The signature blue lights are up, the vendors are registered for the Christmas Market, and all that’s missing from St. Mike’s plans for the holidays is a little snow.
With the First Sunday of Advent falling on December 3rd this year, seasonal events kick off this week as everyone is mindful of exams and assignments and preparations to head home for the holidays. This Thursday, November 30th, will see a dinner for student leaders hosted by the Office of the Dean of Students and the Office of Campus Ministry, with residence dinners to follow on December 5th and 6th.
On Monday, December 4th, St. Michael’s beautiful creche set will be placed in Brennan Hall for all to contemplate. That evening, the University of St. Michael’s College Schola Concert, an annual tradition, will take place in St. Basil’s Church at 7:30 p.m. Under the direction of Dr. Christina Labriola, the Schola will perform Hymns to the Virgin: Marian Chants and Devotional Songs for the Advent Season. The concert features soprano Katherine Hill. Admission to the performance is free, with donations welcome.
On Wednesday, December 6th, St. Mike’s Campus Ministry is hosting a Lessons and Carols at Regis College in the evening at 7 pm.
In what will be a very busy week, Thursday, December 7th marks the annual alumni tea, a time-honoured favourite, hosted in Father Madden Hall from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. There is still time to register for this much-loved event, which includes high tea treats, carols, and lots of holiday cheer.
After the tea, all are invited to join in the fun at St. Michel’s second annual Christmas Market. If you attended last year, you’ll remember how much fun it was. If you didn’t try to make it down to get a taste of St. Mike’s Christmas spirit. There’ll be music, vendors selling everything from tasty treats to one-of-a-kind jewellery, and there’ll be poutine and beavertails to snack on! Best of all is the fact that a portion of sales will be donated to Romero House, a local home for migrants and refugees.
On December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the noon Mass at St. Basil’s will include music by St. Basil’s Schola, with everyone then heading off to the annual staff luncheon, where normally quiet and staid University employees will compete to see who, in fact, has the ugliest Christmas sweater.
But the heart of St. Mike’s is much bigger than just parties and socializing. Once again this year, Campus Ministry is collecting monetary donations for Romero House, as well as items for the guests who visit St. Basil’s out of the Cold program. The suggested gift list for Out of the Cold guests includes socks, gloves, sleeping bags, hand and toe warmers, and $20 grocery store gift cards. All items can be dropped off in the Campus Ministry Lounge, located in Brennan Hall 101. Donations opened on November 20 and will be accepted through December 11.
Of course, all are invited to stop by our Oasis in the City to take in the festive lights because winter on campus is one of our four favourite seasons. The lights are up until late January and definitely offer a cheery response to the cold dark days of early winter so please plan on stopping by and saying hello.
Ann Mathew is a Master of Divinity Student at the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology. She is also an Inter-faith Coordinator with the St. Michael’s College Campus Ministry at the University of Toronto.
During the Lenten Season, many Christians “give up” certain foods, beverages, and habits. This is also practised during the Advent Season but not on the same scale as during Lent. In fact, I did not even know that one had the option to abstain from certain interests during Advent because it was not until my arrival in Canada that I experienced the season of Advent as it is celebrated here. Growing up, it seemed that Lent was the prime time that led us to Easter celebrations while Advent was overshadowed by Christmas because anything past Halloween meant Christmas.
A dear friend, however, introduced me to the act of giving up something during Advent, just as we would during Lent. This act of staying away from something was not limited to meat, dairy, or food items at large. As an avid lover of music, this friend would abstain from listening to popular secular artists such as Adele and Muse. For the next four weeks, he would allow the likes of Lauren Daigle and Matt Maher and styles such as Taizé and Gregorian Chants to help him prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. At the end of Advent and on Christmas Eve, I could see the joy that he experienced in having spent the time to focus on his spiritual life a bit more than usual.
As someone who relies on music for inspiration and comfort, I found this to be a big ask but I wanted to try it as well. A few years ago, I decided to use worship music as my main source of prayer during Advent. This was as difficult an experience as I had imagined because November and December are crunch times for students with assignments and exams. While rock and pop music typically provided me the adrenaline rush to focus and write those final papers, here I am, trying to hype myself up with solemn chants. I can still recall the anguish and temptation to turn to my usual sources to complete these assignments over those four weeks. The first thing I did after participating in the Christmas Eve mass was to go home and allow myself to indulge in some Adele. Looking back, it does seem a bit comical, but it is an experience that I would not trade for another because I needed to experiment and figure out what can be given up from my daily life so that I can tend to my spiritual life in a healthy manner.
