On the recommendation of the Honorary Degree Committee, the Academic Committee of St. Andrew’s College has selected Dr. Kathryn Yamashita of Lethbridge, AB, to receive a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa degree at the College’s Spring convocation on May 10, 2024, at Knox United Church in Saskatoon.

Kathryn Yamashita is being honoured for her lay leadership in the church.  In addition to serving her own local congregation, Kathryn has served the wider United Church of Canada for several decades in numerous capacities including the Chinook Winds Regional Council Executive, Region 3 transitional commission, Board member for the Western Inter-cultural Network, final President of Alberta & Northwest Conference and over 20 years of service on the board of Canyon Church Camp.  As stated in her nomination, “Kathryn has carried on the legacy of Japanese Canadians within the United Church and has not allowed the painful history of the internment to be forgotten.  She also is not shy to give witness to her own personal faith in her leadership within the local and wider United Church.”