Reverend Clara L. Sparks, BCC, grew up in the First Baptist Church of Malden, Massachusetts, where she taught Sunday School, played the church bells, piano and organ and was active in the statewide Baptist Youth Fellowship. After high school she attended Boston University Sargent College. Her junior year she studied at the University of Cologne, Germany, and won a two week ski scholarship to Obergurgel, Austria. The summer after college graduation she became the first waterfront director at Grotonwood Baptist Camp and Conference Center before entering Andover Newton Theological School. There she met her husband and together they ran folk and square dances weekends in churches throughout the state. Their first jobs after seminary were at Maunaolu, a mission college on Maui, Hawaii, just at the time of statehood.

Clara raised three daughters and a son, and has been widowed twice. She taught school in Roxbury, Iran, Manassas Park, Virginia, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia and Woodward School in Quincy. Twenty-one years ago she married Ed  Sparks a 38 year Boston Police veteran. In their combined families they have 10 grown children and 14 grandchildren.

Retiring from teaching, Clara went back to Andover Newton Theological School finishing up 90 credits, (the equivalent of a Master’s of Divinity degree),   took four extended units of clinical pastoral education in four area hospitals, was ordained at First Church Squantum and recently became a Board Certified Chaplain in the Association of Professional Chaplains. She works as the chaplain at PediPathways, Inc. Comfort Care for Children in Quincy and, in coordination with Interfaith Social Services, is the protestant chaplain at Quincy Medical Center.

Through the South Shore YMCA Clara became a certified Nautilus instructor, took up yoga, zumba, belly dancing and inline skating. She has an active meditation practice and loves the outdoors and learning.