This summer, MTS student Kate Strathdee was doing her second Supervised Experience in Ministry at Parkwood Seniors Community, assisting chaplain Lisa Carr-Pries. Read more about her reflections in this post.
From June 19th to July 5th, 2026, Tucker Finch completed a Supervised Experience in Ministry at Martyr’s Shrine in Midland. This is the national shrine dedicated to the Canadian Martyrs, eight Jesuit Missionaries who gave their lives serving the indigenous people of Huronia and the surrounding territories. Read more about his reflection in this post.
From May 11 to 17, Jeremy Bergen attended commission meetings of the Mennonite World Conference, and the assembly of the European Mennonite Conference, all in the Netherlands.
From Professors Alicia Batten and Derek Suderman attended the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies / Société canadienne des études bibliques annual meeting at Mount Allison University (New Brunswick), May 28-30, 2026.
Dr. Jeremy Bergen, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Theological Studies at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo, has been selected to serve as Grebel’s next Dean, starting July 1, 2026.
In May 2026, sessional instructor Terry LeBlanc, who is also a founding Chair and current Director of NAIITS and a an elder with the Abegweit Mi’kmaw First Nation Healing Centre, taught an intensive course TS 733 Indigenous Theologies at Grebel. This course focused on unique Indigenous theological contributions to the meaning of Christian faith and life.
On May 7-9, 2026, MTS student Mariia Smyrnova attended the Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of Slavists at the University of Ottawa, where she presented a paper about the militarization of religious life and the suppression of religious pluralism in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
by Jen Konkle, Senior Manager, Communications and Marketing
In late March, a group of Conrad Grebel University College students and staff sat around a roaring fire in a tent near Victoria Park in Kitchener. This visit was the culmination of a winter term Grebel book club focused on the life story of Clarence Cachagee, founder of Crow Shield Lodge.
How do you create a safe, welcoming space that includes unsafe opinions? How can I have productive conversations on this issue? What does the original Hebrew in Genesis say about gender? These questions, and so many more, prompted thoughtful discussion at Conrad Grebel University College in mid-March.
The Theological Studies Department, along with Grebel’s Chapel Committee, hosted a panel discussion this March on Christian faith and 2SLGBTQ+ identity: “Christianity and Queerness.”
In January 2026, Jeremy Bergen gave a series of lectures on Christian Martyrdom and the Unity of the Church and public workshops on Church Apologies, Rites, and Wrongs in Saskatoon. Read his reflections about this trip to know more.