The Rev. Canon Claire Woodley has been a priest in the Episcopal Church 35 years and recently retired from the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, where she was Canon for Congregational Support. Before she retired from the Diocese, she oversaw Transition – finding clergy for churches and churches for clergy – and facilitated clergy and congregational development.

Over her eight years at Long Island, she developed a community of consultants who created Open Doors New Futures. This parish mission discernment process utilizes community reconnection and engagement, with the primary question, “What does God want to do here?”

In partnership with The FaithX Project, Claire developed The Beloved Journey, a diocesan resource incorporating the work of Sacred Ground. This program focuses on uncovering the presence of Black and Indigenous peoples in parish histories, utilizing FaithX’s data-grounded tools to raise awareness of structural racism within the churches, counties, and towns of Long Island.

Claire served as a priest in the Diocese of New York for 27 years, either as a priest or as a consultant. She has engaged and presented work in Forma, Sacred Ground, FaithX, RenewalWorks, Invite Welcome Connect, and other church and organizational networks and resources.

She is an author, filmmaker, and bon vivant about town. She has two musician sons, Lucas and Adam. She lives in Ossining, NY, where she enjoys gardening, restoring native plants, and creating fun activities for kids in her own backyard Narnia.