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Faculty

REV. DR. ROLAND DE VRIES
Principal of the Presbyterian College

Contact: (514) 288-5256 ext.209 | [email protected]

B.A. (Guelph), M.Div. (The Presbyterian College), S.T.M. (McGill), Ph.D. (McGill)

Dr. De Vries joined the faculty of Presbyterian College as Director of Pastoral Studies in July, 2015. The Rev. Dr. Roland De Vries is a gifted and able pastor of The Presbyterian Church in Canada with a record of effective congregational ministry and with experience in education. He has been the minister of two congregations, helping them to engage in various forms of renewal. As Director of Pastoral Studies Dr De Vries’ interest is in the formation of ministers through the integration of academic theology with the practice of ministry and growth in personal Christian character. He oversees the field education program and teaches in areas such as preaching, worship, congregational leadership, and the theology and practice of ministry. Dr. De Vries has a deep commitment to the wellbeing of Christ’s church and to the formation of ministers who are able to serve faithfully, competently, and imaginatively within a congregational setting. His primary interest is in the missional identity of the church and the relationship between the gospel and culture.

REV. DR. KAREN PETERSON (FINCH)
Director of Pastoral Studies of the Presbyterian College

Contact: (514) 288-5256 ext.209 | [email protected]

M.Div. (Princeton Theological Seminary), Ph.D. (Gonzaga University)

Dr. Petersen was appointed as Professor of Pastoral Leadership in 2021, joining the college in the summer of that year. Karen is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church USA and a member of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest of that denomination. She previously served as Associate Professor of Theology at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. Whitworth is a private liberal arts college in the Reformed Tradition. Karen is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv) and of Gonzaga University (PhD), with the latter studies and research completed in the area of Leadership Studies and Theology.

REV. DR. MARC POTVIN
Director of Field Education at the Montreal School of Theology

Contact: (514) 849-3004 | [email protected]

B.A. (Royal Roads Military College), M. Div. (Acadia Divinity College)

Dr. Marc Potvin joined the faculty at Dio in January 2024 as the Director of Field Education. He oversees students in their field placements, works with both constituent colleges of the Montreal School of Theology to deliver the In Ministry Year, provides academic counselling to all students, and teaches courses on preaching and ministry leadership. Before joining us in Montreal, Dr. Potvin served for twenty years in the Canadian Armed Forces in the Air Force, Army, and as a military chaplain, worked in parish ministry for eighteen years, and, most recently, was the Pastoral Leaders Development Associate for the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec.

REV. DR. JESSE ZINK
Principal of the Montreal Diocesan Theological College

Contact: (514) 849-3004 ext.222 | [email protected]

BA (Acadia), M.A. (Chicago), M. Div. (Yale), PhD (Cambridge)

The Rev. Dr. Jesse Zink has been principal of Montreal Diocesan Theological College since August 2017. He oversees the life of the college, represents the college to its partners and the broader church, and teaches courses on mission and Anglicanism. He is the author of three books about theology, mission, and the world church, including Backpacking through the Anglican Communion: A Search for Unity (2014) and A Faith for the Future (2016), as well as numerous articles about global Anglicanism and church history. His doctoral research focused on the growth and development of the church in South Sudan during civil war in the 1980s and 1990s. Baptized in Canada and confirmed and ordained in the United States, he has worked in the Anglican Church of South Africa and the Church of England before his arrival in Montreal. Prior to ordination, he spent time variously as a DJ, a news reporter, and an ambulance driver.

REV. DR. PATRICIA LISSON
Interim Director, United Church Studies

Contact: (514) 241 9036 | [email protected]

Center for Christian Studies, Diploma in Diaconal Ministries, B.Th. University of Winnipeg | Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Montreal Diocesan Theological College & United Church Studies at Dio.

Patricia was commissioned as a minister in the United Church of Canada in 1978 after studying at the Centre for Christian Studies in Toronto. She went on to work in various parishes, including Trinity St. Paul’s and Davenport-Perth United Church in Toronto, Park Royal United Church in PEI, and Richmond Melbourne United Church in Quebec. From 2001 to 2007 she worked as the chaplain at Bishop’s College School and then spent her last 9 years before retirement serving as the Executive Director of St. Columba House in Montreal. At all her parish placements she has gone beyond the church walls, assessing the needs of the local community, and establishing various partnerships between the church and government and social service organisations. Throughout her career in ministry, she has been involved in international human rights advocacy both within and outside the church. Currently she serves as the vice chair of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines Global.

Additional course instructors and workshop leaders are, amongst others:
  • Rev. Dr. Elisabeth Jones (Principles of Preaching)
  • Rev. Patricia Lisson (United Church Worship)
  • Rev. Cathy Hamilton (United Church Polity