Sr. Sonal Castelino, XMCJ, has been named the inaugural Director of Mission and Ministry for the University of St. Michael’s College, with a mandate to guide the integration of St. Michael’s mission, vision, and values into the life of the university. Reporting to the President and as a member of the senior leadership team, she will also continue to provide leadership for the community’s religious, spiritual, and liturgical life.
Sr. Sonal’s focus, inspired by Catholic Social Teaching, will include working with colleagues across the university to further weave a strong emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion into the university community, to increase the emphasis on climate and social justice, as well as to nurture a general sense of belonging.
A Catholic university “has something significant to offer to the institutional Church,” says Sr. Sonal, who assumes her new role August 1. “The very life of the university is creative and relational as students and faculty wrestle with finding meaning and their way in the world. We are the perfect place to engage in this challenging and rewarding work: weaving in faith and a deeper commitment to the common good.” While continuing to oversee Campus Ministry, as Director of Mission and Ministry Sr. Sonal’s scope will be broadened to include such duties as creating opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to engage with the university’s mission and Catholic identity – for example, arranging staff retreats and organizing conversations on how to cultivate the university’s mission.
She will also serve as a liaison to various institutional partners, from Catholic school boards and the University of Toronto’s Multi-Faith Centre to religious communities and the Archdiocese of Toronto, strengthening relationships and finding opportunities for collaboration and experiences for students.
Citing a strong tradition of student leadership at St. Michael’s, Sr. Sonal is keen to encourage and empower students to envision themselves as agents of positive change in the world.
“I want our students to recognize leadership potential within themselves. I want to equip them to ask themselves what it means to be a leader—first at St. Mike’s, and then in the broader world—all of this rooted in a deeper desire to serve and engage with the complexities of our world today.”
University President David Sylvester says this new role will help expand understanding of St. Mike’s 180, the university’s strategic plan.
“I have watched the extraordinary impact Sr. Sonal has had on revitalizing Campus Ministry, which includes bringing back the much-loved student Mass and building a vibrant student team reflective of the unique and diverse nature of St. Michael’s,” says President Sylvester. “In this new role, Sr. Sonal will bring that level of energy and engagement to strengthening partnerships, educating community members on the significance and importance of our mission, and offering opportunities to students, faculty, and staff for personal and spiritual enrichment. I am excited to see where her leadership takes St. Michael’s.”
After receiving her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto, Sr. Sonal earned a Master of Divinity degree at Regis College.
Before joining St. Michael’s in 2021 as Director of Campus Ministry, she worked first as the Associate Director of Formation and Programs at the Newman Centre Catholic Mission at the University of Toronto, and then as Student Life Coordinator at Regis College.