March and April saw good news for St. Mike’s on multiple fronts. Here are just a few of the things we’ve been celebrating on campus in recent weeks:
President Sylvester Re-appointed–We are delighted with the news that Dr. David Sylvester has accepted a second term as President of the University of St. Michael’s College. Dr. Sylvester has made great strides at St. Mike’s and we look forward to another successful term.
Making Waves as a Blue Community–St. Michael’s and Regis College are now Blue Communities. We signed on as members in mid-April, formally recognizing that St. Mike’s is committed to protecting the world’s water supply and ensuring all people have access to water as a human right.
St. Mike’s, Loretto Sign Residence Agreement–In a significant development designed to protect and carry forward the impact of the Loretto Sisters on our campus, St. Michael’s announced it would be assuming the operation and management of Loretto College as of May 1, 2023.
ACCUC Meets on Campus–St. Mikes played host to presidents from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities for their most recent semi-annual meeting.
Archbishop Leo Visits Founders House–Archbishop Francis Leo stopped by Founders House shortly before his installation in March. He arrived with Cardinal Thomas Collins to meet with Collegium Chair Rosanne Rocchi and President Sylvester.
Exciting Staffing News from Campus Ministry–The Campus Ministry team is expanding! Campus Ministry Coordinator Nicole Ferrante is now full-time, having successfully completed the comprehensive exams for her Master of Divinity degree at Regis College. As well, Christina Labriola has joined the team as the Director of Music. She will remain Artistic Director of USMC’s Schola Cantorum as well as creating a student choir you’ll hear on Saturday evenings at the Campus Ministry Mass during the academic year. She’ll also offer music workshops as a means of professional development and networking for liturgical musicians in Toronto. You’ll see her Christina in action at the Baccalaureate Mass on Monday June 12.
Jesuits Shine Light on Work of Sonal Castelino and Fr. Rixon–Sonal Castelino, xmcj, and Regis Fr. Gordon Rixon, SJ, were featured in a recent edition of the Jesuit publication Hemispheres for their work presenting the Homeless Jesus statue at Regis College to visiting high school students.
Panel Marks Good Friday Accord–St. Mike’s marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Accord, a critical step in the move to peace in Northern Ireland, with an impressive panel discussion featuring Janice McGinn, Ireland’s Consul General in Toronto, MP James Maloney, Greg Quinn, the Acting British Consul General in Toronto, Ciaran Quinn, Sian Fein’s representative in North America, and Robert Kearns, Chair and Founder, Canada Ireland Foundation.
The Return of the “Christianity and the Arts” Lecture–University of Westminster professor John Wyver gave a presentation about his BBC television documentary Coventry Cathedral: Building for a New Britain, telling the story of the building of the new Coventry Cathedral in 1962 after the destruction of the medieval building in WWII.
Innovative AI Class Announced–How’s this for exciting programming? We learned that Fall 2023 will see a new class at St. Mike’s that will be taught almost entirely with artificial intelligence tools. “AI as a Classroom” is an advanced fourth-year seminar that will be offered as part of the Book and Media Studies Program (BMS) at St. Michael’s College, in the University of Toronto.
Kelly Library Dante Collection–“They entered the Kelly Library with hope and abandoned none of it,” Kelly staffers report. Dante enthusiasts including Heather Webb, keynote speaker at the “Emotions and Communities in Dante” conference, immersed themselves in the Library’s Dante Collection in advance of her closing address at the “Emotions and Communities in Dante” conference, held at St. Mike’s from April 12-13. Webb, from the University of Cambridge, was joined in the library’s Special Collections Reading Room by other Dante scholar, including Elisa Brilli from the U of T Centre for Medieval Studies.
2022-23 St. Mike’s Yearbook Released–The Mike Publications produced the 2022-2023 St. Mike’s Yearbook, created by a dedicated team of student leaders. It features events and programs from various student initiatives and activities throughout this academic year. To purchase a yearbook, visit https://form.jotform.com/231033563911044. To view our incredible archive of SMC yearbooks check out https://archive.org/details/usmcyearbooks.
SMC Troubadours Present Angels in America–The SMC Troubadours presented a staged reading of Angels in America, Millennium Approaches, to a sold-out crowd in our beautiful Father Madden Hall. This epic story involved incredibly creative staging and interactive story-telling that left a huge impact on those who attended.
SMC Campus Clean Up–Clean SMC, St. Mike’s student-led initiative focused on sustainability and creating a culture that cares for our common home, organized a campus-wide clean up with support from the President and Bursar’s offices! The clean-up had more than 30 attendees and showcased the efforts of our collective community in preparing for a beautiful spring season.
A Fruitful Retreat for All–The last weekend in April saw Sonal Castelino, xmcj, and Emma Oliver, Assistant Dean of Campus Life, take 28 students in senior leadership on a retreat at Lake St. George Field Centre. Retreatants included orientation coordinators, members of the residence council, student campus ministers, SMCSU members, mentorship coordinators and commuter coordinators.