Sonal Castelino, xmcj is the Director of Campus Ministry at the University of St. Michael’s College.
At the end of this week (Friday, September 29), we celebrate Michaelmas. In one word this is our university’s feast day commemorating St. Michael, one of seven archangels present in the Christian (Muslim and Jewish) tradition. But one could pose a basic question: Why St. Michael?
A simple response: St. Michael is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Toronto and thus most of the initial institutions bore and still bear this name: St. Michael’s Hospital, St. Michael’s College School, St. Michael’s Cathedral, and so, University of St. Michael’s College. While this is an interesting piece of history, for us, today, 171 years later, how do we live, appropriate, give meaning to this name?
Why St. Michael’s today? Is this name relevant today?
The name Michael means, ‘Who is like God/The Divine?’ and an angel means messenger. As a university community that desires to embody its place and history of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and Catholic Social Teaching, as well as remain active and affected by the questions, issues, realities of today, there is a tension and, in my humble opinion, an invitation to all of USMC to lean into–and wrestle with– this tension so that we may bear fruit as an institution. Just as we have throughout history these 171 years.
St. Michael the archangel may have some relevance here after all as a messenger who points to the source/the Divine, while also upholding his role of the defender. Some of us may be attracted to the military image that St. Michael presents but that is not where I intend to move us. Instead, we could look at St. Michael as a keeper, a guarantor of a tradition we have received and continue to bring to life.
While we may not all be Christians in this university community, I hope that all of us appreciate the legacy of our humble beginnings. Our mission, Grounded in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and committed to the education of the whole person, the University of St. Michael’s College challenges all its members to exercise transformative leadership in service of the common good and care of all creation, only remains possible because of where we come from. The Basilian Father’s motto of ‘Teach me goodness, discipline, and knowledge,’ the Loretto Sisters, inspired by their foundress Mary Ward to be seekers of truth and doers of justice, and the Sisters of St. Joseph’s impetus of communion with God through the welcoming of ourselves and the other are how we have arrived at our values of
Community — Human Dignity — Service — Social Justice — Sustainability
These are not empty words or frilled catchphrases but each of these unveils both where we come from and where we want to go. This is the beauty of tradition and thus feeds into our desire of celebration.
These values are not easy to live every day. Neither is the commitment to the education of the whole person: when there are conflicting priorities and the intellect, or the social, or the spiritual, may seem more relevant than the other. But this is where that fruitful tension returns and what makes our story more interesting – our success is in the success of everyone. We become a prominent institution when no one remains behind or is forgotten, and when everyone contributes to making our university what it is: within the classroom and outside. This is our posture of defense, a witness to the importance of wholehearted faith, and gratitude for all that was given so that we may gladly celebrate this tradition. Through the intercession of St. Michael, may this continue to be so.
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