Credentials

Rev. Ed holds the office of Appointed Designated Minister with Clergy Support Memorial Church. The Board unanimously agreed to his Appointment on September 17, 2020, in recognition of Ed’s theological education and his Spiritual Care ministry. Ed answered his life-long calling to become an Ordained Priest, and on January 2, 2022 was ordained a priest in the United Free Catholic Church. Easy going and quick to share a laugh, Rev. Ed feels honoured to encounter opportunities to minister every single day. Those who know him use the words “caring, resourceful and humble” to describe Rev. Ed. We would also add mature, motivated and able to communicate in English, Spanish, French. 

 Academic Achievements

• Graduate Certificate – Canadian Ministers Institute (2020)
• Master of Divinity, Saint Paul University (2020)
• Clinical Pastoral Education (1^st Basic Intensive Unit), The Ottawa Hospital (2019)
• Bachelor of Theology, Saint Paul University (2004)

Memberships

• Member of the Board of Directors of the Ottawa West-End Community Chaplaincy (OWECC)
• Associate Member of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC/ACSS)
• Former member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Foundation for Spiritual Care (CFSC/FCSS) – Ontario North East (ONE) Director

Awards

• Officially recognized by The Knights of Columbus for many years of dedicated work in Youth and Family Ministry in the (RC) Church.
• Special ceremony for his service to Good Shepherd (Anglican & Lutheran) Church.

Hobbies

A few years ago, Ed and his wife were introduced to the game of Golf. It was an instant attraction, and ever since they try to get out on the course as much as they can. While Ed admits to having absolutely no aspiration of making it to the PGA, he thoroughly enjoys improving his game. He also enjoys watching sports, especially soccer, hockey, and baseball. Ed is also musically talented (guitar and percussion) and he and his family can be found singing their hearts out playing karaoke in the living room. 

Outreach and Spiritual Care Activities

Rev. Ed’s time is split as a Church Administrator for CSMC and as an on-call chaplain for the Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa. Father Ed was recently affirmed as an ordained priest with the United Free Catholic Church and continues to broaden his ministry in this denomination. He feels honoured and fortunate to minister every single day, allowing him the opportunity to be a positive impact in someone’s life in some way.

In the past he has also engaged in pastoral care at long term care institutions such as The Heartwood Long Term Care in Cornwall, Dundas Manor in Winchester, the Chartwell Hartford Retirement Residence in Morrisburg, and the Viva Barrhaven retirement residence in Nepean, serving in ministry of presence and accompaniment, group bible studies, and in liturgical services.

Ed has over 30 years of involvement in pastoral work, from the Ecclesial Base Communities in El Salvador as a pastoral agent, to providing support in several parish churches in Ottawa, ON.

The training, role, and scope of practice of spiritual care practitioners (chaplains and ministers) has evolved in the last few decades and continues to evolve to this day. Ed is honoured to be asked to perform compassionate weddings, and this means so much more when a person is dying in hospital and makes this last request. Spiritual care practitioners are psychotherapists who engage all aspects of human life, including marriage, baptism and last rites.

Counselling Activities

Rev. Ed provides psycho-spiritual care to his patients and their families, as well as any co-workers or colleagues who approach him with any stresses, questions, and concerns. Often times someone is just needing an ear to listen and a safe space to be emotional and finding some comfort. He engages in many aspects of psychotherapy, stemming from the basic Person-Centered Therapy, he also uses Life Review, Existential Psychotherapy, Cognitive Therapy, and Interpersonal Psychotherapy. These various methods assist the patient/client in arriving at their own honest realizations of causes and development of action plans for recovery.

Personal Growth

Ed firmly believes that a minister must be a life-long learner, as well as a spiritual seeker of growth and spiritual maturity.

He subscribes to the Centre for Action and Contemplation’s daily meditations website, which offers a daily program of prayer and study. This program allows him time for personal contemplation and renews his drive to apply what he has learned to others.     

Reading is also a pleasant past-time for Ed and some recent books that have impacted him are:

• Current Psychotherapies, by Raymond J. Corsini & Danny Wedding, 2011
• The Caring Church: A Guide for Lay Pastoral Care, by Howard W. Stone, 1991
• Run to the Mountain: The Story of a Vocation/Thomas Merton, Edited by Patrick Hart, O.C.S.O., 1995
• The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid, 2007

Worship

Fr. Ed defines his style and preference of worship is relatively “traditional” in terms of liturgical celebrations and worship, though he understands he is there to serve the needs of the people he ministers to.

As an ordained priest, Fr. Ed has a small congregation in his Home Church, celebrating the Holy Eucharist (Mass) every other Sunday at his home and/or at a congregation member’s home. Other Sundays he celebrates Mass at a local Long Term Care facility, bringing “church” to these people who are no longer able to attend church services outside of their residential facility.

Fr. Ed is also comfortable with many other faith traditions as he has attended many worship and gathering services.

Spiritual Dimension

Ed is a Christian and believes that all of God’s creation has within itself the spark of the divine, and is deserving of the same dignity, regardless of belief, tradition or denomination.

His spirituality has been shaped by the Liberation Theology of Latin America in the mid to late 20th century. In Christian wording, the building of the Kingdom (or Reign) of God is precisely in the person’s liberation from the sinful structures of this world (capitalism, communism, patriarchy, poverty, social and economic injustice, exploitation of natural resources for profit, etc.)

From this thread, his spiritual dimensions have branched out into feminism, ecological justice, social democracy, etc. It is this work towards the building of the Kingdom that Jesus speaks of, that shapes and reshapes his spiritual dimension.

Encouraging words from Rev. Ed

“Seek justice, do good, be good, serve all of God’s creation as you would the Godhead! God is found, and acts in the most unexpected ways and places. Always be open, to be surprised by the author of all creation!”