Marion Pardy

Marion Pardy (born May 9, 1942), a diaconal minister and author, was the 37th Moderator of the United Church of Canada from 2000 to 2003.

Early life Pardy was born in Gander, Newfoundland. In 1961, at age 19, she moved to Belleville, Ontario to work at Albert College, as well as to complete entrance requirements at night school for Covenant College in Winnipeg (now the Centre for Christian Studies).

Vocation In 1968 she was designated as a deaconess at Gower Street United Church in St. John's Newfoundland, and ordained as a diaconal minister.

Pardy pursued and received Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from York University in Toronto. Her MA thesis, "Models of Biblical Authority", was published in 1988 by Harper and Row Publishers as Teaching Children the Bible. Asked about the challenges facing the United Church, Pardy responded, "We live in a changing church and in a changing world. Our challenge is to seek God in the midst of change, to be daring enough to implement and critique change, knowing that we will make mistakes but also recognizing that 'stagnation unto death' is worse."

In 2013, the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador awarded Pardy a Queen’s Jubilee Medal in recognition of her contributions to the community.