For the following advent season, I stayed away from processed sugar. Even though I was surrounded by chocolates and cookies, I did not feel drawn to them, which was surprising as I do have a mean sweet tooth. That Christmas, I emerged as a trooper and discovered a healthy way to reorient myself in the season of hope and love.
Although these experiences might seem trivial, each Advent season now gives me the opportunity to test myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually so that I can truly immerse myself in preparing for the glorious coming of Christ in my heart and habits. Whether it be the case where we are abstaining from a practice or trying to begin a new habit, the struggle is incomparable and inevitable. For some of us, it could be staying from a preferred food or beverage, being conscious of and reducing our screen time, or even waking up an hour earlier to allow ourselves some extra time to spend in the presence of God. No matter what that indulgence might be, I guarantee you that you will see a significant change in yourself and how you live and perceive the world. As my spiritual director once said, “When you say ‘No’ to some things, you are saying ‘Yes’ to other things”. When I say ‘No’ to a habit such as binging K-dramas, I am saying ‘Yes’ to other opportunities like journaling, spending time with my loved ones, or even mindful eating. Just because the first week of Advent has gone by, do not hesitate to challenge and inspire yourself to forego something for a few weeks. As you allow yourself to go through those motions of craving and desperation, you might even pick up a new habit that could benefit your whole self in the long run. It is alright if you are not able to get through all the self-directed schedules for the next few weeks to prepare your heart and home for the coming of Christ because it is important to remember that you have tried.
So, what are you giving up this Advent?
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The trees are trimmed, the lights are lit, and St. Mike’s is preparing for the most festive season of the year.
Classic traditions are merging with a significant new event this year as we ready for the holiday season with the introduction of St. Mike’s own Christmas Market to our Advent and Christmas activities and events. The market, to be held on Thursday, Dec. 8 from 3-7 pm on Elmsley Lane, will feature both student and alumni vendors selling everything from jewelry to baked goods and crafts. Partial proceeds from the event will be donated to Romero House, a Toronto community of transitional housing and immigration and settlement support for newly arrived refugee claimants.
The market is open to all and will be a nice stopping-off spot for attendees at a seasonal classic beloved by alumni, our annual Christmas tea. The tea is also being held on December 8, from 1:30-3 pm in Fr. Madden Hall, on the ground floor of Carr Hall. Guests will be treated to high tea snacks and carols—and an open invitation to visit the market tables for a little festive window shopping.
The day, which marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, begins with Mass in St. Basil’s, with music by St. Basil’s Schola, at 12:10 pm in St. Basil’s Church.
Students have a host of social and spiritual offerings through the season, including a dinner hosted by the Commuter Dons and Campus Ministry for undergraduates on Dec. 1 and two dinners for students in residence, hosted by the Residence Council and Residence Life, on December 6 and 8.
The Student Life Committee in the Faculty of Theology will be offering an Advent Taizé prayer service in the Flahiff Centre chapel at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, November 30. All are welcome. The committee will hold its annual Advent retreat for theology students the following Friday, December 2. Campus Ministry is working with the Mary Ward Centre to host a four-week Advent “retreat in daily life,” with Scripture, prayer, and conversation. The sessions run Mondays, 7-8:30 p.m., from November 28 through to December 19.
Another highlight eagerly awaited is the annual luncheon for staff and faculty, hosted by President David Sylvester, a chance for all of us to come together as a community and enjoy each other’s company—in person!
Even if you can’t make our Christmas Market, there is an open invitation to come to campus and see our beautiful decorations, including a swath of lights—heavy on the blue, of course! – that light our way in these days when the sun sets so early. There’s a reason we are a four-season Oasis in the City, so stop by soon as the lights come down in January.
Dr. David Sylvester is the 8th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. A professor of medieval social and economic history, he holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Fordham University, New York City and has taught for three decades in universities in Canada and the United States.
Finding Hope When the Rains Come
The academic term is at an end. We are heading into the holidays. Christmas is but a week away, and this has been a year like no other…except for, well, maybe last year.
Yes, it’s been another long year of starts and stops, another year of disappointments, another year of, “we had so many plans, what happened?”
Or, as the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney complains in his poem Holly, “we went looking for Christmas holly and it poured rain, and we got really soaked”:
it should have snowed.
