Anglican serves at Luther College: chaplain hears student concerns, "hangs out".

AS THE FIRST Anglican chaplain at Luther College in Regina, Rev. Cheryl Kristolaitis is living the meaning of "full communion" in a campus setting.

In August, 2002, Ms. Kristolaitis became the first Anglican clergy person to be officially called to a position in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada since the Anglican Church of Canada and the Lutheran church began a closer relationship, called full communion, in July 2001.

"It's been really good. I've really enjoyed it; it's an interesting ministry," she said in an interview.

Luther College was founded as Luther Academy in 1913 by German Lutheran settlers in Melville, Sask. The founders intended to provide a high-quality high school education leading to university entrance for professions such as reaching and the ministry.

It began as an all-male institution, but female students soon began attending and in 1926, in response to growing demand, the school moved to a larger location near Regina. Today, more than 1,400 students are enrolled at Luther's two campuses, more than half of them non-Lutherans. In addition to adopting the provincial high school curriculum, the college now provides students with first-year university studies in affiliation with the University of Saskatchewan.

When asked what her typical week looked like, Ms. Kristolaitis responded, "I'm not sure there is a typical week!" She leads worship services twice a week, one on Tuesday afternoon when classes are suspended to allow faculty, staff and students to attend, and one on Sunday evening.

Three third- or fourth-year students serve as "peer ministers"-"students who are interested in integrating their school life and faith in a deliberate way by taking leadership roles," said Ms. Kristolaitis, who came to Luther College from a parish in North Bay, Ont. She had previous experience as a campus chaplain, having served at St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School in Oakville, Ont. and Bishop Strachan School in Toronto, both independent Anglican high schools.

The liturgy for worship is based in Lutheran liturgies, but "adapted weekly to themes or readings or a focus of the week," she said. The student team-one is Lutheran, one is Roman Catholic and one is Associated Gospel-help shape the services as well as lead Bible study or retreats, she said.

So, what kind of adjustment process does an Anglican chaplain face in a Lutheran world? "Some of it was getting to know the liturgy, but the differences are things not so much found in the books, but more what is the culture of a particular denomination. There were small things, like getting used to being called Pastor Cheryl. There is more of an emphasis on the role of the pastor, who takes more of the worship than the priest in the Anglican church," she said.

Some Lutheran hymns have different words, but the same tune, as Anglican hymns, she noted. Some rituals are a bit different. "The first time I gave communion, well, there's a line in the book that says you may say something. In the Anglican church, people receive and leave. But in the Lutheran church, they come up in a group and after they had received they were all still standing there. A lay person whispered, "They are waiting for a blessing,'" Ms. Kristolaitis recalled.

In her counseling work, students come to her with vocational questions-"what am I supposed to be doing in this world," she said, which may include questions about ordination. Students also have intellectual questions about faith, questions about relationships and sexuality, about families in crisis, and about addiction issues, she said. She also makes referrals to other professionals. She finds much of the job, however, consists of doing what kids do. "My office is off the student lounge, so I pretty much hang out," she said.

Seminary cross-lists courses

Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, which is affiliated with Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., is developing "full communion" with Anglican schools in a number oF ways, according to Dr. Richard Crossman, principal-dean of Waterloo Lutheran.

Courses at Waterloo Lutheran, Trinity College and Huron College (the last two are Anglican schools in Toronto and London, Ont., respectively) are cross-listed, that is, students may sign up for a course at any of the three schools and have it credited at his or her home school, he said in an interview.

One course, on Reformation theology, is taught by a Waterloo Lutheran and a Trinity professor and is located at Trinity Anglican church in Streetsville, Ont., about halfway between Toronto and Waterloo for the convenience of students at each institution, he noted. Waterloo is about 80 km west of Toronto. (Although they share a name, the church has no connection with the college.)

Students need not make a separate admissions application and pay no extra fee to take a course at another college. Also, the colleges do not exchange funds to cover cross-listed students, he said. "We figured it's a wash," he commented.

Waterloo Lutheran is in regular contact with Renison College, the Anglican college at the University of Waterloo, he said. "We work with them in terms of continuing education opportunities," he said, noting that Waterloo Lutheran is a graduate college and Renison is undergraduate.

One year before "full communion" was declared in 2001 between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada, Dr. Crossman was invited to be an observer at meetings of the Ontario Provincial Commission on Theological Education, an Anglican organization of college leaders and diocesan representatives. In 2001, Dr. Crossman was made a full member of the commission, he said.