Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto has announced its honorary degree recipients for 2024.

Mrs. Shaila C. Visser and The Rev. Canon Dr Barry Parker will both receive their honorary degrees at Wycliffe’s spring convocation, which will take place on May 13th in Wycliffe College’s Sheraton Hall.

In a release, the college says for two decades Visser has provided leadership to Alpha; a church-based program known around the world for introducing people to the Christian faith. She has been the National Director of Alpha Canada since 2010, and is the Global Senior Vice-President for Alpha International.

The College says the Rev. Canon Dr Barry Parker is best known for serving 22 years as rector of St. Paul’s Bloor Street, and has given a lifetime of service to the church in Canada, beginning at a small rural Alberta parish in 1986, and a move to Toronto, where he ministered until retirement. Parker taught at Wycliffe College and Tyndale University and also served as a Critical Incident Chaplain for Toronto Fire Services.

The two will be awarded the degree Doctor of Sacred Letters (honoris causa), Wycliffe College’s highest academic distinction.