UNITY — The Rev. George Ward, retired minister of the United Church of Canada, was recognized by the Saskatoon Theological Union and St. Andrew’s College, with an honorary Doctor of Divinity (Honoris Causa) degree, May 29.
The degree was awarded as part of the convocation ceremonies held at Augustana Lutheran Church in Saskatoon, for University of Saskatchewan graduates of St. Andrew’s College, the Lutheran Theological Seminary and the University of Emmanuel College-College of Emmanuel and St. Chad.
In highlighting Ward’s accomplishments and contributions to his church and his community, a speaker described Ward’s ministry “as exemplary of the ideal to which we strive.”
Born and raised in the State of New York, Ward was ordained by the Hudson River Presbytery of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States. In 1969, he moved to Hamilton, Ont. where he served various congregations in the area until 1974.
From 1974 to 1987, Ward was a chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces. His time in the CAF included a stint with the peacekeeping troops in Cyprus.
After retiring from the CAF, Ward continued to minister, serving four different pastoral charges in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, including in Unity, Evesham, Senlac and Swarthmore, along with wife Roselis from 1987 to 1995. During his time in Unity, Ward led a team to identify veterans’ graves in the Unity area.
Counselling has been a passion for Ward. In Ontario, he answered calls for the telephone crisis hotline. He is a longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous Family Groups. In the 1980s he led a one-day workshop to explain Department of National Defence benefits to families of deceased military personnel. In 2022, in Unity, he organized and led a one-day workshop, seeking to bring opposing parties together in conversations about public health measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As stated at the ceremonies, “The foregoing is but a selective account of some of the many selfless and magnanimous actions of George Ward in his long career of service.”
