07/14/2026
Amidst week two of ISP Summer School we want to take a moment to remember our late friend and former ISP Director, Rev. Dr. Paula Sampson...
Vancouver School of Theology mourns the death of The Rev. Dr. Paula Sampson, who passed away on July 10, 2026.
Paula served as Director of Indigenous Studies and Assistant Professor of Ethics and First Nations Studies at VST from 2009 to 2015. She had been a valued member of the VST community for many years before assuming these roles. She served as a Native Ministries Program (NMP) tutor, sessional lecturer, and member of the Board of Governors.
Paula was deeply loved by students and faculty colleagues alike. She brought wisdom and calm to meetings, encouraged those around her, and was known for her infectious laugh. Her locating interviews for students entering the Indigenous M.Div. program often involved travelling to meet them personally, demonstrating her genuine interest in and commitment to every student.
Paula helped her colleagues develop a deeper appreciation for the significance of the Indigenous Studies Program. In 2013, she presented a gift—a ceramic canoe—to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission gathering held in Vancouver as an expression of reconciliation. This gift was offered alongside a verbal commitment by VST to Truth and Reconciliation. It was subsequently placed in the beautiful Bentwood Box created by Coast Salish carver Luke Marston and is now held by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Paula worked extensively as an Anglican priest in both Alaska and northern British Columbia. She also taught at the University of Northern British Columbia, Vancouver School of Theology, and Wilp Wilxo’oskwhl Nisga’a. She was adopted into the Nisga’a Nation (Wolf Clan) and held degrees from the Graduate Theological Union (Ph.D. in Environmental Ethics), Pacific School of Religion (M.Div.), the University of Washington (M.A. in Spirituality and Culture), and a B.A. from the same institution.
She served on the Theological Education Commission of the Anglican Church, helping to develop principles, competencies, and standards for candidates for priesthood. Paula also served as a thesis reader for students at Oxford University, the University of Victoria, and the University of British Columbia. She completed an important project entitled Talking to the Other: The Interface Between Orality and Literacy in Indigenous Theological Education.
Paula was married for 30 years to the late Rev. Ian Mackenzie, whom she described as “the love of her life.” Ian also served as Director of the Indigenous Studies Program at VST when the Indigenous M.Div. by Extension Program began, and he retired from VST in 1999. Paula was especially grateful for the VST program because, as she said, “that is where Ian and I met.” While serving in Alaska, Paula tutored an M.Div. student enrolled in VST’s extension program. Reflecting on her own appointment, she remarked, “In 2009, I became the last non-Indigenous director the Indigenous Studies Program will ever have (I hope).”
We offer our prayers for Paula’s family and friends and give thanks to God for her life and witness.
Blessed are those who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours, and their deeds follow them.
