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In our 150th year, we are looking further back at alumni who have served the church for many years. Heather Thomson was one of the first women to study at Dio. She was a student between 1975 and 1978.

By the age of 12, The Rev. Heather Thomson was certain God was calling her to ordained ministry. “I had never seen a woman priest but in my young innocent mind I thought it was a possibility,” she says. It was the mid-1960s and the priest leading her confirmation class had asked Heather and her classmates what they wanted to be when they grew up. “I want to do what you’re doing,” she said with naïve confidence. Dumbstruck, the priest encouraged her to join the ACW or the Altar Guild, “there are many ways for you to serve,” he said. But she knew that was not what she was being called to do.

Heather grew up in the Eastern Townships, an active member of her church and volunteer in her community. After learning that women weren’t allowed to be ordained in the Anglican Church, she set her sights on social work and eventually gained a double degree from Concordia (at the time Sir George Williams University) in Psychology and Sociology. But by the early 1970s, the tide was beginning to change. “I remember speaking with my bishop at the time, Tim Matthews, and he said ‘it’s going to happen, we’re having a General Synod in Quebec City, and it’s going to happen. I want you ready. I want you to start studying.’” It seemed she would not need to silence that nagging call she felt toward the priesthood for much longer.

She recalls attending an open house at Dio the last year of her bachelor’s degree: “All the other people at the open house were young high school boys, and there I was, a woman, already married, and with a degree. I thought ‘gosh, is this going to be the right place for me?’ But it was.” At 23 years-old Heather began her first year at Dio. The year was 1975, just one year before the first women were ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada. She was among the first three women to enrol at the college. “There was some pushback from fellow students but in general people were very welcoming,” she explains. “The professors, staff, and administrators were very supportive, so I found my place.”

When Heather was finally ordained as a priest in January of 1979, people were not shy in expressing their disapproval to her beforehand. “I had clergy come to me and say ‘I know you’re being ordained in the coming days and I’m very against it’… And I was pregnant when I was ordained which absolutely upset some fellow clergy even more.” Once she was ordained, she recalls people showing up for the eucharist then turning around and walking out the door upon seeing that a woman would be presiding. “It’s hurtful but you can’t let it totally get to you and deter you from what you feel God is calling you to do. I wasn’t trying to convince anyone, it wasn’t a battle I wanted to have. I just moved ahead and worked with people that wanted me there.”

During her studies at Dio, Heather and her husband lived at Rexford Hall, a residence for married students of the three theological colleges on University Street. She speaks fondly of her time living in downtown Montreal in community with her classmates and in close proximity to the college. “It was fun, and it meant I could fully participate in the worship life of the college,” she says. “We kept our doors open, we were there for each other all hours of the day and night. People dropped in to share their experiences, their troubles, their joys. And we had some fun dinner parties!”

As she speaks about this time of ministry formation, she keeps coming back to the ecumenical, interfaith, and intercultural dialogue she was able to have with fellow students, and the impact this experience of diverse community had on her life and ministry. “The joy of the academics was studying with people and learning from professors from a wide variety of backgrounds,” she says. “For me, the common room in the Birks Building was where a lot of the best stuff happened. There, we would have discussions after class with people of different backgrounds and beliefs. That’s what I remember most.”

In her second year, she had the opportunity to go to Haiti for six weeks on a trip led by The Rev. Chris Carr. The purpose of the trip was to learn how the Anglican Church functioned in a francophone community. “We were there to learn, not to bring any knowledge or expertise ourselves. It was really lifechanging.” The trip opened her eyes to some of the harsh realities of global inequality that she had been sheltered from in her young life. “I ended up doing a lot of work with refugee students later in my career,” she explains. “My experience in Haiti really prepared me to do this kind of intercultural work which ended up being one of the great joys of my career.”

Her first job post-ordination was as the Protestant chaplain at Alexander Galt Regional High School in Sherbrooke; a school that was unique in its time for serving both the English Catholic and English Protestant population. “I did a lot of counselling, organized activities and community outreach which I really enjoyed. The thing that I kind of missed though was the liturgical aspect to the job.”After twelve years, a position became open at Bishop’s University and Champlain Regional College. “I worked there as chaplain for 27 years until my retirement,” she says. “The wonderful thing about working at Bishop’s is that there’s an absolutely beautiful chapel and a vibrant chapel life.”

Looking back at her career and her time a Dio, she sees God’s hand at work. “When you look back you see all the connections.” She is full of gratitude for the mentors who have guided her since her time at Dio and looks back fondly on her career and time of formation.