Cathie Nicholl worked with Canadian and international university students for half a century and  was awarded the Order of Canada for her life-long contribution to the lives of Canadian youth.

Cathie was born to Scottish missionaries in Northern China, who inspired in her a deep love of reading scripture and singing hymns. Her early years of study were at Cheefoo School in Yantai, on the northeast coast: “There was a wholesome, normal spiritual foundation for everything [we] did. They constantly stretched us. They never undershot us.” Just before turning 19 Cathie left China for Toronto, intending to train as a teacher – in preparation for which she took business and Canadian history courses. She was sidetracked by a job however, one which intervened in her own academic plans but ensured university engagement for the remainder of her life: she became administrator for the fledgling Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. Soon Cathie was working directly with undergraduates and graduate students, challenging them intellectually, spiritually, relationally – seeking to encourage (and model) a holistic expression of living fully the Life More Abundant. “When I started, I didn’t plan to work for 50 years, but was very conscious of the fact that God had called me into this thing … I loved the kids. They were like adrenaline to my system.” This vocation took Cathie to each of Canada’s provinces, as well as to Jamaica, pioneering high-school chapters in addition to her university work. Cathie also helped to develop Pioneer Camps across Canada, and was a director in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Through campwork she shared with both teens and young adults a theology that delighted in knowing and caring about Creation. 

Cathie was a life-changing mentor and life-long friend to thousands of young people. Many of these now seek to model similar holistic expressions of faith in educational institutions and relationship-oriented communities around the globe.

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