Rosemary Boissonneau is a climate justice activist and a doctoral candidate at Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology, where she studies ecotheology and scripture. Her research involves applying ecofeminist and decolonial methods to the interpretation of Old Testament texts in order to retrieve an understanding of the land as the mother of earthly life and the medium of God’s blessing. Before embarking on graduate studies, Rosemary enjoyed a long career as an elementary school French teacher.
When I decided to go back to my undergraduate alma mater, St. Michael’s College, to pursue theological studies after decades away from university life, I knew that I would enjoy returning to fondly remembered places from those bygone years, like the Kelly Library and the Coop. However, I never expected that being a St. Mike’s student again would lead me back to Rome, a city I had visited only once before, during the third year of my undergrad studies. Yet, thanks to St. Mike’s commitment to experiential learning and ecumenism, I found myself once again in Rome this past summer as one of eight lucky students participating in the Faculty of Theology’s new course, “Catholic Perspectives on Ecumenical and Interreligious Movements.”
This intensive summer course is the brainchild of Professor Michael Attridge, and it is structured around three weeks of classes in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue at Rome’s Il Centro Pro Unione, an institute dedicated to the study and promotion of ecumenism. The Centro’s annual summer program consists of morning lectures by experts in ecumenism and interfaith relations followed by afternoon excursions to important historical Christian sites like St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran and St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. Students also visit the Grand Mosque of Rome and the city’s Great Synagogue as well as the Vatican dicastery offices for promoting Christian unity and interreligious dialogue. Aside from the programming provided by the Centro, Professor Attridge arranged many extra outings and experiences for us students in the St. Micheal’s course. Whether it was a tour of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, vespers and supper at the St. Egidio Society, or the Sunday Angelus led by the Pope in St. Peter’s Square, Professor Attridge was always there to guide us with his kindness, knowledge, and inexhaustible energy and enthusiasm.
Another significant perk of the course was that the students’ accommodations in Rome were paid for by a special St. Mike’s fund dedicated to ecumenical studies. This made the course accessible to cash-strapped students like me, but it also helped foster a great sense of community among the students and Professor Attridge as we all stayed at the same hotel atop a hill a short distance from St. Peter’s. We began our days communally with breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant and often capped off our evening by sharing wine and conversation in the hotel courtyard at sunset.
By contrast, my first visit to Rome almost four decades ago was a much less structured affair, but it, too, was very much shaped by my connections to St. Mike’s. Like this summer’s trip, my earlier stay in Rome would not have happened if I had not been a St. Mike’s student involved in experiential learning. With the intention of being a French major in university, I was drawn to do my studies at St. Mike’s because of its highly regarded French department and the possibility of completing my third year in the south of France as part of the University of Toronto’s now-defunct Study Abroad Program. Also, due in no small part to the strong Italian cultural presence at St. Mike’s, I chose to complement my French studies with a minor in Italian. Thus, I found myself in my third year as a St. Mike’s undergrad in Aix-en-Provence, France, near Italy, making plans to test out my Italian by spending the Christmas break in Rome along with another student from my course. My brother, who was doing a doctorate in theology at St. Mike’s at the time, had studied in Rome a couple of years earlier, and he was very excited for me when I wrote him (in an actual posted letter!) about my upcoming trip. This past winter, my brother was equally enthusiastic when I discussed with him the idea of taking the newly announced St. Mike’s Rome course. In fact, I might not have enrolled in the course without his ardent encouragement. “Rosemary, it will change your life!” he said, and he was right. This summer’s course was a life altering event filled with unforgettable moments, just like my undergrad year studying abroad had been.
Among my many memorable experiences in Rome this summer, the one that stands out the most is attending the Pallium Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica, during which Archbishop Leo received his pallium as the new archbishop of Toronto. Following the Mass, our St. Mike’s group were guests of the Canadian College at a lovely reception that it hosted in honour of Archbishop Leo, who also happens to be USMC’s Chancellor. Located near the Vatican, the Canadian College serves as a home for Canadian clergy studying in Rome. The Mass and reception were extra-special for me because they mirrored the most memorable part of my first trip to Rome so many years ago. Back then, my ever-protective brother managed from afar to put me in contact with the folks at the Canadian College, where he himself had lived during his studies a few years earlier. The director and students there made us feel very welcomed when my friend and I came knocking on their door a few days before Christmas. They arranged for us to attend Christmas morning Mass at St. Peter’s celebrated by Pope John Paul II, and after Mass we walked over to the College to have Christmas lunch as their invited guests. What an unforgettably wonderful day!
Fast forward from Christmas 1985 to June 2023, and there I was again, a St. Mike’s student attending a Papal Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and celebrating with a meal afterwards at the Canadian College. But this time, the moments were all the more special because I shared them with so many fellow students and others from the St. Mike’s community, including even my brother, who had come to Rome as part of Archbishop Leo’s contingent. Thanks, St. Mike’s, for the memories, old and new!
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