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Clara Maranzano is a polyglot who has been building bridges through language for the majority of her life both as both a French teacher and professional translator. This past fall, Clara began working at Dio as the Coordinator of French and Bilingual Education. In this role she is responsible for one-on-one tutoring with college staff and students who wish to learn or improve their French, as well as organising and overseeing the Certificate in Bilingual Ministry program and leading a one-week French for Ministry Intensive in the spring.

In addition to her expertise in the French language, Clara has a Master of Divinity from The Presbyterian College. She sees her work as a French language instructor as a kind of ministry unto itself. “I am convinced that God is a God of unity, a God of love, and a God of comprehension,” she says. “It is important, especially in the context of the church in Quebec, to work on communication between francophones and anglophones.”

In 2008, Clara and her family moved from her native country of Argentina to Montreal where she found a passion for bridging the distance between the anglophone and francophone communities in Montreal. “I have always thought it is such a shame that these two cultures are so separate from one another. They are both so rich, they are both inseparable from this place and have so much that unites them.”

The work that Clara is doing goes beyond syntax and grammar. In a small but significant way she is facilitating a healing process and breaking down barriers that inhibit the work of the holy spirit in our church communities. “When there is good communication, we can begin to heal from our harmful histories,” she says. “My work is about building bridges, putting in communication two people who normally could not communicate. That’s what has always called to me.”