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For Marie-Silvenie Chéry, ministry is a journey of continuous learning, marked by authenticity, compassion, and hope. She graduated from Dio in 2024 and since that time has served as a student minister in Supervised Ministry Education (SME) at Grace United Church in Chelsea-Gatineau. She approaches her pastoral service with a deep sense of vocation.
“I walk in ministry with passion, learning to serve with authenticity and hope,” she shares. “Each day invites me to deepen my faith and to grow in how I serve others.”
Her role in the community includes coordinating parish activities, managing correspondence and emails, conducting pastoral visits, and preparing Sunday worship or other celebrations. “I structure my week around essential priorities, with a focus on authenticity and consistency. That said, I remain flexible and adapt when circumstances require,” she adds.
Reflecting on her formation in the United Church Studies program at Montreal Dio, Marie Silvenie describes a profoundly transformative experience. “Studying at Dio in an ecumenical context allowed me to broaden my spiritual horizons and learn to collaborate while respecting different traditions,” she explains. “Thanks to this training, I have been able to live and collaborate with the Anglican tradition in a spirit of dialogue and communion.”
A particularly meaningful memory illustrates this openness: an Ash Wednesday service celebrated jointly by Grace United Church and Saint Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Chelsea. “This shared moment of prayer reflects the richness of ecumenism in practice,” she recalls. “It also reminds me of the communal celebrations at Dio with students and professors from the three seminaries: Dio, the United Church Studies program, and The Presbyterian College. These shared experiences are true testimonies of cooperation and respect.”
Among the courses that left the greatest impact, she cites leadership, pastoral care, and preaching. “These courses helped me better understand and explore my pastoral voice, refining my approach to ministry,” she says. Regular participation in the Wednesday worship service, where students take on leadership roles, also offered a practical space to apply what she was learning: “It was an opportunity to deepen my spirituality and to experience pastoral responsibility within a community setting.”
Even today, this formation continues to influence how she accompanies others. “My theological training has given me the tools to listen attentively, discern sensitively, and respond appropriately to the spiritual and human needs of those I meet,” she explains. “I strive to create spaces where people can name their experiences, explore their spirituality, and feel supported in their journey. Each encounter becomes an opportunity to live out faith concretely, with respect, compassion, and hope. And I am not alone—the Spirit is present.”
As Advent approaches, the season holds particular significance for her. “Advent speaks to me of quiet beginnings, of lights that slowly grow, and of ministry lived in simplicity and truth,” she reflects. “It helps me remain focused on the essentials, on Christ, the Emmanuel, and to welcome the unexpected as spaces of grace. It is a time to let Christ’s light rekindle an active hope in me, rooted in justice and compassion.”
