Huron University College will confer Doctor of Divinity degrees (honoris causa) on Nina Burnham and Archbishop Caleb Lawrence during the Theology Convocation ceremony Thursday.
Along with the honorary degree recipients, nine Huron students will receive the Master of Divinity degree, two will be awarded the Master of Theological Studies degree and one student will be awarded the Lay Certificate in Theology during the 4:30 p.m. ceremony in the Kingsmill Room.
Archbishop Caleb Lawrence
Ordained as a priest in 1965, Archbishop Caleb Lawrence received his training in the diocese of Nova Scotia but spent all 45 years of his church ministry in the North. His ministry has been one of “unending growth and learning; just expanding all the time,” he says. He served as a missionary, incumbent and rector of St. Edmund’s parish in Great Whale River in Quebec. The parish was a traditional meeting place between the Cree and Inuit where Archbishop Lawrence was able to immerse himself in two very different cultures.
His move to Moosonee as bishop provided new challenges. Moosonee was half First Nations, half non-First Nations, mostly of European ancestry. In his new job he took with him the “deep respect and profound appreciation for the ministry, spirituality and values of First Nations indigenous people.”
Lawrence recently celebrated his 30th anniversary as bishop and retired on Jan. 6.
Nina Burnham
Nina Burnham was born on Six Nations and worked as a dental hygienist on all First Nations Reserves in Southern Ontario, including Moose Factory and Atawabiskat. She also worked on the Medical Ship C.D. Howe, travelling a 10,000 mile trip for five years to all Inuit Settlements of the Eastern Arctic, doing preventative dentistry.
Until 2003, she was an elected member to the Six Nations Council serving as Counsellor for 18 years. Burnham also served on the Ontario Board of Parole and the Ontario Trillium Board, and continues to be an active member of the Six Nations Veterans Association.
As a member of Huron Diocese and the Six Nations Parish in Ohsweken, Burnham received the Order of Huron for her outstanding and selfless work. Burnham is currently co-chair of L.A.I.C. and a Member of Senior Fellows for Renison College.
Burnham has served on National Committees for the Anglican Church and has received the Anglican Award of Merit for her outstanding service. She has been a member of the Anglican Council of Native Ministries for 14 years, with the distinction of being past chair. She has served on the Primate’s World Relief and Development Commission, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee, the Partners in Mission and continues to represent her people on the National Indigenous Covenant Implementation Commission.