by Gordon Nary
Gordon: When did you attend Dalhousie University, what degree did you earn, and what is one of your favorite memories when you were there?
Erin: I went to Dal from 1998-2003 and earned a degree in microbiology and immunology. I did the co-op program, so part of my degree included getting to work at various labs around the country, including Canada’s only level 4 lab facility. I went down to Texas to complete some grad work following my undergrad, but the Lord had other plans. I wasn’t practicing the Faith at all during my university years, but a lot of my plans fell apart during grad school and I ended up back in Canada, which was where I encountered the Lord profoundly during the sacrament of reconciliation. After that, instead of seeing myself as the ultimate authority for where my life was headed, I realized that God had a plan for me, and I started to look at my life through that new (and much more beautiful) lens. At that point I started working in the areas of youth and young adult ministry. I still love science, but my heart was really on fire for helping young people encounter the Lord.
Gordon: When did you serve as Youth Minister Annunciation of the Lord Parish Ottowa, and approximately how many people to whom did you minister?
Erin: I worked at Annunciation from 2005-2008, and it was an amazing experience. The parish is incredible and it was such a gift to work with so many beautiful young people.
Gordon: When did you serve as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry Archdiocese of Winnipeg and wat were your primary responsibilities?
Erin: After a year serving with NET ministries of Canada in 2008-2009, I traveled out to Winnipeg and worked as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Winnipeg from 2010-2013. It was my first experience working at a diocesan level, and my primary roles were to offer youth leadership formation and to support the many wonderful youth ministers (and pastors involved in youth ministry!) throughout the archdiocese.
Gordon: When did you attend Newman Theological College, what certificate did you earn, what did you like most about Newman Theological College?
Erin: I did a certificate in youth evangelization through Newman Theological around 2010 while I was living in Winnipeg, and it was my first taste of academic theology. It really helped me grow a desire to learn more about the Faith.
Gordon: When did you serve as Director Of Campus Ministry Newman Centre Catholic Mission at the University of Toronto, and what did you find most rewarding about your work?
Erin: I moved back to Ontario to be closer to family, and worked at the Newman Centre in Toronto for seven years. I absolutely loved that role. The most rewarding things were the little things- the student who first had a deep encounter with the Lord in adoration, the profound conversations during faith studies, the absolutely amazing staff that were like family to each other. It is a really special place, and I’m so grateful to have been able to be there. I also discerned my vocation to Consecrated Virginity while I was living and working in Toronto, and it was incredibly special to have so many students present at my consecration Mass in 2019.
Gordon: When did you attend Franciscan University of Steubenville, what certificate did you earn, who was your favorite teacher, and why was that teacher your favorite?
Erin: I attended the Franciscan Don Bosco conference after I started working at the Newman Centre in Toronto, and I took the campus ministry certification track. I loved hearing from people like Scott Hahn, Marcel LeJeune and Andre Regnier, and the formation was incredibly helpful for my own years as a campus minister.
Gordon: When did you attend University of Toronto, what degree did you earn, what was your favorite course, and why was it your favorite?
Erin: After working at Newman for a few years, I had a real desire to continue with more formal education. I completed a Masters of Theological Studies (while still working at Newman) and took classes through St Augustine’s Seminary, whose degrees are offered conjointly with U of T. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. The professors, the caliber of academic excellence, and the community was absolutely incredible. I completed a thesis on the theology of the suffering body (rereading Salvifici Doloris through the lens of the theology of the body), and I’ve been doing a lot of work in the areas around redemptive suffering since that time.
Gordon: what areas are you working in now? How did the Lord direct you to those areas?
Erin: I developed fibromyalgia after a bike fall in 2016, and though it was mild at first, it progressed over time until I wasn’t able to continuing working. I came back to Ottawa to be with family, and have been speaking and writing on the subjects of redemptive suffering and hope for the last few years. I co-host a podcast called “In the Thicket” where we talk about different experiences of suffering so that those who are experiencing suffering can feel less alone in their pain. The Lord has given me a very specific mission within my vocation as a consecrated virgin, and in light of my own personal sufferings and academic study, to speak about the beauty of redemptive suffering…not to glorify suffering, which is an experience of evil and its effects, but to affirm what God has revealed to us in Christ- that suffering has been redeemed, and that it is linked to love in the heart of the suffering Christ. I’m able to share with people that, through our sufferings united willingly to Christ’s, we can participate in Jesus’ saving work, and that in Christ there is no Cross that is not linked to resurrection, whether in this life or the next.
Gordon: You are currently a writer. What are some of the articles that you have written and publications in which they were featured?
Erin: I recently wrote a piece for Humanum entitled “Suffering and the Recovery of Hope”. I’ve also written articles for the Fruitful Hollow, which is a ministry to those experiencing infertility, and I’m currently working on a book on what it means to suffer well.