Church Staff

Clare L. Hickman

Rector

Though “the vicar” finds such biographical data a bit dull, she will admit to an M.T.S. in New Testament from Harvard Divinity School (’92) and an M.Div. from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (’98).  After graduating from Seabury, she returned to her home state of Michigan to be ordained and to begin a 10-year position as Associate Rector at Christ Church, Dearborn. She now lives in Canton with her sons, John and Peter. Despite not being able to live within the city limits, she loves Ferndale and has been enjoying herself immensely as Rector of St. Luke’s since January of 2008.

Brought up in the Church of England, Clare immigrated to the States with her family at age 10.  She is, therefore, what is known as a “cradle Episcopalian.” In fact, her maternal grandfather was an Anglican priest in South Africa during the 1940s, so one might say the calling is in the blood.

Of her ministry at St. Luke’s, Clare says, “It’s a rare joy to minister in a community that is so open, relaxed and playful in their faithfulness. This place has a deep and grace-filled acceptance of human imperfection, which makes it a truly warm and healing place to be.”

Matthew Samelak

Music Director

Matthew Samelak is a native of Toledo, Ohio, and began his career in church music at the early age of ten, when he began playing masses for his grade school at historic St. Anthony Church, one of Toledo’s massive gothic masterpieces. He was the accompanist for his high school Glee Club, and played Clarinet and Tenor Saxophone in Band.

He received his Bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College where he studied organ with Mark Brombaugh. He earned his Masters in Organ Performance at the University of Michigan, and also studied Improvisation with the French masters at the Schola Cantorum in Paris.

Matthew served as music director and organist at several parishes in the Toledo and Detroit area, as accompanist for Toledo’s Masterworks Chorale, and was harpsichord soloist for their world premiere performance of Dominick Argento’s “A Toccata of Galuppi’s”. He relocated to Seattle in 2014 and was organist at St. Joseph Parish which housed the only 3-manual Father Willis organ (1875) in the United States. He also holds a Culinary Certificate from the Seattle branch of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. After several years in the Pacific Northwest he moved to sunny Palm Springs. This past summer he arrived back in the Detroit area and is currently rehabbing a 1928 home in Martin Park.

In his spare time Matthew watches reruns of the Great British Bake Off and experiments with some of the recipes. You can always find an open volume of Bach’s keyboard works on his piano.

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