Father Ian Wetmore

Canadian by birth, Father Ian moved to Kentucky when he was five, and then returned to hisnative province of New Brunswick as a young adult. He graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1993 with a BA in history, focusing on Loyalist and colonial church history.

He then went to Wyclliffe College, one of two Anglican seminaries in the University of Toronto, graduating with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree in 1996. He was ordained a deacon by the Bishop of Fredericton in the Anglican Church of Canada that year and began serving as assistant curate in the Anglican Parish of Derby & Blackville. He and his wife Cathy were married that September. 

Along with two of his classmates, he was ordained to the priesthood in Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton, in Lent, 1997. In 1998, he became rector of the Anglican Parish of Bright, and shortly after moving there, his daughter Sarah was born. There are three churches in the parish of D&B, and two in Bright, so he has some experience in ministering to multiple congregations. 

Next, he moved to the Anglican Parish of St Mary, York, in Fredericton, which is also the capital city of the province of New Brunswick, serving there until 2012. He was then appointed vicar of St Michael's Episcopal Church, O'Fallon, IL, in the Diocese of Springfield, where we could be much closer to his aging parents in their final years. 

In 2019, he was appointed rector of St James Episcopal Church, St James, NY. His daughter Sarah and her partner Kam lived with them most of that time, and just over a year ago, they welcomed their baby daughter Laurel into their family.

It was after Pastor Bob Modr's departure from All Souls, that Father Ian first raised the possibility of becoming vicar there in addition to St James as a way of moving forward on a firmer footing for both churches, but he was glad to welcome Fr Tom instead. So, when Father Tom announced his departure, since there were no other retired clergy available to replace him, he was asked by the diocese to revisit my earlier proposal, in consultation with All Souls bishop's committee and St James vestry. And after a summer of conversations and doing the math, here we are! Father Ian is excited to join the All Souls family, and he is very much looking forward to serving the parishioners and Friends of All Souls.

Father Ian says, “May God give us his blessing, and may we be a blessing to our neighbors.

P.S. "Ian" is fine, so are "Fr Ian," "Pastor Ian," "Hey you," and if you're old-school and low-church, "Mr. Wetmore" works.”