Arriving at the New Normal
News from St. Mike’s
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Dr. McGowan Takes Part in Famine Memorial with Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin
PHOTO: JASON KING, IRISH HERITAGE TRUST
On May 15, 2022, at the invitation of Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Micheál Martin, University of St. Michael’s College Principal Mark McGowan was part of a small group commemorating the 175th Anniversary of the beginning of the Great Irish Famine. The memorialization took place on the grounds of the National Famine Museum, Strokestown, County Roscommon, where Mark has focused his research since 2013. He served on the Historical Advisory Panel for the newly renovated museum, set to re-open in June 2022.
Dr. McGowan is an historian renowned for his work on the Catholic Church in Canada and the Great Irish Famine, as well as the lasting impact that the Famine’s mass migration had on Canada.
Dr. O’Connor Inaugural Bennett Chair Holder
Dr. Michael O’Connor has been named the first holder of the William J. Bennett Family Chair in Christianity & the Arts. Interim Principal
Dr. Mark McGowan notes that Dr. O’Connor “has been an example of teaching and research excellence since he joined USMC. He has served in many administrative capacities, worked energetically with UTFA, and has recently been Co-ordinator of the Christianity & Culture Program.
A distinguished liturgical musician, Michael has shared his gifts with St. Basil’s Parish, the SMC Singing Club, and the USMC Schola. This honour is well-deserved and a joyful moment for our community.”
Dr. Parker Receives Promotion
Dr. Felan Parker, has been successfully promoted to the continuing status rank of Associate Professor, Teaching Stream. Dr. Parker, who teaches in the Book & Media Studies Program, is a scholar of media industries and cultures specializing in games, digital media, and film.
Jean Talman Retires
This spring, we said farewell to our friend and colleague Jean Talman, who served the college programs at St. Michael’s for 35 years. Her work began in Celtic Studies, but over time branched out to all the college programs while continuing to be a principal link between the College and the greater Irish community in Toronto. In a farewell message, Dr. Mark McGowan cited her “cheerful manner, ability to take on difficult tasks, and her knack at pulling off special events with grace and all details covered.” Congratulations Jean on your well-earned retirement.
Prayers Offered on Campus for Ukraine
The St. Michael’s community has been praying on an ongoing basis for peace in Ukraine. MASI Executive Director Fr. Alexander Laschuk led a prayer service for peace in St. Basil’s Church in March, followed by the Regis-St. Michael’s community gathering together a week later for a joint service in the Regis Chapel.
Irish Ambassador Visits Campus
It was a particularly glorious St. Patrick’s Day at St. Mike’s as Irish Ambassador Eamonn McKee paid a visit and got caught up with students and faculty from the Celtic Studies Program. The following weekend, St. Mike’s hosted a St. Patrick’s Day Parade party, the first in-person event since the pandemic began.
Student Colloquium Tradition Continues
Some of St. Mike’s best and brightest students gathered in March for the 4th annual St. Michael’s student research colloquium. Knowledge, Belief, Wisdom: What’s Universal About the University? asked students to consider how all the disparate aspects of a university fit together — how the sciences inform the arts or why breadth requirements matter or what the benefits of a degree in the humanities might be, for example. The afternoon included three panels of four presenters each — one group presenting papers on Literary Visions of the University’s Mission, one on Seeking Truth in the University, and a final panel on A Feeling for Knowledge: Affect, Encounter, and the University. Bravo to all involved — and stay tuned for details on next year’s event!
Celebrating Black History Month
Food, fun and festivities helped lift the February blues as St. Mike’s celebrated February’s Black History Month, with multiple events held on campus.
Troubadours Return in Smash Hit
After a long hiatus due to Covid, the St. Michael’s Troubadours were able to stage Spring Awakening at Toronto’s Michael Young Theatre; it was the troupe’s first live performance since 2020 and earned praise from U of T’s student newspaper for its “infectious energy”.
Dancing the Night Away
On March 26th the St. Michael’s College Student Union (SMCSU) hosted its first End of Year Formal in three years at the Royal Ontario Museum. Four hundred students were able to gather for a night of food, dancing, and celebration.
St. Mike’s Pride
June 10, 2022, marked an important first on campus as the Pride Progress Flag was raised on campus for the first time.
Crossings on Campus
This Lent, our campus hosted several art installations as part of Crossings, an all-outdoor art exhibition depicting the Stations of the Cross.
A Busy Season for St. Mike’s Events
Not even the ongoing pandemic could stop St. Mike’s from hosting some really exciting and thought-provoking online events. Each semester brings new and exciting events. Please visit our homepage, stmikes.utoronto.ca, for more information.
Winter semester events included another talk from the Celtic Studies Speaker Series with journalist Úna-Minh Kavanagh, presenting a talk entitled, More than a minority language — How Irish can get you places.