But here we are in the fourth week of Advent, preparing to celebrate the coming holidays. And, our hope is not diminished. This year, like last, St. Mike’s found new ways to work, to study and to live together. I am most grateful for my colleagues, our students, our trustees, and our alumni for the love, kindness, and creativity that made this such a successful year on Clover Hill. The fruits of their labours are many.
Or, if I may return to Seamus Heaney again, as he always has the best words:
Now here I am, in a room that is decked
With the red-berried, waxy-leafed stuff.
And I almost forgot what it’s like
To be wet to the skin or longing for snow.
May all of you enjoy a safe and happy holiday, and may you and your family enjoy many blessings together in the New Year.
From all of us here at the University of St. Michael’s College.
David Sylvester
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Dr. David Sylvester is the 8th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. A professor of medieval social and economic history, he holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Fordham University, New York City and has taught for three decades in universities in Canada and the United States.
Together in this Season of Gratitude and Hope
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
(Hopkins, Grandeur of God)
One of the beautiful things about being a part of the University of St. Michael’s College is our attentiveness to the rhythms of life in community. Our pastoral urban campus, with its historic oak trees, colourful ivy and beautiful rock gardens, keeps us attentive to nature, and demands that we acknowledge the passage of seasons. The academic year is traditionally framed, of course, by all the necessary signposts of the academic year, such as move-in days, reading weeks, and midterm and final exams. But St. Michael’s is also defined by the rich cultural and religious mosaic of our community, and we are invited throughout the year to celebrate the many important feast days that help our students, faculty and staff bring meaning to their work and studies: solemn and joyful holidays like Easter, Ramadan, Diwali, Rosh Hashanah, and Nowruz. Even as I write, friends and colleagues are preparing to light candles to mark Hanukkah.
So, here we are together now in Advent. For Christians, we wait and prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, the light in the darkness, our hope for the world. For all of us, this is meant to be a time for completion, for rest and reflection with friends and family, and for preparations for new beginnings.
As I take stock of this past year, my thoughts are filled with gratitude. In this most remarkable year, in which all of us have experienced disruption, loss and sadness, I am continually amazed by the dedication, kindness and generosity of the people with whom I work. Their compassionate leadership and sacrifice have bolstered fellow students, professors, and colleagues alike. I see it every day in the bold actions and quiet kindnesses they take on. And I know that much more is done unseen.
The response to this pandemic from our students, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni invites more than gratitude, however. It gives me great hope for the future of our community, and for our role in continuing to bring hope to others. Many challenges remain ahead of us, but the compassionate resilience of St. Michael’s shines through and sustains us even in these darkest days of winter. I now approach each day understanding that our university serves as a light of hope in these difficult days, for each other, and for the society in which we live.
As we pause to celebrate the coming holidays, I wish each of you and your families, a happy and holy Christmas, and prayerful best wishes for a New Year marked by many new reasons to give thanks and to share in the hope that binds us all together.
David
The SMC Troubadours perform physically distanced Christmas carols in this special InsightOut post.
Not even a pandemic can stop Christmas from coming to St. Mike’s.
While the campus is quiet and missing many of the traditional seasonal activities this year—the alumni Christmas tea and the Schola Cantorum Advent concert are two notable, sorely missed examples—our gorgeous Christmas lights will still illuminate the grounds to bring cheer both to those students in residence as well as to neighbours and passersby.
To ensure that help gets to those in need, the annual toy drive, which sees St. Michael’s team up with the University of Toronto campus police and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, is accepting donations online to buy gift cards for families so that parents can pick out the perfect items for their loved ones. Donations of gift cards are also being accepted at the security desk in Charbonnel Hall at 81 St. Mary St. Donations are being accepted up until Friday, December 4.
And in this season of giving, the University has been particularly touched by the generosity of the creative minds who came up with a way to compensate for the fact the annual golf tournament fundraiser was COVID-cancelled. Two golf tournament sponsors—Mackenzie Financial and CIBC, who are represented by event co-chairs Barry McInerney and David Scandiffio—made donations of $10,000 each this year instead of sponsorships. USMC matched these donations with proceeds from previous years’ tournaments to create a $40,000 expendable fund, allocated care of the Registrar’s office, to help students with exceptional needs related to COVID.
This approach parallels the Faculty of Theology fund created earlier this year, which was built from donations and matched by St. Michael’s. Together, these gifts represent the continued loyalty of golf tournament sponsors and the commitment of alumni, faculty, staff and the university to helping students during this challenging time.
