Meet Ruth Dantzer

About

As a Spiritual Care Provider I help to support the spiritual needs of the UVic community. I am an ordained priest of the Anglican Church. I am deeply committed to diversity and work to reflect this value in my ministry and programming at Multifaith.

I am a cisgender person and my pronouns are she/her. I have a settler background, with English, Scottish, Swedish, and Welsh ancestry. I acknowledge that our white forebearers inflicted grave injustices upon this land and upon its First Peoples and that harmful effects of colonization continue today.

I strive to support students whose spiritual interests draw them toward transformation and a deepening relationship with God. While I identify as a Christian, I relate to those who identify as spiritual-but-not-religious, because for years I walked that path myself. I see the beauty that each life story holds and I’m grateful that my role at Multifaith allows me to walk alongside people of many backgrounds.

As a campus Spiritual Care Provider, I offer the UVic community my experience in areas such as spiritual direction, pilgrimage, and exploration of the contemplative paths. I am a certified Spiritual Director, yoga teacher, and meditation instructor and I have led retreats and wilderness solos. I have enjoyed time on retreat in contemplative communities worldwide, deepening my connection with God through meditation and time in nature. I have experience as a Spiritual Care Provider in various healthcare settings including a trauma hospital, an addiction treatment centre, hospice, and psychedelic assisted therapy.

In effort to achieve a balance between engaging my inner spiritual life and social action, I have devoted time to outreach and justice projects. I worked as a volunteer and activist in various settings such as the Mother Teresa organization in India, in homeless shelter outreach in the USA,  bringing medical supplies to Tibetan settlement camps, providing disaster relief for the Red Cross and volunteering at a birth center in Indonesia as a doula. I also coordinated a sponsorship group for a Syrian refugee family. I have training in Non-Violent Communication and have facilitated Restorative Justice circles.  I bring a lens of spirituality, environmental awareness, and social action into my work at the university.

I see student life as an especially vibrant, and sometimes overwhelming, life stage. These years hold much potential for spiritual growth and I am committed to walking with people in journeys of self-discovery. I would like to extend a heartfelt offer to support you in your journey. I hope you will reach out!

Education and Credentials:

• Master of Divinity, with a concentration in Social Justice and Ethics, Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colorado, 2010
• Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, with a concentration in EcoPsychology, Naropa University, Boulder, CO, 2004
• Clinical Pastoral Education, Centura and Centered Life, 5 units, Littleton, CO, 2010 – 2011
• Spiritual Director Certification, Benet Hill Monastery, Colorado Springs, CO, 2009 – 2011
• Yoga Instructor Certification, The Yoga Room, Boulder, CO, 2006
• Wilderness solo trainings and apprenticeships, The School of Lost Borders, Big Pine, CA, 2004 – 2006

About the Anglican faith

“As a partner in the worldwide Anglican Communion and in the universal Church, we proclaim and celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ in worship and action.  We value our heritage of biblical faith, reason, liturgy, tradition, bishops and synods, and the rich variety of our life in community.

We acknowledge that God is calling us to greater diversity of membership, wider participation in ministry and leadership, better stewardship in God’s creation and a stronger resolve in challenging attitudes and structures that cause injustice.  Guided by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to respond to this call in love and service and so more fully live the life of Christ.”

“Common prayer is an important part of how we worship together. Our services draw from a rich tradition of set prayers, either from the Book of Common Prayer, based on 16th century rites, or the more modern Book of Alternative Services (1985). Although each community has its own flavour, there are strong commonalities across all local churches.

The Eucharist (also known as the Lord’s Supper or Communion) is a central part of many Sunday services, but many Anglican congregations also meet for morning and evening prayer, and for services throughout the week. Anglican services also follow a pattern that begins with the gathering of the community, then listening to and reflecting on the Scriptures.

The community then brings the needs of the world and the community to God in prayer, and the group partakes in the holy meal of bread and wine, before being sent forth into the mission of daily life.  Our services follow the six seasons of the church year (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost) and the lectionary, a set list of Bible readings for the year.

…Anglican worship is enhanced by the presence of symbols. Often worship spaces will use symbols of our two sacraments—an altar or table for the Eucharist and a font for baptism. Anglican churches also may have a cross, the symbol of Christ’s death and resurrection, and candles, which remind us of the light of Christ and the fire of the Holy Spirit. Church life differs across the country, but often churches will offer programs like Christian education, Bible studies, women’s and men’s groups, grief support groups, arts activities, and social justice action groups.”