St. Mike’s also hosted Public Medievalism: A Conversation with David Perry and Irina Dumitrescu, featuring Perry, the author of The Bright Ages and Dumitrescu, a columnist with the Times Literary Supplement.
In collaboration with the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, we presented a one-day conference titled The Contribution of Catholicism to Global Sustainable Development, with keynote speaker Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, who is the Interim Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Human Development.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Rome Was Worth the Wait
After the pandemic cancelled travel plans for two years, the students in the first-year Gilson Seminar in
Faith and Ideas finally made it to Rome! From an opening night reception to visiting the Vatican and the Vatican
Observatory, seeing the sites and attending fascinating lectures, it seems the trip was worth the wait.
FACULTY OF THEOLOGY
Dr. Jaroslav Skira Appointed Inaugural Dean of Regis-St. Michael’s
Dr. Jaroslav Skira, a seasoned academic with extensive administrative experience, has been appointed Inaugural Dean of the new Regis-St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology.
Dr. Skira, whose research interests and expertise include modern Eastern Christian theology, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox ecumenical relations and the Second Vatican Council, has been appointed for a five-year term. He assumes his duties on July 1, 2022, when the federation is formally launched.
Currently a member of the Regis College Faculty, he has also taught at St. Michael’s, including in the undergraduate Christianity & Culture program, the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies (MASI), and the L’viv Theological Academy, precursor to today’s Ukrainian Catholic University, Ukraine.
A profile of Dr. Skira will appear in the next issue of St. Michael’s Magazine.
Dr. Dias Participates in Templeton Grant Project
Faculty of Theology professor Dr. Darren Dias, OP has been awarded a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust in conjunction with Profs. Stephan
van Erp, Inigo Bocken, and William Desmond of KU Leuven to work on
a multi-year project entitled Metaphysics, Contemplation and
the Religious Life.
The project, which will see the University of St. Michael’s College and Leuven each host a conference, includes the appointment of
Dr. Jacob Benjamins to a post-doctoral position at St. Michael’s to teach and work on conference planning. The project’s work, which falls under the grant’s Widening Horizons in Philosophical Theology initiative, will run from 2022 to 2024.
Doctoral Candidate Has Virtual Meeting with Pope
Doctoral candidate Mia Theocharis had a rare honour earlier this year: the opportunity to speak with Pope Francis during virtual synod meeting in February. She says speaking to the Pope was like “speaking with a humble, interested friend. He was attentive and diligent, taking notes throughout.”
Mia says the Pope listened carefully as he spoke with students from North, Central, and South America at the online event, hosted by Loyola University Chicago in collaboration with the Pontifical Institute for South America on an array of modern issues.
“It’s inspired me to engage more in opportunities like this and to be a part of initiatives looking for solutions to global issues,” she says.
Earlier in the year, Mia was awarded a prestigious SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship. Her research focuses on Jewish-Christian relations from the 19th to 21st century, with particular attention to the Holocaust.
Congratulations Graduands
This year’s Faculty of Theology graduands participated in the annual Commissioning Mass, supported by the community’s prayers as they head off to various ministries.
GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
SR&S Program Learns from the Pandemic
For Yvonne Jeffery, who serves on the advisory committee for St. Mike’s renowned Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability (SR&S), the pandemic has had some fascinating — and positive — effects on how key audiences are viewing ESG (Environmental, Sustainability and Governance) issues.
“Covid has moved the global and corporate discussion and ambition from climate-focused to climate-plus,” says Jeffery, who is Vice President, Sustainability with Vermilion Energy Inc. and a graduate of the program’s 2013 cohort. The plus, she explains, stands for “plus biodiversity, plus employee health and safety, plus diversity, equity and inclusion, plus how we govern all of this.”
And that change in outlook, Jeffery notes, is having an inspiring impact on the SR&S program, further highlighting its aim to demonstrate the interconnectivity of issues, with systems nested within systems. Examining seemingly unrelated issues can lead back to corporate and governance change that benefits not only the bottom line but society as a whole.
“Sustainability education should always examine points of integration and differentiation,” she says.
“For the first time, the S in ESG is being talked about as much as climate, in recognition that a just transition is an inclusive transition — one that brings in all of the Es, Ss and Gs to work together,” she says. “Instead of focusing on a sole, critical issue, we’re now recognizing that each issue is critical in its own way, and also connected to the others.”
In her own sector, for example, many conversations have taken place during COVID looking not only at commodity prices but also at related issues such as the role of those deemed essential workers and how they are coping during such challenging times.
That awareness is showing up within the SR&S program, including in the capstone projects students are producing, which are becoming ever more practical and impactful, she notes, a move that is entirely appropriate to a program that includes participants from diverse sectors, including NGOs, major corporations, education and government. This diversity of thought is a great benefit to participants, who work closely together, learning from the experiences of their peers.
