University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto Alumni MagazineArticles Archive - University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto Alumni Magazine

Fr. Dan Donovan: “A Man of Grace, Elegance and Kindness”

Fr. Daniel Donovan — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:24 +0000

Marking Milestones

Fr. Daniel Donovan becomes increasingly animated as he offers two visitors an interpretation of Surrender, a 1999 Cibachrome image by artist Barbara Steinman which hangs in the eastern stairwell of Odette Hall. The piece comes from the Donovan Collection, more than 450 works of art — including paintings, sculptures, drawings, carvings and works in glass, iron and other materials — that the longtime professor has built up over more than 40 years. The collection’s various pieces can be found installed across the St. Michael’s campus, surprising, challenging, and inspiring those who pass them every day.

The image Surrender presents is the result of several photos brought together, the top half taken in an anthropology museum in Berlin while the bottom half contains images from an ice storm in Montreal. Donovan smiles as he recalls a debate with the artist about whether the images were manipulated, and he speaks with a quiet enthusiasm while offering the viewers guidance on how one might read the work, while also pointing out how key spiritual imagery of darkness and light brings to life the complexity of life, ultimately seeing it breaking out toward the transcendent.

And in these moments of description, education, and witness, the three abiding aspects of Fr. Donovan’s life come together: a deep love of art, the gifts possessed by a dedicated teacher, and, most important, a deep religious vocation, a combination that has had a profound and ongoing influence on the St. Michael’s community.

“When I think about my life, three things become clear to me: being a priest is increasingly important and defining for me; teaching theology has been an enormously important calling; and my activity in the art community in Toronto is an important way of staying current in contemporary life, a way of staying open to the world in which I teach,” he says in an interview in his office on the ground floor of Odette Hall, its walls and window ledges a testament to his love of contemporary art.

This year marks Fr. Donovan’s 85th birthday, the 60th anniversary of his ordination, and his 51st year of teaching at St. Mike’s.

As for his love of art, he points to a class he took while a philosophy major at St. Mike’s called The Philosophy of Art, as opening up a whole new for him. Both the professor teaching the course — a diocesan priest from Halifax named Fr. Gerald Phelan — and the author of the text used in the course — Jacques Maritain’s Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry — opened up a whole new world, one he has been building upon for more than half a century.

After graduating from St. Mike’s in 1958, he earned an S.T.L. at Université Laval in Quebec and then went on to biblical and theological studies in Europe, where he earned an S.S.L. from the Biblical Institute in Rome and a doctorate from Münster in northern Germany. In the heady days of Vatican II, Fr. Donovan studied with theological giants Karl Rahner and Joseph Ratzinger, who was to become Pope Benedict XVI. He was particularly struck by Rahner’s understanding of the universality of God’s grace, a concept, he says, that has profoundly influenced his approach to art and life.

He also cites Gaudium et Spes, the conciliar constitution promulgated in 1965 that spoke to the Church’s place in the broader world, as helping him see that we are to be engaged with the world rather than adopting an insular view focused strictly on our own lives.

While studying in Europe, Fr. Donovan found the time in the midst of his biblical and theological studies to engage in another kind of study, visiting the great galleries of Europe.“I was educating myself on the history of art, developing an understanding and appreciation of it,” he says.

He returned to Toronto in 1967, bringing with him two woodcuts, Job and Habakkuk, which today hang outside his office, created by Jakob Steinhardt. In the first catalogue of the Donovan Collection, published in 2001, he notes that, “although originally purchased as souvenirs of my years in Europe, Steinhardt’s woodcuts turned out to be eloquent harbingers of what would come later.”

After teaching at St. Augustine’s Seminary for four years, he arrived at St. Michael’s in 1971, first teaching at the Faculty of Theology and then in the undergraduate Christianity & Culture program. He began dedicating his Saturday afternoons to visiting the city’s many art galleries, getting to know the city’s vibrant arts community. It was from these visits that his collection began.

In 1997, he made the first of what has become ongoing donations of art to the University of St. Michael’s College, a reflection of his love of the community where he has taught since 1971. It includes the piece he points to as launching his collection, a limestone and bronze “tabernacle” by Ted Rettig. Fr. Donovan purchased the piece, which was part of the artist’s Master of Fine Art project. It now rests in his office in Odette. One of the best-known pieces, arguably, is the giant stainless steel work, Zen West, which, given its location in Clover Hill Park, has been viewed by thousands of people.

