A New Year, New Faces on Campus

More News from St. Mike’s

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

New Director of the President’s Office

Melodie Buhagiar, St. Michael’s new Director of the President’s Office, arrives with a decade of experience at the University of Toronto as well as time spent with the City of Toronto. A graduate of Carleton University’s School of Journalism, Buhagiar worked most recently in U of T’s Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life, as Project Support and Faculty and Academic Life Consultant, where she provided service on a full range of academic human resources matters to academic divisions across U of T.

Prior to her time at U of T Buhagiar, who will also serve as secretary to the Collegium, worked for the City of Toronto, including time as a political staffer.  “I am honoured to join the University of St. Michael’s College in this capacity, and look forward to the opportunity of contributing to the St. Mike’s community,” she says. 

CAMPUS MINISTRY

Meet Sonal Castelino, Our New Director of Campus Ministry

Sonal Castelino has been appointed the University’s new Director of Campus Ministry. Sonal recently completed her first vows with La Xavière Missionnaire du Christ Jésus. As an undergraduate studying commerce at the University of Toronto, she became involved with campus ministry at U of T Mississauga and found her passion. She went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree at Regis College, also earning a certificate in pastoral competence.

“The university experience is a human experience,” Sonal says. “I want to create a space where people can name their needs. The experience of encounter is important in my life, and I want to create a space that is inclusive rather than exclusive.” You’ll find Sonal in Brennan Hall 101.

OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL

Celtic Studies Hosts Irish Ambassador

A grand time was had by all when Irish Ambassador Eamonn McKee visited campus on November 3 to meet with Celtic Studies students and St. Michael’s faculty. 

St. Mike’s Launches Junior Fellows Program

Five early-career scholars have been accepted into the inaugural cohort of the St. Michael’s College Junior Fellows program. The program, coordinated by Dr. Stephen Tardif, is designed to bring together academics and graduate students who seek to participate in, and contribute to, the life of the college. The junior fellows, all doctoral students or candidates, will participate in ways such as hosting reading groups in their subject area, and assist in St. Michael’s sponsored programs. Welcome to Amanda Arulanandam (Political Science), Nicholas Baker (History), Josie Greenhill (Fine Art History/Book History), Robin D’Souza (English), and Jingxuan Zhang (Mathematics). 

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Starting the Year on a High Note

Even in a pandemic, St. Mike’s was able to make Orientation special. The Office of the Dean of Students and the student-led Orientation Team worked together to produce a hybrid of in-person and online events that were safe and sensible, offering students everything they need to know to make the most of their years at St. Mike’s. In all, 977 incoming first-year students registered for virtual Orientation Week, and 797 first-year and returning second-year students registered for in-person orientation events. Welcome to the Class of 2025!

FACULTY OF THEOLOGY

Dr. Gilles Routhier Awarded Honory Doctorate by St. Mike’s

Professor Gilles Routhier was awarded the highest academic honour at the University of St. Michael’s College, the Doctor of Divinity honoris causa, at this year’s Faculty of Theology convocation, which took place on Nov. 13, 2021. The honorary degree stands in recognition of Dr. Routhier’s outstanding body of scholarly work, his continuing international leadership and impact in the field of theology, and his service to his institution and the academy. He is currently working on a research project with Faculty of Theology Professors Michael Attridge and Darren Dias, OP entitled “One Canada Two Catholicisms: Divergent Evolutions in the Catholic Church in Quebec and Ontario, 1965-1985,” funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Professor Routhier becomes the most recent in a lengthy list of honorary degree recipients, a roll which includes such names as Bernard Lonergan, Catherine de Hueck Doherty, Gustavo Gutierrez and Romeo D’Allaire. 

Cynthia Cameron to Hold Keenan Chair

The University of St. Michael’s College celebrates the appointment of Dr. Cynthia Cameron to the Patrick and Barbara Keenan Chair in Religious Education as a crucial step in renewing the vital relationship the University has with Catholic educators.

Cameron, who has a special interest in the development of Catholic adolescents and the impact of ministry in schools, comes to St. Mike’s from Rivier University in New Hampshire, where she was an assistant professor of Religious Studies. She has also taught at Boston College, Loyola University New Orleans, and Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. 

EAITE’s New Director Looks to Laudato Si’

Ecotheologican and ethicist Dr. Hilda Koster, who was appointed Director of St. Michael’s world-renowned Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology (EAITE) earlier this year, has been named the new holder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto Chair in Theology.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto established a Chair in Systematic Theology at St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology in 2007. Dr. Koster is the third person to hold the Chair, previously held by Dr. Margaret O’Gara and then Dr. James Ginther.

One of Dr. Koster’s goals is to see the EAITE move forward in the spirit of Laudato Si’, with particular attention to the needs and concerns of women, minorities and Indigenous communities.

The Institute, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, was created by Fr. Stephen Dunn to address the growing interest in the intersection between faith and the natural world. 

Faculty of Theology’s Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue’s First Cohort Graduates

The Faculty of Theology’s Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue reached an important milestone in November with the graduation of its first cohort.

A total of nine people received their diplomas during the Nov. 13 convocation ceremony, which also saw Theology degrees granted, as well as awarding of the Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability.

