As he prepares to retire at the end of December, Canon Rob Saffrey looks back on his long career in the Church with fondness and gratitude. “Every day I go to work, I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve, I really am,” he says.
Canon Saffrey, the diocese’s executive director, says he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife Andrea and family, but he admits that he’s going to miss the bishops, staff, clergy and laity of the diocese. “It’s been a big part of my life, working at the Synod Office and with parishes and being connected to the ministry that’s happening there, so I’m going to feel a disconnect there for sure,” he says.
And a lot of people are going to miss him, too. “He’s been such an amazing colleague to work alongside,” says Bishop Andrew Asbil. “He has such a love and a care for the Church. He brings a deep skill around finance and our structure, and he leads with a pastoral heart.”
Canon Saffrey started working as a controller in the diocese’s finance department in 1992 and became the treasurer a few years later. In 2009 he became the director of finance and operations at St. James Cathedral, where he oversaw the rebuilding of the cathedral’s parish centre and had oversight of its cemetery operations.
Those experiences gave him valuable insight into parish life, he says. “It was a chance to be on the other side of churchland, very much at the parish level and dealing with issues that parishes deal with. So when I came back to the diocese in my role as executive director, I took that back with me, that the diocese needed to be responsive and helpful to the parishes.”
Canon Saffrey became the diocese’s executive director in 2019, overseeing the administrative and most of the program functions of the Synod Office. The finance and property resources departments report to him, as do the archives, communications, human resources, stewardship development and social justice and advocacy. He also has administrative oversight of the diocese’s Synod.
In describing his job, he says, “In some ways you’re like the conductor of an orchestra. You have to work with people in a decision-making process to come up with solutions and decisions. And a lot of that is working with parishes and being a resource to parishes. Over the years that I’ve been with the Church, I’ve gained a broad scope of knowledge and hands-on experience in dealing with issues, and I’ve built up a lot of relationships over that time. So hopefully I’m a trusted resource to those people – someone that they know and feel they can call. Even if I’m not the right person, I quite often get the call and I can help direct them.”
He says working with people is his favourite part of the job. “I love the number of people I get to deal with, from parish treasurers to churchwardens to staff, volunteer committees and bishops. It’s just this huge, diverse, wonderful group of people that we call the Church, and that is one of the things I’ll miss significantly.”
One of his main achievements as executive director was helping to shepherd the diocese through the COVID-19 pandemic. He was instrumental in implementing the diocese’s Jubilee, which provided much needed financial relief to parishes in the spring of 2020.
Another important piece of work was assisting in the creation of the diocese’s new governance model. The restructuring of Diocesan Council, now called Synod Council, and its committees aimed to make decision-making more streamlined. “My feeling is that it’s been a real success, and it felt good to be part of that,” he says.
He’s also proud of the staff at the Synod Office. “Our staff team has grown a lot and evolved to the point where it’s really focused on serving parishes,” he says.
Perhaps Canon Saffrey’s biggest contribution to the life of the diocese has been his calm, steady presence day after day, no matter what challenge arises. “He brings a stillness to every conversation and has the ability to ask the right questions,” says Bishop Asbil. “And he knows how to build community, especially in places where there has been conflict or mistrust. I think he’s really worked hard at helping us understand ourselves as a whole diocese – that we’re here to serve each other – and he lives that out in his everyday life.”
As much as he loves his job, Canon Saffrey says it’s the right time to move on. “I’m leaving at a time when the diocese’s strategic plan, Cast the Net, is coming into place and I feel quite excited about that, but I feel that it’s the right time to go. It was great to be part of that process but now it’s time for other people to carry it forward.”
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