“This is a wonderful place to show the collection and for people to really enjoy it,” he says, noting pieces are located everywhere from Odette Hall to the John M. Kelly Library, Carr Hall, the historic houses and student residences. Over time, works from the collection have been lent to numerous university and public galleries, including the National Gallery in Ottawa, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the University of Toronto.

“…Steinhardt’s woodcuts turned
out to be eloquent harbingers
of what would come later.”

Olga Korper, owner of The Olga Korper Gallery, recalls the first time Donovan visited her gallery, when it was located on Spadina Ave. “Anyone who walks into a contemporary gallery and is interested is welcome,” she says, describing Fr. Donovan as articulate and engaging. Fr. Donovan continues to make his visits to galleries around the city, often telling Korper about must-see events. She says he often offers a different and fresh approach to a work and has a gift for installing art so that works are in conversation with each other, often revealing new sides to individual works.

That supportiveness, of course, extends to the students. In another example of the overlap of Fr. Donovan’s passions, Korper recalls, he worked with residence students to help them pick art for the common rooms in Elmsley and Sorbara halls. Two years in succession, he worked with the students of one floor over the course of several months, creating a teachable moment. He met regularly with interested students, asking questions to help them decide what they were looking for, and taking them to galleries and studios to see the possibilities. Fr. Donovan picked the artist and the students picked the piece.

“My artists love him — even those who don’t appear in his collection — because he comes to every opening and asks such intelligent questions. He’s very supportive. He’s known among artists because when he visits he brings a pie from the Harbord Bakery…People would come and pace their visits, hoping for a slice,” she laughs.

The highlight of that project saw the students meet with the artists selected, asking thoughtful questions about the works, and then gathering for refreshments.

“That was really the high point of the whole experience. The students asked terrific questions and really seemed to enjoy themselves,” he recalls.

Students past and present are quick to point out how the components of Fr. Donovan’s life are always present and woven together.

“Fr. Dan’s theology infuses
his art with meaning and his art creates
a visual picture of a faith and a theology
that has shaped his life.”

Msgr. Jim Hannah, Pastor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Alumna Sara Franca (SMC 0T1), who took several courses from Donovan while minoring in Christianity & Culture, says that his love of teaching — and care for students — are always present.

“What struck me — both learning from Fr. Donovan as an undergraduate, and then later staying in touch with him to this day — was how deeply personal and thoughtful his connection to the world around him was and is,” she says. “If we are talking about Karl Rahner, or the latest beautiful piece of art in his collection, Fr. Donovan brings such a deep, genuine appreciation for the art and the artist. While my favourite thing about Fr. Donovan is his warm sense of humour (which he needed when I called him at 3 am one morning during an all-nighter, to leave a voicemail — and he picked up!), I always see him as a man of grace, elegance and kindness.”

Of course, his impact goes far beyond the classroom. Fr. Donovan is often recognized for his participation in the Daily TV Mass program, broadcast across the country and picked up internationally via YouTube. He has been a frequent celebrant and homilist at Toronto’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish for more than 20 years. Many in the U of T community know him as the priest who has said the early Mass at St. Basil’s for more than 20 years.

“Fr. Dan’s theology infuses his art with meaning and his art creates a visual picture of a faith and a theology that has shaped his life,” says Perpetual Help pastor Msgr. Jim Hannah. “Occasionally in his homilies he will reference a particular piece of art that he feels captures what he is trying to say. But it is when he takes you on a tour of his art that you begin to see how he has incorporated his grasp of theology in the art pieces he collects. As he describes each piece you become aware that the artwork is a visual expression of some aspect of his theology. He brings the art to life and invites you into a much deeper interior spiritual reflection as you view the work.”

That ability to inspire is something former Principal Mark McGowan has witnessed first-hand.

“Students loved his classes on Christian thought, scripture, and Christology,” he says. “Given his passion for art, particularly that of Canadian artists exploring spiritual themes, it was not hard to convince him that a fourth-year course would be a popular elective in the Christianity & Culture Program. We have all benefitted from his presence here, in so many ways.”

