The Reverend Victoria Luke

HELLO ST. PETER'S

I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the family of St. Peter's. Here is part of my story to help you get to know me a little bit better.

My name is The Reverend Victoria Luke. I was born in Sheffield, England and my family emigrated to Canada when I was little.  We settled in Toronto where I grew up. My home parish of St. John's, Weston played a crucial role in my faith development and my calling to ordained ministry. I completed my Master of Divinity at Trinity College, University of Toronto.

After participating in three units of Clinical Pastoral Education in Toronto, I began my ordained ministry in the Diocese of Moosonee. I had the privilege of living and ministering with the people of an Indigenous community on the north east shore of James Bay. It was such a rich experience being immersed in their way of living.

Following my ministry in the Diocese of Moosonee, I was appointed as the team leader of a three person ministry team in a church in the Diocese of Toronto. It was from there that God called me to Winnipeg to be Rector of St. George's, Transcona. One of our greatest accomplishments as a parish was purchasing a church to call our own, after sharing with a Roman Catholic church for over 20 years. While I was at St. George's I met Iain and we got married. We are blessed to have two beautiful young ladies named Elizabeth and Catherine, who were born in Winnipeg. So in one sense I am coming home.

Our journey took us to Peace River, Alberta where Iain was dean of the Cathedral and I served as the rector of a two point parish – one church in a very small village and the other in a small town. The two congregations were able to become more united. As our girls entered school I volunteered in their classroom, and later became a teacher's assistant. My principal encouraged me to train as a teacher, and I completed a B.Ed.

After 9 years in Alberta, our family moved to Saskatoon. We found our spiritual home at St. John's Cathedral where I have been serving as an honorary assistant. I have held many different positions in the life of the Cathedral.

Prior to the pandemic, I taught as a substitute in the public and Catholic elementary schools. As restrictions were lifted, I joined Sylvan Learning as a tutor. Since then I have taken on more responsibilities and am one of the program directors.

During the past 7 or 8 months, God has been gently pushing me to fulfill my calling as an ordained priest in a new and exciting way. During this time the position at St. Peter's was posted. After much prayer and discernment I felt this was what God was calling me to.

It is an honour to be called to St. Peter's to serve as your priest. I am excited to minister alongside you and to see to where our journey will take us.

In my spare time I love to be with my family. We enjoy traveling to both old and new places. Some of my hobbies include reading, and an assortment of puzzle books. I am looking forward to getting back into knitting and colouring as ways of relaxing.

Blessings upon each of you.

Victoria+