Over the past few weeks, the Atlantic School of Theology (AST) community has celebrated several Celebration of Ministry services that saw the ordination of our graduates into the United Church of Canada. Among those ordained were Brian Botten, Donna Kelly, Ron Shaw, and Sonja van de Hoef-Fraser.

Reflecting on her special day, Master of Divinity graduate Rev. Sonja shared, “There is no way to capture the depth of gratitude I have for the people who surrounded me in person and online (including AST classmates) from afar on ordination day. From Ontario, to Maine, and all the way to The Netherlands!” 

Rev. Sonja was ordained at the Celebration of Ministry service in Port Elgin (Western Ontario Waterways Region).

The journey to ordination is a rigorous one. Rev. Sonja noted, “One of the ladies on my Community of Faith Connection Team, from St. Paul’s, during the SME process kept saying and reiterated on ordination day, ‘I had NO idea what goes into becoming a minister in the UCC. It is an incredible amount of work and sacrifice. Now I know!’”

She added that everyone surrounding her on that day had encouraged, lifted in prayer, and supported her journey—both tangibly and intangibly—to bring her to that precise moment.

“I was overcome when kneeling for the laying on of hands and saw the sea of faces present in the auditorium," Rev. Sonja recalled. “Family, friends, and people from previous congregations that I served even 20 years ago when I was a music director to the present day.”

A particular highlight stood out from the celebration. “The best part was having the privilege of serving each one the sacrament of communion that day beside the Western Ontario Waterways Region's acting president, Jennifer Irving.”

Rev. Sonja concluded with these moving words:

“Brother, Sister, let me serve you. Let me be as Christ to you. Pray that I might have the grace, to let you be my servant, too.”

My husband, The Rev. Marc Fraser and I hosted a reception afterwards for all who came at Port Elgin United Church where the Rev. Dan Leaver presides. The women of my congregation, St. Paul’s put on a beautiful spread. This is where all the group pictures were taken.