Our Team

Coordinator  

Adriana Tulissi

Adriana Tulissi recently completed her M.A. in History of Christianity at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO, having also graduated from the University of Calgary with a B.A. in Religious Studies and a B.A. in Communications and a minor in Management.  She has over 10 years experience in the hospitality industry in the areas of Human Resources, Payroll and Accounting.

Adriana is also the Chair of Knox Centre, an adult education spiritual development committee of Knox United Church.  She is currently a Board Member with the Calgary Centre for Equity, Culture and Diversity and volunteers with Immigrant Services Calgary mentoring professional immigrant women.  She has her own consulting business that trains companies on the benefits of harmonizing religious minorities in the workplace and recently presented an academic paper at the Regional AAR on the applicability of the Taylor-Bouchard Commission in Quebec to Alberta and British Columbia and the effects this poses to the formation of Canadian identity.

Office Number: 403-220-5451

Email: artuliss [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

Outreach Assistant 

Shaista Hasham

Shaista Hasham is the Student Outreach Assistant with the Faith and Spirituality Centre. She is currently in her final year of Undergraduate studies, pursing a major in Natural Sciences and two minors, one in Health and Society, and the other in Religious Studies. She is aspiring to enter Nursing, and develop a career in Community Health. She loves listening to music when she has spare time, and composing some tunes of her own. She’s always up for meeting new people, and enjoys learning about cultures and languages different from her own.  

Office Number: 403-220-5451

Email: sshasham [at] ucalgary [dot] ca  

Anglican

Rev. Dr. Roy Darcus (Part-time Chaplain)

Rev. Dr. Roy Darcus is an Anglican priest who has been engaged extensively in teaching the Christian theological tradition.   He has an M. A. in Classics from UBC, a Ph.D. in philosophical theology from Concordia, Montreal, and a Master's degree of Theological Studies from Harvard.

Roy was born in Vancouver and was ordained in the Diocese of Montreal in 1972.  He has worked both in parish life and university chaplaincy during his ministry.  From 1983-1994 he was chaplain at the University of Alberta and in 1994 came to Calgary as Associate Priest at Christ Church, where he was responsible for liturgical, educational and pastoral activities.  He retired from full time ministry in 2008.  He has served as part-time Anglican Chaplain at the University of Calgary since then.

Roy's personal goal has been to open his life to God's working in us "more than we can ask or imagine."   He seeks a balance between the intellectual and spiritual life and enjoys music of all kinds, liturgical and personal prayer, and the practice of Tai chi.     

Office Number: 403-220-3899

Email: rdarcus [at] shaw [dot] ca

Baptist

Jef Tsui (Part-time Chaplain)

Jef Tsui is a graduate of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane and has been involved in student ministry since 1995.  His desire is to help young people become passionate followers of Jesus Christ and to know God experientially and holistically.  He is also a jeweller, a photographer, and an artist. 

Office Number: 403-220-3897

Email: baptist [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

Website: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~baptist/index.html

Buddhist

Tim Sampson (Part-time Chaplain)

Tim is a graduate of the University of Calgary (B.Sc.) and the University of Western Ontario (B.Ed.).  His interest in Buddhist practice started in the early 90's and since then he has spent time in monastaries and practice centres in Asia, Europe and North America.  In 1996 Tim received the precepts at the San Francisco Zen Center and in 2004 he received Zen priest ordination in Tokyo.  He is currently the priest of the Calgary Soto Zen community and the Buddhist Chaplain at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University.

Email: timsampson [at] hotmail [dot] com

Website: http://calgarysotozen.org

Catholic

Father Thao Dinh, O.P. (Full-time Chaplain)

Thao Dinh is a Dominican and a member of an international religious community called the Order of Preachers.  I was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 2001. In my spare time I enjoy hiking, camping, playing volleyball, and I am a photoshop amateur.  I have been assigned as a chaplain for the U of C Catholic Community since September 2006.

Office Number: 403-220-3898

Email: tdinh [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

Website: http://www.uofccatholic.ca/

Christian Reformed

Rev. Paul Verhoef (Full-time Chaplain)

What to tell people about me?  I'm a husband, father, son, friend, pastor in the way of Jesus, and ultimate frisbee player.  I love people, books, my work, fresh air, and yes, even the University of Calgary.  My life at the University seems to be filled with listening to people's lives, laughing and crying alongside of friends (new and old), creating space for people of varied spiritual paths to share a life of meaningfulness together, fostering thoughtful Christian academic community, and nurturing others as they shape beautiful dreams.  I like living through the messy-loveliness of my heart out into the messy-loveliness of the world - and see the Spirit's vitality through it all.  And there's a bunch more, but no space for it here; feel free to ask.

Office Number: 403-220-2596

Email: pverhoef [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

 

Pearl Nieuwenhuis (Visiting Chaplain)

Pearl Nieuwenhuis (BEd.; Spiritual Director in training) - The journey of faith is too hard and too dangerous to do alone.  We need companions who will walk with us, listen carefully to us, care for us with compassion and tenderness, companions who tenaciously encourage us to bring our whole self – especially our inner self. Those who call us to honesty about our lives – the good and the bad – those who help us live out of our deepest truth.  Those who co-discern with us where God is lovingly active in our lives.  This deeply personal and compassionate care for another is the heart of spiritual friendship, the heart of Spiritual Direction.  And this is what I hope to offer during my time at the University of Calgary. (Adapted from the article called What is Spiritual Direction? found on the website www.soulstream.org link to resources – articles.)

