About our parish staff

About Father Scott

Fr. Scott Whitfield, B.Journ., M.P.Th., Th.M, was born and raised in what is today the city of Mississauga, in that city’s district of Port Credit. Not baptized until the age of seven, his religious upbringing was in the Anglican Church of Canada. After graduating from Port Credit Secondary School, he attended and then graduated from Carleton University School of Journalism in Ottawa in 1989. He laboured at a brief career in journalism and public relations, working as a freelance writer, editor and media analyst for various NGOs and government departments before taking a position as an assistant to an elected councillor in the Ottawa-Carleton Regional government from the mid to late 90s. 

It was at this time that he discerned a call from God to ministry. His first response was involvement with the youth ministry at St. Luke’s Anglican Church on Somerset St. W. in Ottawa. He also became heavily involved in its street outreach, The St. Luke’s Lunch Club. He was admitted to the ordination discernment process of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. After initial rejection, he was endorsed by the bishop and entered theological studies at St. Paul University, a Catholic institution run by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) in Ottawa.

Ordained an Anglican priest in 2000, the doctrinal crisis of the Anglican community through the first decade of this millennium, and growing doubts about the validity of his orders and the sacraments he administered, led him to break with that community and enter the Catholic Church, being received into full communion at Annunciation of Our Lord parish in Hamilton, Easter 2009.

The Pastoral Provision of the Church’s canon law permits married, former Anglican clergy to receive Holy Orders. Having initiated discussions with Bishop Anthony Tonnos, then Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI, he was sponsored under the provision and began formation for the priesthood in 2011. This involved both formal study at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario, and a variety of jobs with the diocese including special projects for the bishop (e.g. a study of university campus ministry in our diocese), and being assigned as a pastoral worker at St. Patrick’s Parish in downtown Hamilton for three years.

He was ordained to the priesthood December 19, 2015 and has served as an associate pastor at St. Thomas’ in Waterdown and at Our Lady of the Assumption, the parish for Elfrida, Binbrook and Upper Stoney Creek.

Fr. Whitfield is married. His wife, Biserka is a native Hamiltonian from its large Croatian community. They have a daughter, Helena who is a student at Redeemer University in Hamilton.

Father likes pie.

Here is a link to Father Scott’s recent online messages to the parish.