At a time when food banks and social service agencies are seeing soaring demand, the generosity is being spread widely. Another golf tournament sponsor, Mawer, donated $5,000 in lieu of sponsorsip. This, too, was matched with donations from previous years and augmented by other alumni gifts, creating a gift of $12,500 to support the Out of the Cold program at St. Basil’s Church.
While an Advent Vespers service followed by dinner is one of the highlights of the Faculty of Theology’s social calendar, Vespers will be observed online this December, with a social gathering to follow. And since there’ll be no dinner cheque for the SLC to pick up this year, they’re offering a great incentive to partygoers, promising to make a $15 donation to the Into the Cold program for each person who attends the online party.
The undergrads also have online fun planned, with a Winter Festival from Dec. 4 to 6 featuring decorating Christmas ornaments with the commuter dons, a Kelly’s Corner, and a family dinner all lined up.
And while most of us will find this a quieter, slower-paced Advent season, without the usual trips to the mall or holiday parties, there is no doubt we could all use some peace. With that in mind, St. Basil’s is hoping to open the church for prayer from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 12 to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and 12 to 1 p.m. and 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays. Capacity when the church is open is restricted to 10 people. During these prayer times, a priest is usually available to hear confessions, except for the 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. time periods.
COVID-19 may have changed this holiday season, but the heart of St. Mike’s just continues to grow.
The sense of anticipation that comes with the season of Advent fits perfectly into the rhythm of campus life at St. Michael’s. The beginning of the new Church year, with its focus on preparing for the coming of the Christ child, arrives as students look ahead in their lives. There are papers to finish and exams to write as the Fall semester winds down. There are travel plans to make and, especially for first-year students, a growing eagerness to head home to loved ones for the Christmas break. Meanwhile, professors are grading work and submitting marks while staff are tying up loose ends before heading home for the holidays. The mood at St. Mike’s is very much one of expectation.
Underlining that feeling of anticipation are the various ways St. Mike’s marks the Advent season and looks forward to Christmas. The lampposts of Elmsley Place are festooned with garlands of white lights, a festive response to the dark days of December. The altar at St. Basil’s bears an Advent wreath, its one rose and three purple candles marking the passage of the four weeks preceding Christmas. And, in the lobby of Brennan Hall, a crèche set sits waiting, a vivid reminder of the days to come.
While the symbols of the season bear witness to the coming of Christmas, it’s the activities on campus that are the most powerful reminders of the spirit of the season. Everywhere you look there are opportunities to donate to a worthy cause. Campus Ministry has boxes to collect toys and gift cards for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and guests attending the Dec. 5 Alumni Tea and Carolling party are invited to join in this campaign by bringing an unwrapped toy or gift to the event.
In the Faculty of Theology, boxes in the student lounge are filling up with donations of food and personal items for Society of Sharing, a member agency of Catholic Charities. Run by Master of Divinity grad Mariza Garcia, the agency makes up care packages at Christmas for isolated people in the downtown core.
During Advent, Faculty member Dr. Darren Dias steps outside his life as an academic to lead retreats for the broader community, while the entire Theology community looks forward to the annual Vespers and Advent Dinner, taking place on Friday, December 6. The evening is a chance for students and professors to take a step back from work to slow down, collect their thoughts in prayer, and then socialize together.
There’s an open invitation for all to attend the Schola Cantorum’s Advent concert in St. Basil’s Church. This year’s concert, which takes place Dec. 9 at 7:30, will include Palestrina’s Missa Gabriel Archangelus and organ music by Frescobaldi, directed by Dr. Michael O’Connor, with Dr. John Paul Farahat on the organ. The event is free, with an optional collection for charity.
And of course there’s just plain Christmas fun to be had before students scatter for the holidays. The tree in the Coop is now decorated, and on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 the Canada Room will be the site of student Christmas dinners for both commuter and residence undergrads, with a round of carolling rolled in on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Faculty and staff get in on the festivities on Thursday, December 12. Following Mass at St. Basil’s, all are invited to attend the annual Christmas lunch and round of carols in Fr. Madden Hall, complete with a tree to decorate with more gift cards for St. Vincent de Paul.
St. Mike’s is also launching a new initiative this year, a Holiday Community Social Lunch to be held on Wednesday, Dec. 18 in the Faculty Dining Room. The tasty three-course meal is designed to bring together in celebration members of the St. Mike’s community with friends and neighbours from a wealth of traditions. Tickets for this event can be purchased in the Faculty Dining Room (located on the second floor of the Scollard Park entrance to Brennan Hall).