St. Stephen’s Mourns the Passing of Lorraine Nicely
St. Stephen’s College is saddened to share the news that Lorraine Nicely passed away late last month. Lorraine’s life was one of kindness, compassion, and gentle impact. The news of her passing brings deep sorrow coupled with appreciation for the ways she touched so many lives.
Lorraine was a long-standing member of the St. Stephen’s learning community. For more than 20 years she was involved in the training of spiritually-integrated psychotherapists and art therapists through the College’s Master of Psychotherapy and Spirituality program (previously known as the Master of Arts in Pastoral Psychology and Counselling).
Beyond her work at St. Stephen’s, Lorraine made substantial and transformative contributions—both locally and nationally—in the areas of pastoral counselling, spiritually-integrated psychotherapy, and ecological spirituality.
In 2021, St. Stephen’s College bestowed upon Lorraine the honorary Doctor of Sacred Letters (DSL). The significance Lorraine’s many contributions are articulated well in her DSL Citation:
Lorraine Nicely is honoured [with the Doctor of Sacred Letters] for her transformative and integrative contributions in the areas of pastoral counselling, spiritually-integrated psychotherapy, and ecological spirituality. In addition to graduate degrees in theology and religious education, Ms. Nicely holds professional certifications as a CASC/ACSS Certified Psycho-Spiritual Therapist, a CASC/ACSS Certified Supervisor-Educator (PCE), and a Diplomate of the American Association of Pastoral Counsellors.
Ms. Nicely’s contributions to the Canadian Association of Spiritual Care/Association canadienne de soins spirituels (CASC/ACSS) are numerous and well celebrated. She is a past president of CASC/ACSS (1991–1992), during which time she addressed aspects of the Association’s governance that disadvantaged women. Under her leadership, the Association also developed and secured its first Code of Ethics, which in turn led to the establishment of common standards for ethics and professional behaviour across Canada and the United States.
In the mid-1980s, Ms. Nicely was hired by the Pastoral Institute of Edmonton as both a pastoral counsellor and supervisor. As the Director of Training and later Executive Director, Ms. Nicely assisted in the transformation of the Pastoral Institute of Edmonton into the Community Counselling Centre in 1995.
Her work at the Community Counselling Centre caused Ms. Nicely to see the need for Edmonton-based, graduate level education in pastoral counselling. As a result, in the early 2000s she was one of the co-founders of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Psychology and Counselling degree at St. Stephen’s College (known today as the Master of Psychotherapy and Spirituality). Ms. Nicely served St. Stephen’s College in many capacities through her career, both on the Academic Senate (2002–2011) and as both a member and chair/convenor of the Psychotherapy and Spirituality Program Committee (1998–2018). During these years, Ms. Nicely also founded and facilitated the Kukui Fountainhead Retreat Centre in Devon, Alberta (1999–2017), and she shared regularly in the communal life of Edmonton’s L’Arche community (2009–2020). The Kukui Fountainhead Retreat Centre fostered nature-centered spiritual practices that modelled ecologically sustainable ways of living off the land. Through almost two decades of work at Kukui Fountainhead, and a decade with L’Arche, Ms. Nicely fostered welcoming, sacred spaces that nourished body and soul for anyone seeking spiritually-integrated counselling, spiritual direction, and innovative healing modalities.
Ms. Nicely is the recipient of the CASC/ACSS Award of Excellence in Pastoral Practice: Counselling (2006), she was one of four women recognized by CASC/ACSS at the “Honouring Women” celebration (2010), and she is the recipient of the CASC/ACSS Verda Rochon Distinguished Service Award (2018). Through her years of service to the community at Kukui Fountainhead, her private practice, and her mentoring of spiritual caregivers, Ms. Nicely has embodied and practiced the College’s understanding of ministry as “the self-reflective awareness of the nurturing quality of service to the human community and Earth.”
The community of St. Stephen’s College will miss Lorraine deeply. To learn more about her beautiful life and its impact, please read her obituary.
In reflection,
Fred Tappenden,
Principal and Dean, St. Stephen’s College