“I am delighted to have been part of the first group who completed the Interfaith Diploma program,” says alumna Marilyn (Frutkin) Grace (SMC 7T5). “Many thanks to the knowledgeable professors, the guest speakers, the administrators and Scarboro Missions for their generous subsidies. The program provides an excellent opportunity to further one’s understanding of other faith traditions and I would highly recommend it. In fact, I can’t wait to take future courses!”

The Interfaith program was created in 2019, thanks to a generous donation from the Scarboro Missions, which has underwritten student tuition as a way to carry the Scarboro Missions’ charism forward. The program, which is open to all, regardless of academic background, is designed to educate participants in the other religions’ texts and traditions, the intersections of faith and culture, and meaningful engagement with people of other religious traditions.

The diploma is a 10-course program, with each course requiring about 12 hours of class time. Course categories include the religious communities of Toronto and the world and key issues such as peace and justice or women and religion.

“It was a joy to be part of Scarboro Missions’ legacy dreaming and then to see an important part of that dream realized so brilliantly in SMC’s Diploma of Interfaith Dialogue,” says fellow Interfaith graduate Katy Murtha (USMC 8T6). “This innovative programming is critical for these times…Furthermore, it (has) set in motion a core community of passionate and committed people who have and will continue to extend this important work beyond the reception of our diplomas. Many thanks to the generosity of Scarboro Missions and all the gracious people who dared to initiate something new and managed to effectively adapt the program to our pandemic reality.”

LIFE’S WORK

Theology Mourns Loss of Fahey, Brown, and Fay

The Faculty of Theology mourns the loss of two former professors—the Reverend Dr. Schuyler Brown, Dr. Terence Fay, SJ, and former Dean Dr. Michael Fahey, SJ.

Dr. Fahey, who died in Massachusetts in March of this year, was described by former students and colleagues as a perceptive theologian, an astute mentor and an exemplary leader and administrator. Dr. Fahey served as Dean from 1986 to 1996.

Dr. Brown, a former professor of New Testament, died in August 2021, at the age of 91.

Dr. Fay, SJ, a noted historian who died in September, taught in both the undergraduate and graduate divisions of St. Mike’s. 

ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT

Lisa Gleva Joins Advancement Team

St. Mike’s offers a warm welcome to Lisa Gleva, our new Executive Director of Advancement. Gleva has extensive university fundraising experience, having worked in York University’s Division of Advancement since 2005, most recently as the Executive Director of Principal Giving, Donor Relationships and Stewardship.

Gleva says she is honoured to be taking up her new position, calling St. Michael’s an exceptional university dedicated to providing students with an extraordinary education within a welcoming, diverse community. Prior to York University, she worked at United Way. She currently serves on the board of Cedar Centre, a charity that provides therapy for people who have experienced childhood trauma, as well as on the board of Friends of Killarney Park. 

Wishing Kathryn Elton Well in Retirement

Friends, colleagues and members of the alumni community gathered virtually on October 1, 2021 to wish Chief Advancement Officer Kathryn Elton a fond farewell. Kathryn, who joined St. Michael’s in 2016, announced her retirement last spring and wrapped up her duties on Labour Day. She was feted as a caring, upbeat colleague truly interested in the lives of the members of the St. Michael’s community. She will be missed. Happy retirement! 

Alumni Mentors Lead by Experience

Our alumni mentors make a difference! Recently, two panels of alumni offered advice to students on life after their undergraduate years.

An online STEM panel included Cristina Tassone (SMC 1T5), whose work as a clinical informatics manager at Verto Health has included leading the rollout of the provincial vaccination platform, Dr. Mena Gewarges (SMC 1T0), a cardiology resident at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Dr. Anthony Di Fonzo (SMC 0T8), who specializes in emergency medicine and pain medicine.

A subsequent Humanities panel included Antonella Ceddia (SMC 9T0), who is a litigation lawyer at the City of Toronto with expertise in human rights law and policy, Kyle Quinlan (SMC 1T5) who studied bioethics and history while at St. Mike’s and then earned a law degree, articling at the leading mental health law firm in Ontario before starting his own firm in 2020, and Varisha Naeem, (SMC 2T1), who is currently employed as the Executive Assistant to Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra and his Chief of Staff. Panelists took time out of their busy days to talk about their careers and the kinds of skills they developed while at St. Mike’s that help them today. They also fielded questions from the attentive students. Thanks to all who participated. 

FACILITIES AND SERVICES

Making St. Mike’s Greener

As St. Mike’s continues its focus on sustainability issues to make the campus more environmentally friendly, one of the most obvious changes are the new low-E argon windows in Elmsley Hall, which will help keep the heat in during the winter and rooms cooler in the summer, says Director of Facilities and Services Michael Chow. The windows are one of the latest changes on a long list of energy-friendly moves on campus, with projects ranging from replacing the boiler that heats Elmsley Hall to new single-touch metred taps in the Kelly Library washrooms. LED lighting retrofits have been completed in Elmsley, Sorbara, Odette and Carr Halls, and 40 external fixtures have been switched over to LED, which not only saves energy but also enhances security on campus at night. 

Bright lights: LEDs illuminate Elmsley Lane, Sam Sorbara Auditorium, The COOP, and the Canada Room.