The Reverend Father Matt Koovisk
Anglican Priest and Rector in Chilliwack, BC, Canada
Holding the BA from UBC, the MDiv from Huron at Western, and the MTS and ThM from Trinity College at UofT, Fr. Matt is the 21st Rector of St John the Baptist, Sardis (Chilliwack), BC in the Diocese of New Westminster. From 2017-2024, he served as the Rector of St Mary, Virden; St Mark, Elkhorn; Christ Church, Melita; and St John, Reston (the Tri-Valley Parish). He was also the Secretary of Synod and the Editor of the Mustard Seed of the Diocese of Brandon.
He also served in the Virden community as the Chaplain to the Legion, as the Board Chair of the Association for Community Living, as a member of the Virden Aud Theatre Board, as the Chaplain to the Wallace District Fire Department, and as a Civilian Instructor with the 2528 XII Manitoba Dragoons Cadet Corps. In the summer of 2023, he also served as the Chaplain to the Brandon Cadet Training Centre.
At Huron, he served as the Secretary to the Bishop Hallam Theological Society, as well as the Deputy Speaker of the Huron University College Students' Council. He was also a sacristan/head sacristan and warden at the Collegiate Chapel of St. John the Evangelist. During his time at Huron, Fr. Matt served as an intern for two years at St. Michael's, London. During the summer of 2013, he served as the Summer Pastor of St Andrew’s-by-the-Lake, Turkey Point.
For a year and a half after his time at Huron, he served as a house assistant at L'Arche Daybreak, a role he continued on a casual basis while at Trinity. During his time at L'Arche Daybreak, he served as a member of the pastoral team, with a special responsibility for music. He became a "discovery member" of the community in 2016.
At Trinity, he was a member of the Divinity Class Executive (as the Advanced Degree Representative), and was a Trinity College Choral Scholar (Tenor.) He was also a member of TST Graduate Association Board. He served as the Pastoral Intern at St. Mary's, Richmond Hill, and was the interim organist for a period of time. He also sang in the Evensong Choir at St. Thomas, Huron Street.
He completed two basic units of clinical pastoral education at Parkwood, London, ON (2012), and CAMH (2015), and from 2017-2024 served as an on-call chaplain at Brandon Regional Health Centre.