St. Paul’s welcomes new minister
Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
For Rev. Johanna Pak, the first order of business after taking over as minister for St. Paul's Anglican Church is to "get to know the people, the DNA of the community."
Pak arrived in Uxbridge at the end of August and started her new ministry on Sept. 1. Previously, she served in Toronto and Sharon.
Rev. Johanna Pak has joined St. Paul’s Anglican Church. Photo from St. Timothy’s Anglican Church, Agincourt
The minister said her new position "is not just a job, it's a vocation." She said she has not come to town with any particular agenda. As with previous ministers, Pak has a diminished congregation to address. She said one of her first jobs is to encourage people to return to church instead of watching services on television, which she said many have been doing since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Church is still a community where people can learn who they are and their roles in the world," she said. "Church is a comfortable place where new members can change the dynamics."
Pak was raised as a Roman Catholic in her native Hong Kong, where she earned a degree in economics. Coming to Canada, she went back to school and earned a divinity degree. Before that, she worked as a paramedic and had hoped to be a hospital chaplain. That's when she studied theology and earned her degree.
This is her seventh year as a minister, although she taught Sunday School for several years. However, she says it wasn't all smooth sailing. Pak said she was rejected by the Toronto diocese when she first applied to be a minister, because the diocese thought she needed a few more qualifications. But she persevered and was finally ordained.
Pak's first thoughts about Uxbridge is that it has access to all the amenities and yet is "close to everything."