As the recipient of the St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology’s Governor General’s Gold Medal, Father Richard René attributes his strong academic standing to a profound passion for theology and its relevance for contemporary life.
Father René holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia, as well as a Master of Divinity from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. While these degrees supported his vocation as a priest in the Archdiocese of Canada of the Orthodox Church in America, his decision to pursue a doctorate was, above all, a pursuit of personal passion.
By completing his Doctor of Philosophy in Theological Studies, Father René has surmounted his personal “Mount Everest.” His convocation represents his moment on the summit, along with his beloved wife, Jaime, daughter Lily, and granddaughter Hazel, who will be joining him to celebrate this achievement.
His thesis was inspired by his work in a prison setting. In 2014, he became a federal correctional chaplain for Correctional Service Canada (CSC) at Kent Maximum Security Institution in British Columbia. He describes his experiences at Kent as “traumatizing, transformative, and sometimes both at once. Even as I witnessed violence and bloodshed—in the sacred space of the chapel itself—I also encountered moments of profound wisdom, beauty, and dignity in the words and actions of the offenders I served.”
As a result of his work, Father René sought to explore the question, “How do changes for the good as well as for the bad take place within the human person?” His dissertation presents a constructive Orthodox theology that engages with the recent philosophical reappraisal of vulnerability’s role in human flourishing. This work offers a theoretical framework rooted in his Eastern Orthodox faith and pastoral experiences.
Father René was drawn to St. Michael’s because of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies (MASI), where he found what he calls “a community within a community.” He benefited from an environment where scholars from his tradition could engage in fruitful and respectful ecumenical dialogue with those from Western traditions. He expresses deep gratitude for the guidance of his supervisors, Fr. Peter Galadza, retired director of MASI, who encourage him in his first year, as well as Prof. Jaroslav Skira, who guided him through the proposal, research, writing, and oral defense stages of the program.
Going forward, Father René will continue his work with CSC as Regional Chaplain overseeing chaplaincy services in British Columbia. He will also continue his work as director of St. Silas Orthodox Prison Ministry, which was established in 2016 to connect Orthodox Christian inmates across Canada with local Orthodox communities. This ministry began when an inmate wrote to Father René, requesting baptism into the Orthodox Church, which led to the first Orthodox baptism in a Canadian federal prison, with many more following. The ministry continues to provide inmates with Bibles, books, icons, and prayer ropes and offers liturgical services and sacraments, including baptism, unction, and confession.
Father René will also continue his academic pursuits as an independent scholar. He currently has two scholarly articles in development, and his thesis has been accepted for publication by Fordham University Press in the next two years.