Mealica Smith came to Toronto from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent when she was eleven years old.
“Back home my grandmother was an Anglican so when we got here my mom, Lorna Howell, said ‘we’re going to an Anglican church.’ When you’re eleven, you do what your mom tells you.”
They lived in the area and this was the closest church. Mealica says she loved Toronto and dreamed of becoming an actress until her school guidance counsellor persuaded her to turn to something where she “wouldn’t starve to death.” She went into business and is now a financial consultant.
Wanting something to do that was unrelated to work, she kept coming back to St Peter St Simon and is currently involved in running the church’s social media platforms. She also volunteered to help with hospitality and, post-pandemic, “can hardly wait to get back to meeting people in person and enjoying after-church coffee hour.”