A little bit about me?  Well, I am married, a mother of 2 adult children who also attend university, and a sister to 8 siblings. I love reading, ‘Calgary-style’ (fledgling)orchard gardening, playing squash and praying with food.  I began my work in the field of education as a student and since then I’ve worked as a middle and high school teacher in both public and private schools, as a home education consultant and a home schooling parent.  No longer teaching, I am paying attention to God’s loving invitations in my life – to trust, to be open and receptive, to being fully alive, to new ideas and people, to acceptance of difficult things......the list goes on.

Office Number: 403-467-1270

Email: pnieuwen [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

Jewish

Oren Steinitz (Part-time Chaplain)

Oren Steinitz (PhDc-ABD ) - Holds a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Middle East Studies from the Ben-Gurion University, Israel, and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Calgary's Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, concentrating on Judaism, Islam and the Internet.  In his previous university he co-founded and led a Jewish egalitarian prayer group for three years.  He also worked as a teacher in the Conservative movement's "Bar/Bat Mitzvah for the Special Child" program, preparing mentally handicapped youth for the Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies.  Oren and his wife, Adar - a U of C PhD candidate herself - moved to Calgary in August 2007.

Office Number: 403-220-2599

Email: oren [dot] z [dot] steinitz [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

Website: http://www.orensteinitz.com

Lutheran

Rev. Klaus Ohlhoff (Part-time Chaplain)

Before becoming a University Chaplain, Rev. Klaus Ohlhoff (MA, MDiv, STM) was a high school and college English teacher.  He has graduate degrees in literature and theology, culminating with an STM (Master of Sacred Theology) from Yale University Divinity School.  When not working in chaplaincy at the UofC, Klaus can be found hiking and skiing in the mountains, or enjoying Calgary's riverside pathways by bike, on foot, and sometimes on skis!  Klaus is available to faculty, staff, and students as a resource person, pastoral counselor, and caring confidant.  Knock on his office door anytime, and he'll take you for a coffee.

Office Number: 403-220-3899

Email: kohlhoff [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

Muslim

Imam Fayaz Tilly (Full-time Chaplain)

Imam Fayaz Tilly enrolled in the institute of Higher Islamic Learning in Buffalo, New York where he initially memorized the Holy Qur'an and acquired the knowledge of the basic Islamic sciences. Upon becoming a Hafiz (one who has successfully memorized the Qur'an and has been given certification by his teachers), he enrolled in the 7 year course of Islamic Sciences at Darul-Uloom.  Upon completion of his degree (Masters Equivalency) in 2002, he returned to Canada to serve the Muslim community of Calgary, Alberta.

Imam Fayaz is the founder and director of Tahfeez-ul-Quran, a  Quranic memorization program of Calgary.  He also serves as an Imam for the greater Calgary Area, along with being the official Muslim chaplain at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University and Alberta Health Services.  He has also obtained certification and is pursuing higher studies in general and family counselling.

Office Number: 403-220-2599

Email: tfayaz [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

Pentecostal

Rev. Kelly Johnson (Full-time Chaplain)

Kelly enjoys the diversity and energy of campus life.  A B.Ed and M.Div with an inter-cultural focus has helped as he has worked and travelled in over 20 countries before coming to serve as a campus minister.  Kelly enjoys taking students to engage with the issues of the world through practical service learning opportunities locally and internationally. 

Kelly got married to Barb during his first degree at the U of C and has four active kids, a dog and a canary.

Kelly is starting a new program on campus called Home Away From Home where International students are placed with host families who open their homes to students 3 times a semester.  For more information on the program, please contact Kelly or Shawn Tomlinson at homeawayfrom7 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Office Number: 403-220-3900

Email: kelly [dot] johnson [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

 

Karl Snyder (Intern)

Karl Snyder is a recent graduate of the U of C and is currently in the midst of pursuing a Master of Divinity.  Karl began his Master’s Degree at Regent University in Virginia Beach and will continue his studies at Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta.   He has been married to his wonderful wife Chelsea for two years.  Chelsea and Karl have a street cat they rescued off the streets of Virginia Beach who they have affectionately named, “Baby Lila.”  Karl loves adventures and consequently loves travelling, going for mountain expeditions in addition to enjoying playing guitar, reading and laughing with friends. He more than anything is excited to follow God, which is in his opinion the most exciting adventure of all.

Office Number: 403-220-3900

Email: kfsnyder [at] ucalgary [dot] ca  

United/Presbyterian

Rev. Tim Nethercott (Full-time Chaplain)

Tim was ordained in the United Church of Canada following careers in book publishing, teaching English and working for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.  He has worked and studied in Europe and Asia and has been very involved in Environmental and Social Justice issues.  His interests include Contemplative Christian Spirituality, Multi-Faith conversation, drumming and cycling.  Tim has a young daughter named Esmé and loves his work with the campus ministry.

Office Number: 403-220-3896

Email: netherco [at] ucalgary [dot] ca

Website: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~netherco/Site/Welcome.html