Tradition and new initiatives brought the St. Michael’s community together this fall. Here’s some of the things we celebrated in September and October.
Michaelmas
St. Michael’s celebrated our patron saint with our annual Michaelmas festivities, cohosted by SMCSU and the President’s Office, on September 26. As per tradition, the celebrations began with an academic procession into St. Basil’s Church for a special mass. The festivities continued with food trucks on Elmsley Place; games and activities in the Quad; and President David Sylvester and SMCSU President, Yusuf Durmus, cutting a cake with a sword.
Legacy Wall Event and Luncheon
The Michaelmas celebrations also honoured the newest inductees to St. Michael’s Legacy Wall. Former Prime Minister Paul Martin; Joan MacDonald Smith, Ontario’s first female solicitor general; and founder of St. Mike’s Continuing Education division Dr. Mimi Marrocco joined the legacy wall, which honours the efforts and achievements of key community members. Portraits of the three inductees were displayed alongside citations noting their accomplishments. The celebrations included a tour of the legacy wall followed by an intimate luncheon.
Archbishop Francis Leo to Named Cardinal
St. Michael’s extends its congratulations to Archbishop Francis Leo, Chancellor of the University of St. Michael’s College, who is to be elevated to the College of Cardinals. Pope Francis made the announcement on October 6. Archbishop Leo will be officially named as a Cardinal at the consistory that will take place on December 8 at the Vatican in Rome. Archbishop Leo is one of 21 men from around the world to be named a Cardinal.
St. Michael’s Now Home to Sheptytsky House
Following a generous $1-million donation from the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute Foundation (MASIF), the building known as Windle House has been renamed in honour of one of the most important figures in the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Sheptytsky House houses the offices and classrooms of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies (MASI), which operates as an academic unit within the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology.
FAS Fall Convocation
St. Michael’s most recent graduates received their diplomas at the Faculty of Arts and Science Fall Convocation on October 28. Graduates gathered in Convocation Hall, where the University of Toronto installed their newest Chancellor, Wes Hall. Following the ceremony, a reception was held in Father Madden Hall for the newest graduates and their families.
St. Mike’s Annual Book Sale
This year’s St. Michael’s College Book Sale, organized by the Friends of the Kelly Library, raised a new record. Now in its 20th year, the sale depends on high-quality donations as well as a team of student and community volunteers whose skillful sorting, judicious pricing and good-humoured energy ensure the event’s success. In consultation with the Kelly’s Chief Librarian James Roussain, the Friends are using the proceeds to buy a cylinder printing press for the library’s Print Studio, set aside funding for library exhibits, refurbish worn-out chairs and sponsor an undergraduate research colloquium.
Launch of AMPlify, a New Alumni-Student Mentorship Program
AMPlify, an alumni-student mentorship program, kicked off during Grad Week with a speed mentoring event. Students and recent grads had the opportunity to meet with multiple experienced alumni mentors in quick, timed sessions. Grad Week was a collaboration between Campus Life and the Registrar’s Office and offered workshops and events for students thinking about going to grad school come next fall.
Grow Week
Campus life welcomed students back to campus with Grow Week. In early September, students were invited to take part in a variety of activities designed to celebrate university life, foster a collaborative spirit and set a positive tone for the year ahead. Popular activities included a keychain making session and a peer mentorship evening at FreePlay, an arcade bar.
Wellness Week
As part of efforts to shine a spotlight on the wellness services and resources available on campus, St. Michael’s hosted a Wellness Week. The week included a pen pal writing session, a visit from therapy dogs, and a workshop on how to navigate life post-graduation. To learn more about what’s new in wellness at St. Mike’s, read ‘Checking in on Wellness at St. Mike’s’.
Fall Cleanup Day
Wellness Week concluded with St. Mike’s Fall Cleanup Day. The event, organized by SMCSU’s Wellness Team, took place on the final day before the midterm break. Staff and students came out to show their appreciation for the campus by tidying it up in preparation for winter.
Book Launch for New Book by Prof. Michael Higgins
More than 100 people attended the launch of Prof. Michael W. Higgins’ much-anticipated new book, ‘The Jesuit Disruptor: A Personal Portrait of Pope Francis’ on September 17 in Alumni Hall. As part of the launch, Michael Higgins, who is the Basilian Distinguished Fellow of Contemporary Christian Thought, shared his insights on the Synod on Synodality. A wine and cheese reception followed in Father Madden Hall.
Interactive Session on the Synod in Rome with Sister Elizabeth Davis
On September 18, Regis alumna Sister Elizabeth Davis facilitated an interactive session on the Synod in Rome in the Regis Chapel. Sister Elizabeth was one of 54 women delegates to the universal phase of the Church’s Synod on Synodality. She attended a month-long session in Rome in October 2023 and again in October 2024. She shared her experiences at the synod and those working with it.
Tomson Highway Delivers Christianity and the Arts Lecture
This year’s Christianity and Arts lecture brought renowned author Tomson Highway to St. Michael’s on October 2. Highway is a best-selling author, playwright, musician and author. As part of the lecture, he treated attendees to a brief performance on the piano.
