oxford University, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. After graduation, he was first a litigator in private practice, and later a professor of law and philosophy, specializing in contract law, comparative law, and legal philosophy. Prior to discerning a call to ordained ministry, he trained and served with an international missions organization, and later studied theology at Wycliffe College in the University of Toronto. His passion is as a preacher and an educator, participating in Christ’s ministry to help others encounter Scripture for themselves and to discover how their lives and the world are to be understood by, in, and through the Word of God.

Ashani Weerasinghe

Parish Administrator

If you need information about St Timothy’s, it is Ashani who will get you the answers! Working Monday – Friday both remotely and at the church, Ashani can be contacted by phone and email. Over the summer Ashani generally works from the church office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 – 3, but best to check ahead of time if you are planning on dropping by.

Gildardo Blandon

Custodian

Bio coming soon

Wardens and Deputy Wardens

Michael Clarke

Rector’s Warden

Michael and his wife, Marilyn, have been members of St. Timothy’s since 2011 when they returned to Canada from overseas. Michael was actively involved in our Refugee Sponsorship, serving as chair of the committee and most recently, has been a member of our Advisory Board and performs the Screening function for the parish. He has been a volunteer for many of the events held in the church over the years and continues to do so. Michael and Marilyn enjoy not only the wonderful music at St. Timothy’s but the welcoming community within the parish.

Jan Fraser

People’s Warden

Janet has been part of St Timothy’s since 1962 when her parents moved back to Toronto from Calgary, Alberta. “In those days, when you moved, your Parish Priest gave you a letter of introduction for your new Parish Priest. St Tim’s has been an integral part of my life since childhood – like an extension of my family and family home. Like a family, they have been there to share life’s highs and lows with support and friendship”. Janet is currently Chair of the St Andrew’s Group as well as a member of the Choir, Christmas Kitchen baking group, Archives and Free Little Pantry.

Mary Pember

Deputy Rector’s Warden

Mary is a life-long Anglican and she and her husband, Fred, have been members of the parish for approximately 15 years. Mary has served on the Advisory Board, the Finance Committee and the Chancel Guild and looks forward to supporting and growing the parish as a Church Warden. She also volunteers with the Diocese as a Stewardship Coach and sits on the Board of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto Foundation.

Bruce Cameron

Deputy People’s Warden

Bruce and his wife Irina were married in Montreal in 1984 and have been members of St Timothy’s since the mid-90’s. Over the years Bruce has volunteered as choir member, Outreach committee, intercessor and advisory board member. His passion is for outreach activities including Moorelands Camp, Faithworks and our Little Free Pantry. He traces many treasured friendships to his involvement in St Timothy’s community of faithful people. He is honoured to serve as Deputy People’s Warden.