Called to Serve

When Dr. Andrew Bennett reflects on his life, he does not begin with his professional accomplishments or academic credentials. Instead, he begins with his vocation.

"First and foremost, I am a baptized Christian," he says. "I am a deacon, an ordained cleric who is called in my diaconal vocation to be always ready to be called to serve Our Lord Jesus Christ and His people."

​That understanding has guided every stage of his journey, from serving as an altar server in Toronto during the pontificate of St. John Paul II, to a career in public service and religious freedom, and now to his role as Executive Director of Clear Water Academy in Calgary.

​Growing up, Bennett describes himself as "a very churchy kid." 

Although he first sensed a call to religious life as a child, his vocation unfolded gradually. While studying in Scotland, his faith deepened through the Catholic Student Union, where Dominican friars introduced him to the Liturgy of the Hours. Back in Canada, he spent 15 years in the federal public service, including serving as Canada's first Ambassador for Religious Freedom, before joining Cardus, where he advocated for religious freedom, conscience rights, Jewish-Christian relations, and combating antisemitism.

His own vocational journey also led him into the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. After transferring from the Roman Catholic Church in 2005, he was ordained a deacon for the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada in 2017.

Earlier this year, that same openness to God's call led him west.

"The invitation from the Board of Directors at Clear Water Academy... was the third invitation I had received to move to Calgary in the space of two years," Bennett says. "So, I figured that perhaps God was wanting to show me something out west and asking me to take a risk."

Catholic school has an indispensable role in helping the young person on the path to sainthood."

He says the move was shaped by "a desire to take up the challenge of raising the next generation of Catholic leaders," to contribute to the effort "to reshape Catholic education," and to serve in the vibrant parish community at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church.

As an educator, Bennett believes Catholic schools play an indispensable role in supporting parents as they pass on the faith while forming young people intellectually, spiritually, and humanly in the Catholic tradition.

​"In short," he says, "Catholic school has an indispensable role in helping the young person on the path to sainthood."

His years working in religious freedom have also reinforced his conviction that faith belongs not only in the church, but in every aspect of life.

"Our faith cannot be confined to the home or the comfortable pew," he says. "We must have the courage to live it out in our public lives."

That conviction has been reinforced throughout Bennett's life by people whose faithful witness shaped his Catholic imagination. First among them are his parents. He also names close friends, priests, deacons, religious communities, and saints, including St. John Paul II, St. John Henry Newman, St. Maximos the Confessor, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and St. Charbel, as enduring influences on his faith.
​
Looking ahead to this new chapter in Calgary, Bennett carries with him a lesson shaped by years of prayer, public service, and ministry.

"Above all else," he says, "be faithful. Trust in God. Rejoice always. Become a saint."

---

Story drawn from a written interview with Dr. Andrew Bennett, Executive Director of Clear Water Academy.

• To read the full interview with Dr. Andrew Bennett, click here.