Marilyn Grace (SMC7T5) is a class representative for the Class of ‘75. She earned a B.Ed. in 1977. Married to Jim Grace (SMC6T7), she taught Religion, English, Drama, and did Guidance and Chaplaincy at two Catholic high schools in Toronto-Cardinal Newman High School and Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts. She retired in 2012 or ‘switched gears’ to do retreat facilitation at Scarboro Missions and now at The Mary Ward Centre. Marilyn and Jim have four children and three grandchildren all of whom – as she notes, “blessedly,”– live in Toronto.
Remember when you could stay up half the night and then roll into class? Remember when you first stepped onto campus? Remember meeting all those new people, some of whom would become friends for life? Remember snowball fights in the quad? Remember being thankful that you weren’t killed when you crossed Queen’s Park to get to the other side of campus? Remember when St. Joseph’s was a girls’ residence? Remember when you couldn’t talk at the Kelly Library?
Rather than remembering, why not Return? You are invited to remember all those key moments from your youth and to return to celebrate them and one another at the 2025 St. Michael’s College, U of T Reunion. We are especially excited to see and celebrate those of us who graduated 50 years ago (I know, I can’t believe it either) and those who graduated 55 years ago. They promised me that there would be name tags, so worry not. Also, the campus is quite accessible so if you do have mobility issues, once again, worry not.
Even though we may not be able to stay up all night, we still have some party in us! What an opportunity to come back and connect with those we first met 50 or 55 years ago. This is your chance to reconnect if you’ve lost touch and I promise that there won’t be snow in May. So rather than snowball fights in the quad, we can connect over the many events being offered at St. Michael’s and U of T. Great news too… there is now a light at Queen’s Park so you can cross safely to get to the other side. Even though St. Joe’s is no longer a residence it is still going strong as part of Regis College with many courses offered in theology and religious studies. You can visit the Kelly Library and be surprised that there are no books on the main floor anymore, and you can enjoy a coffee in what was the old reading room!! Yes, there is now a café in the library, and you’re allowed to talk! Come and enjoy the exhibit of the Golden Rule and the work done by the Scarboro Mission Fathers or join the tour of Fr. Dan Donovan’s collection of artwork.
You can reconnect on Friday, May 30 at the opening Mass which will be held at the Loretto College chapel and then the 1970 and 1975 graduates will enjoy lunch in the Charbonnel Lounge. During the day there are activities and events at St. Mike’s as well as U of T. You can look at the six residences on campus and try to remember where your room was and if you were a day hop you can check out the renovated COOP. The evening events will include a barbecue and, of course, pub time!
Saturday at St. Mike’s includes a lecture on “Freedom and the Modern World: Lessons from Hegel and Kant” given by Douglas Moggach (7T0) or enjoy an Historical Journey of the campus entitled ‘Footprints in Time: A Historical Journey’. The afternoon offers a panel discussion on ‘Contributions of Women to Academics’, or you can enjoy a movie at Alumni Hall. A reception and banquet will be held Saturday evening for those who graduated 50 or 55 years ago.
As a member of the last Western Year class held at St. Mike’s, for those of us who came either from the States or provinces that did not have Grade 13, I am looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with those classmates even if you did not continue at U of T or St. Mike’s. You are most welcome to attend the reunion! In fact, there will be a special Western year meet up at the BBQ in a mini-reunion area that will be provided.
I will certainly miss those who cannot join us, like Fr. Belyea, Fr. Madden, Fr. John Kelly, Fr. Gardner and all those profs who had a major influence on my life or those classmates who have died. However, I am looking forward to those of us who can join in whatever way possible. So don’t delay or procrastinate like we did on those assignments years ago, and register for the weekend of remembering and returning, May 30-June 1. Hope to see you there.
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