Staff

In 2019, Canada’s parliament designated the second week of September as Mennonite Heritage Week, granting special recognition to Mennonite resilience, cultural production, and peacemaking efforts. The designation encourages deeper public appreciation of Mennonite contributions to “building Canadian society.” This call comes alongside increasing acknowledgment among some Mennonites of all that past and current participation in nation-building has entailed - prominently, white settlers’ involvement in the state’s varied colonialist projects targeting Indigenous peoples. This year, we mark Mennonite Heritage Week by drawing attention to an upcoming conference, to be held at Conrad Grebel University College in May 2022, that invites reflection on these parts of Mennonite history, in Canada and in other contexts.

As long-time Conrad Grebel University College chaplain, Ed Janzen, prepares to retire, Student Services is excited to announce that on August 1, 2021, Jessica Reesor-Rempel will begin a 17-month interim chaplaincy position.

From May 13-15, 2022, a group of international attendees will gather at Conrad Grebel University College for an education conference titled Indigenous-Mennonite Encounters in Time and Place. Next year may seem like a long way off, but right around the corner on May 13, 2021, a virtual preview (sampler) event will premiere on the Grebel YouTube channel at 7pm.

Faith plays a central role in Sarah Driediger’s life. It has helped her meet new people, grow as a person, and reflect on experiences. Sarah is a first-year virtual resident at Conrad Grebel University College studying Biomedical Sciences. Several members of her family attended Grebel before her, and while growing up, they told her many exciting stories about the College.

“University is a place where new struggles and challenges arise, and it is easy to get lost and distracted,” Merveille Mwankin reflected at the end of her first year attending the University of Waterloo. “As a Christian community, Grebel has helped and continues to help me nurture my faith by surrounding me with other believers and providing Anabaptist-Mennonite values such as love, peace, non-violence, and justice.”