I was honoured to step into the role as director of the Irene and Doug Schmeiser Centre for Faith, Reason, Peace, and Justice on January 1, 2025, following on the initial three-year term of co-directors Dr. Christopher Hrynkow and Dr. Gertrude Rompré. In an era of increasing global uncertainty and violent conflict—an era that raises serious questions about the role of religion in civil society and the nature of truth and goodness—the Schmeiser Centre’s focus on faith, reason, peace, and justice offers urgently needed resources to our community. I think often of French philosopher-mystic Simone Weil’s words to herself during the rise of Nazi regime: “You could not have been born at a better time, when everything is lost.”

During my term as centre director, I want us to find a way forward together amid everything that’s lost. In particular, I hope to increase the reach of the centre’s distinctive courses and certificate programs for undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan, helping them find the tools of Peace Studies, Catholic Studies, and Social Justice and the Common Good, all of which can equip students to meet the era’s crises with distinct wisdom and skills. I plan, similarly, through the centre’s growing network of affiliates and associates, to support a web of scholars and community practitioners working in faith, reason, peace, and/or justice research and practice. Through these curricular and co-curricular efforts, and in collaboration with our various community organization partners in public-facing events, I hope the Schmeiser Centre will become an increasingly visible resource for thinking and acting toward faith-engaged peace and justice in the Saskatchewan context, the Canadian context, and the world.