These summative projects also look toward the secondary benefits societal changes can bring, Jeffery says, citing as an example a recent project that examined the Canadian pardons system and how it could be improved to effect change for racialized people.
“Capstone projects that look at social improvement are a way to recognize your place in the interconnectedness of things,” she says, adding that the program offers participants space for reflection.
The SR&S program is constantly examining how the education it offers fits purposefully and organically, looking to ensure the program meets participants’ needs, Jeffery says, adding that participants’ feedback plays an important role in shaping the program. “This program is near and dear to my heart,” she says.
For more on St. Michael’s Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability, please visit stmikes.utoronto.ca/program/graduate-diploma- social-responsibility-sustainability
FACILITIES AND SERVICES
Recent Renovations and Upgrades
You might say St. Mike’s is flushed with pride over the most recent renovations and upgrades on campus.
Fisher and More Houses now boast beautiful new bathrooms, replacing fixtures that dated back to the Queen’s Park building’s construction in the mid-1930s. The updated bathrooms offer residents a very modern, clean look with more showers, brighter lighting and timed taps to prevent water waste. Other building upgrades include new flooring and furniture, as well as fresh paint.
But the move toward greater efficiency and sustainability extends across campus, with the installation of 18 hydration stations which serve as both drinking fountains and spots to fill water bottles, another way St. Mike’s is taking action student wellness, says Director of Facilities and Services Michael Chow. The stations, which were paid for by St. Michael’s Student Union (SMCU), have been placed in various residences, as well as in Brennan Hall and throughout Kelly Library.
Chow estimates the stations have diverted more than 105,000 plastic bottles in just under two years of service, all in spite of a significant decrease in campus activities due to the pandemic. The renovations reflect the larger St. Michael’s community and the way it continues to take steps to ensure student comfort while also increasing sustainability efforts. As well as the funding for the hydration stations, SMCSU contributed $500,000 to the latest renovations, an amount that was matched by the President’s Office. Our generous donors, including alumni, have also supported the ongoing work. We are grateful.
JOHN M. KELLY LIBRARY
Chief Librarian Sheril Hook Says Goodbye
After eight years at the John M. Kelly Library, Chief Librarian Sheril Hook has accepted the position of Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning, at York University Libraries. During her time at St. Michael’s, Sheril encouraged professional development and research, offered teaching advice, resuscitated the Kelly Library Print Studio, and advocated for and oversaw the creation of the library’s much-envied Conservation Studio.
James Roussain, the library’s Head of Public Services, assumed the role of Interim Chief Librarian on June 1st, 2022.
Rare Book Room Move
The John M. Kelly Library’s Rare Book Room, containing more than 2,000 titles from the 19th Century and earlier, was moved to a refurbished
See the Kelly Library’s 360° Virtual Tour
The John M. Kelly Library has worked with a videographer to create a 360° virtual tour of the library that will allow students to explore the building from home. They can wander hallways, browse book stacks, peek in the Print Studio, stand at the Loans Desk, visit a research consultation space, explore quiet study spaces, stand inside a group study room, and investigate tools and machines in the Conservation Studio. See the Kelly Library Virtual Tour at library.stmikes.utoronto.ca/visit/#vi
LIFE’S WORK
Mourning Connie Lewin
Longstanding John M. Kelly Library staff member Connie Lewin passed away suddenly at home in early June this year. Connie, who formally joined the John M. Kelly Library in 1985, had been a member of the St. Michael’s community for more than 37 years.
Primarily involved in cataloguing throughout her career, Connie sought out opportunities to help others while broadening her skill set. In recent years, she played a key role in supporting the library’s administration and contributed to special projects wherever possible. The accessibility of the library’s collections is in no small part attributable to Connie’s dedication to her work.
Connie was a warm and vital member of the Kelly community. A founding member of the library’s staff social committee, Connie was a regular organizer of the annual Christmas party and, in the not-too-distant past, established weekly pub nights for a chance to debrief and relax as friends. Connie was kind, generous, and always willing to help. Library staff are indebted to Connie’s professionalism, dedication, and contributions; they will deeply miss her spirit and quick wit.
Save the Date for St. Mike’s Book Sale!
Wed. Sept. 28 12 pm – 8 pm $5 Entrance Fee Free for Students
Thurs. Sept. 29 10 am – 8 pm Free Admission
Fri. Sept. 30 10 am – 8 pm Free Admission
Sat. Oct. 1 10 am – 1 pm Free Admission
LEND US A HAND: Volunteers are needed from June onwards. Please contact us at kelly.friends@utoronto.ca for volunteer opportunities
or information about donating books.