About Us
We are delighted that Rev. Laurelle Callaghan will be coming to St. Andrew's & St. Paul's in September as our Minister. Her first service is September 7. (Rev. Callaghan's biography follows.)
Until then, Rev. Bruce Peterkin, a retired United Church minister, will continue to share the leadership of our services. Members of all ages enjoy his sense of humour and engaging delivery of the Word of the Lord often using his beautiful singing voice. Rev. Peterkin is a member of the Evangelical Association for Education and Evangelism as well as the Chaplain at the Queensway Carleton Hospital.
Rev. Ed Barbezat, also a retired United Church minister, will also continue leading our services. Rev. Barbezat spent 10 years as the minister of L’Eglise Saint Marc, the French-language United Church in Ottawa.
The music for our services is led by our Organist, Candace Woods.
Right Rev. Kimberly Heath
Lieutenant-Colonel (ret’d) the Reverend Laurelle D.S. Callaghan CD
Laurelle was born and raised in Bancroft, Ontario. After completion of high school, she attended Queen’s University where in 1977 she received a BA (Life Sciences). During her undergraduate years, she met Douglas Tudor who was attending the Royal Military College. In 1977, Doug also graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a military classification of Aerospace Engineer. The couple married in June 1977, and there began Laurelle’s association with military life.
In the fall of 1980, while Doug was posted to Trenton. Laurelle started her Master of Divinity degree, graduating in 1983. That same year, Doug was offered the opportunity to attend Test Pilot School in Edwards, California. Laurelle delayed ordination at that time but was afforded a terrific opportunity to serve with the US chaplains at Edwards Air Force Base.
Returning to Canada (Cold Lake, Alberta) the couple began their family—Sean born in 1981. Laurelle was ordained by Alberta and Northwest Conference, spring 1983. Immediately after that she was settled in the Big Valley-Erskine Pastoral charge, where she still retains strong ties. With a second child on the way, and Doug unexpectedly posted to Winnipeg, the couple moved to Winnipeg in summer 1984. Shortly after Justin, their second son was born, Laurelle began work at Charleswood United Church where she served for four years.
Laurelle’s connection to the military as spouse, experience as a chaplain at the Air Cadet Camp in Trenton, and her experience in California led Laurelle to answer the call to military chaplaincy.
Lt. Col. Callaghan was first assigned to 2 PPCLI, Kapyong Barracks, Winnipeg where she learned much needed field skills that would be the hallmark of the latter part of her career. In addition, she helped establish the first Military Family Support Centre(MFRC) in Winnipeg. Following her posting to 2PPCLI, Lt. Col. Callaghan was, in 1989, posted to Borden where she completed basic training and then served for three years. Again she worked with the training schools but maintained her passion for families as chaplain to the MFRC and family programming at the Base Chapel.
In 1992, Lt. Col. Callaghan was posted to 4 Wing, Cold Lake. During her four year tour, she rotated as chaplain through the wing units as well as serving as Chapel Life Coordinator and chaplain to the MFRC. Posted as Base Chaplain to 15 Wing, Moose Jaw in 1996, Lt. Col. Callaghan continued to serve both the military members and their families.
Lt. Col. Callaghan returned to her original army roots in 1998 when posted to 1 Svc Bn, Edmonton in 1998. She spent much of the latter part of her career serving the “Army of the West”, now 3 Div. She deployed, in 1999, on Op Kinetic to Kosovo (Roto 0) as the senior chaplain. In 2001, she was promoted to major and assumed the position as Brigade Chaplain in 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. During her tenure as brigade chaplain, Lt. Col. Callaghan deployed once again as the senior chaplain, Op Apollo, to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2002. On tour, Lt. Col. Callaghan chaired a multidisciplinary team which drafted and implemented the first Second Location Decompression in Guam.
In 2005, Lt.Col. Callaghan was posted as the Division Chaplain to 1 Canadian Air Division, Winnipeg, where she served for one year, before returning to army colours in 2006 as the Area Chaplain for Land Forces Western Area. During this time, the CF began taking multiple casualties on deployment, and as advisor to the Command Team, Lt.Col. Callaghan helped to bring the needs of the family to the forefront as the CF began developing procedures for NOK notifications and repatriations.
Lt. Col. Callaghan was posted to Ottawa in 2008 where she completed the year-long French course and was subsequently posted as a staff officer dealing with policy in the office of the Chaplain General. In 2009, she was promoted to her final rank and returned as the Area Chaplain, LFWA in Edmonton. Her last deployment was during this time as she served as the senior chaplain on Op Lustre, the Manitoba floods of 2011. Immediately after the deployment, Lt.Col. Callaghan returned to Ottawa, posted to Canadian Forces Development. In 2012, Lt.Col. Callaghan was posted as Command Chaplain, Joint Operations Centre, a role that integrated both her concern for families and her passion for the troops.
Lt. Col. Callaghan retired in 2015.
In 2022, Laurelle returned to paid accountable ministry in the civilian world, serving Queenswood United Church until June 2025.
Laurelle is grateful for the many CF and civilian friends she has made in her 42 years of ordained ministry. In addition, she has been blessed to have a tremendous and supportive family. She, and her husband of 48 years, Doug Tudor (Lt.Col. ret’d), have raised two wonderful sons, Sean and Justin, as they have moved across the country. Now in Ottawa, Laurelle and Doug live close to their now adult children who have married equally wonderful ladies and given them five extraordinary grandchildren: Sean and Laura have two sons, Cameron and Gregory; Justin and Meighan have two daughters, Ellie and Harper and a son, Jack.