Critical Conversations in Catholic Education Conference
The Critical Conversations in Catholic Education conference, offered by Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology, was designed to empower parents and teachers to address climate anxiety with the young people in their lives. The keynote speaker Joyce Mercer, Horace Bushnell Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Care, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Yale Divinity School, spoke on the topic of ‘Youth Climate Anxiety and Religious Education’. The conference also included panel conversations on ‘Climate Anxiety, Youth, and Indigenous Knowledge’ and ‘Pedagogical Strategies for Eco-Resilience’.
Langan Lecture
This year’s Langan Lecture explored how Jesuit missionaries, led by Matteo Ricci, facilitated significant cross-cultural exchange between Christian Europe and Imperial China during the Ming and Qing dynasties through religious, cultural, and scientific dialogues. Boston College Professor M. Antoni J. Ucerler, a Jesuit priest and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, spoke on the topic of ‘Jesuit Missionaries & Mandarins in Ming and Qing China: Faith, Science, and the Arts’. In association with the lecture, a special collection was on display in the Kelly Library that included items from the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History.
Tri-College Liturgy
This year’s Tri-College liturgy was held at the Newman Centre Chapel on October 16. Members of USMC, Regis St. Michael’s and St. Augustine’s Seminary participated in the mass.
New Continuing Education Courses
September marked the start of Continuing Education’s fall term with courses offered in both general interest and professional learning. Some of the general interest courses launched this fall included Letterpress Printing at the Kelly Library and Poetry and Prayer led by Mary Jo Leddy and Susie Whelehan.
The division also launched a new professional course, Unlocking Resilience: Climate Change for Social Impact Leaders as a complement to the longstanding Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability.
Michael Salvatori Visits Thompson Rivers University
Continuing Education Director Michael Salvatori visited Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, British Columbia as a visiting lecturer. Michael made presentations to candidates studying in the Bachelor and Master of Education programs on professional standards and the development of professional judgment. His visit also afforded the opportunity to consult with TRU faculty on new course and program development.
Continuing Education Administers Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue
The Division of Continuing Education recently assumed the administration of the Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue, which was previously administered by the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology. Two interfaith courses, Islam 101 and Dialogues: Principles and Practices were launched this October. These courses are open and accessible to anyone who is interested in interfaith dialogue, regardless of their background, faith or experience.
Continuing Education’s Roxanne Wright Elected Vice President of OCULL
Roxanne Wright, Continuing Education’s Manager in Program Development and Delivery, and Disha Makhijani, Executive Assistant for Continuing Education, attended the Ontario Council for University Lifelong Learning (OCULL) Annual General Meeting and Professional Development retreat at the end of October. The event presented an opportunity to network with continuing education colleagues from across the country and learn from experts in the field. At this meeting, Roxanne was elected to the OCULL Executive Committee as Vice-President for a one-year term.
When Faith Meets Pedagogy Conference
The Continuing Education division joined the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology as an exhibitor at the When Faith Meets Pedagogy Conference in Toronto on October 25. This large annual conference offered an opportunity to promote the renewal of St. Mike’s Continuing Education division and its programs including additional qualification courses for teachers in religious education as well as the Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue.
Staff BBQ
All USMC staff members, as well as staff from PIMS, Loretto, Mary Ward and the Jesuit Forum, were invited to a staff barbeque on September 4. Staff chatted and enjoyed a meal al fresco on Elmsley Place.
Collegium Retreat
The annual Collegium retreat was held on September 12 in Charbonnel Lounge. President David Sylvester delivered a presentation on the rich history of the University of St. Michael’s College and Director of Mission and Ministry Sonal Castelino spoke about the Christian, and universal, values of USMC. The retreat was led by Christine Tausig-Ford, a consultant to the Collegium, who guided a set of workshops on good governance.
Collegium Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of St. Michael’s Collegium was held on October 9 in Charbonnel Lounge. Members discussed a wide variety of issues ranging from governance to finances. Outgoing Collegium members received gifts to recognize their service to the College.
Kelly Library Welcomes New Work Study Students
The Kelly Library welcomes two new work study students. Jillian Nash and Victoria Tywonek-Sobota joined the Kelly Library staff this fall and will be working on special projects until March.
Jillian Nash, our new work study Inventory Assistant, is a first year Master of Information Student at the University of Toronto in the Archives and Records Management concentration. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a BA in Classical Studies. She comes to us with experience working as a page at the London Public Library.
Jillian is working in the Access & Information department on a project to find mis-shelved or missing books. She will be individually scanning the barcodes of all our books in the collection into an Excel sheet. With this Excel sheet a report is run to compare that information with the information stored in our database to identify items that have gone AWOL. We are so excited to have Jillian working with us on this important project that will help keep our collection accessible to students and faculty!
Victoria Tywonek-Sobota, a new work study student in our Special Collections teams, is a second-year student within the University of Toronto’s combined degree program for a Master of Information and Master of Museum Studies.
Victoria’s work-study project is to digitize the entirety of The Mike, the official student newspaper of the University of St. Michael’s College, which has been in operation since 1948. The project involves two steps. The first is recording details about each issue onto a spreadsheet and mass-uploading the data to the University of Toronto’s digital repository. That’s half the job. To actually digitize the newspaper, Victoria uses a scanner for smaller issues and a camera for larger ones. Once the project is done, archival users will be able to access all copies of The Mike online!