Our People

Melanie Calabrigo, Gathering Priest

I am an Anglican priest, chaplain, and spiritual director. I am a graduate of the Vancouver School of Theology – Master of Divinity, the Pacific Jubilee Program for Spiritual Direction, and the Pacific Coast Family Therapy Training Institute. My background is in education, family systems, pastoral care, expressive arts, and spiritual practice and accompaniment. Undergirding all of life for me is a deep, abiding, and tenacious belief in the love of God. As a priest, this is the good news I am called to share. I see the unconditional and invitational love of God manifested through: a loving Creator; the person of Jesus Christ; and the ongoing experience of the Holy Spirit. I have a passion for art, beauty, and play, and a belief that we encounter God in both the sweetness and challenges of life. I endorse practices that demonstrate our belief in and relationship with a loving and nurturing God. I seek to envision, explore, and embody creativity in ministry. You can reach out with any questions to melanie@sthildegards.ca or 604.266.8096

Rikki Kooy (Spirit Elk Woman),
Indigenous Mentoring Elder

I am an elder/artist/designer from Northern Secwepemc Nation and Lil’wat Nations and a third-generation residential school survivor. With passion and compassion, I seek to lead through a thoughtful and spirit-led faith. My hope is to guide community towards healing through wisdom sharing, storytelling, and hands-on engagement in reconciliation through art.  I am the designer of the Feather Dance reconciliation project, which is the work of hands extended in friendship, reaching out to each other as we walk the journey of faith together. For me, the action words of reconciliation are: Love. Purpose. Reconcile. Love’s purpose is to reconcile – with God, with others, and with ourselves. I am ever mindful that in the end, as in the beginning, it’s all about love and relationship.