REV. HUGH D. LEITCH.
 

	The Rev. Hugh Donald Leitch, pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian
church of Regina since the fall of 1916, is a well known figure in clerical
circles of this province. Of Canadian parentage, he was born at Walker's,
Middlesex county, Ontario, on the 6th of April, 1871. He spent his boy-
hood in the country on the farm and gained his first knowledge of the
world of books in the rural schools. Later he studied at Strathroy Col-
legiate Institute and taught school, then at McGill University, following
which he prepared to enter the ministry of the Presbyterian church. He
graduated from the Presbyterian College in Montreal in 1897. and was
ordained the same year.
	The young clergyman began his ministry at Indian Lands, Glengarry,
here he was pastor for nine years. In 1908 he came to Yorkton, where
he spent three and a half years, then supervised the missions of his de-
omination in Yorkton Presbytery, Saskatchewan, for a year-1912. His
ork in this connection was to visit the various missions with a view to
ssisting those in charge and reporting their condition to the home board
nd also to open new missions where they seemed to be needed. Many
of these outposts of Christianity are so far from the beaten paths that
Mr. Leitch had to travel on horseback to reach them. He took up a reg-
lar pastorate again at Kindersley and three and half years later accept-
ed a call to the Westminster Presbyterian church of Regina, entering
upon his new duties in October of 1916. The work of this congregation
was most congenial to Mr. Leitch, who has made a special study of matters
to religious education, Sunday school work and the problems of
young people as viewed from the religious standpoint, for as is the case
in most of the new communities of the west, the elderly members of the
church are far outnumbered by the children and young folks.  He has
been chairman of the religious education society of Saskatchewan for
years. During the course of his ministry he has done much lecturing and
written short articles along the lines of greatest interest to him. He is
clerk of the Regina presbytery and was moderator of the synod of Sas-
katchewan in 1918, the year the forward movement was launched in the
church. In spite of his prominence in denominational affairs, however,
Mr. Leitch is one of the strongest advocates of church union and has done
much to further the movement in this province. In connection with Dr.
Strang of the Presbyterian church, Rev. C. Endicott and the Rev. A. J.
Tufts of the Methodist church he worked out the double affiliated plan of
church union which has been adopted in a large section of the church, east
and west.  He was president of the Regina Ministerial Association in
1922.
	The marriage of Mr. Leitch to Miss Maude M. Berkeley was solemn-
ized on the 14th of July, 1897. Mrs. Leitch was born in Belleville, On-
tario, where she was educated and spent her girlhood. Mrs. Leitch is a
worthy helpmeet for her husband and is much interested in young people.
She takes a very active part in the work of the Women's Missionary
Society and is in much demand as a speaker at the various meetings of
that society.  She has been president of the Yorkton and Kindersley
Presbyterials of that organization and is now president of the Regina
Presbyterial and also life membership secretary for the province of Sas-
katchewan. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Leitch: A son,
Gordon B., and a daughter, Olive Kathleen.  The son is now studying
medicine in Portland, Oregon, having already obtained his Bachelor of
Science and Master of Science degrees at Saskatchewan University. Miss
Leitch graduated from the Saskatchewan University in 1923 with great
distinction. Both children are good athletes and in 1923 Gordon Leitch
stroked the crew which won the "Machan Cup" in the International North
West Regatta at Fort William, Ontario. No doubt this fondness for ath-
letics is an inheritance from their father who has always been keenly in-
terested in the manly sports. He thinks that in addition to the physical
benefits and pleasure derived from athletic games, they develop in the
players an ability for team work and sense of fair play. In his younger
days he played hockey and baseball and still keeps up his enthusiasm for
curling. He is chaplain of the Saskatchewan Curling Club and has done
a great deal to encourage an interest in that excellent winter sport.
	Mr. Leitch is a Mason, belonging to Banner Lodge, A. F. & A. M. in
Regina and has been grand chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Saskatche-
wan, holding this office in 1921 and 1922. He is also a member of the
Royal Arch. In Regina he is identified with the Canadian and Kiwanis
Clubs. His connection with educational matters includes the chairman-
ship of the board of Moose Jaw College and in this office he has the re-
sponsibility of seeing to the liquidation of a ninety-thousand-dollar debt
in the current year. Such in brief is the record.of a man who has spent
little more than a quarter of a century in the ministry of the Christian
In all the relationships of his life he has striven to interpret in
a practical manner the spirit and teachings of the founder of the Chris-
tian religion, and that his efforts have brought forth results commen-
surate with his high character and devotion to his calling is acknowledged
by all who have felt the influence of his personality.




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