Alumna Alicia Feather (SMC 0T6) is one of the many for whom Father Donovan became much more than a professor.

“I met Fr. Donovan in September 2002, when I was a new undergraduate attending my first lecture for the class Catholicism. His teaching was soft, passionate, engaging, even entertaining. I was immediately hooked. Over the next four years, I would sign up for every single one of his classes,” Feather recalls.

“Fr. Donovan was also more than just a teacher to me. He made time for people, sharing himself with this joy and passion that was contagious. When I started working at St. Basil’s Church office he would stop by, when he could, to chat or share a laugh. l looked forward to that.”

Today, Feather credits Fr. Donovan with helping shape her career path.

“Fr. Donovan’s passion has inspired me as an educator. I want to make each and every student feel important. I want to share that gift of Catholic education. That is why I was so honored when Fr. Donovan agreed to be a part of such an important moment of time in my life,” officiating at her wedding.

“On my wedding day I walked into the Church with calm and ease, knowing that he would say something perfect,” Feather recalls.
“And he did, as he always does.”

Top: Fr. Donovan with the “Zen West” sculpture on Clover Hill, 1980. Left: Works of art inside Fr. Donovan’s office in Odette Hall.
Above: Outside Fr. Donovan’s office, Jakob Steinhardt’s (1887 – 1968), “Job”and “Habakkuk”, both woodcuts were created in 1957, Münster.

Above: Ted Rettig (b. 1949), Untitled #1, 1984, carved limestone, 13″ x 30″ x 18″, Wynick/Tuck Gallery.
Right: Roland Poulin (b. 1940), Source noire, 1994–95, etching (3/30), 52″ x 35.5″, Open Studio.
In situ: The Donovan Collection in the Kelly Library’s Café and main floor Learning Commons.

St. Mike’s Celebrates 170 Years

alumni-magazine — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:21 +0000

1852 – 2022

Featured image: St. Michael’s College, Clover Hill buildings between 1862-1872, USMC Archives. Inset: Odette Hall, Spring 2022.

From a list handwritten in 1852 of St. Michael’s very first students through to the speedy pivot to online classes after the Covid pandemic prompted lockdowns in Toronto in 2020, the following timeline documents 170 years of St. Michael’s serving our community. As St. Mike’s 180: Rooted in the Future notes, we are dedicated to building a welcoming, inclusive community that thrives on excellent academics and understands the need to serve the common good. Happy 170th!

St. Michael’s first class list, 1852.

1850

Newly-appointed Bishop of Toronto, Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel, a former Basilian student in Annonay, sees a need for Catholic education among the poor Irish Catholic families in his diocese and invites his former teachers to come to Canada. The Basilians send four priests, a significant percentage of their total number of available priests, to establish a school in Toronto.

1852

The Basilians open St. Michael’s College offering, in the French style, a combination of high school and post-secondary education in Toronto.

Captain John Elmsley

1853

Catholic philanthropist Captain John Elmsley donates land from his Clover Hill estate to the Basilians for the construction of St. Michael’s College and a collegiate church. This land was adjacent to the University of Toronto, founded in 1827, and it was part of the Toronto Purchase, claimed by the Crown in 1805 and finally settled with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation in 2010.

1855

An Act of Incorporation of St. Michael’s College receives Royal Assent.

Laying of the cornerstone of the St. Michael’s College and St. Basil’s Church building on Clover Hill, William Hay, architect.

Fr. Jean-Mathieu Soulerin, CSB, Superior of the College and pastor of the Church

1856

St. Michael’s College and St. Basil’s Church open at their new Clover Hill location. Jean-Mathieu Soulerin, CSB, is named Superior of the College and pastor of the Church. St. Basil’s is consecrated.

The Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Basil’s Parish.

1863

The Sisters of St. Joseph come to St. Basil’s Parish to open a school and assist in the parish.

1878

St. Michael’s College Alumni Association is established.

1881

St. Michael’s College officially affiliates with the University of Toronto, with a guarantee to be able to conduct its own teaching in philosophy and history.

1889

The Senate of the University of Toronto authorizes separate examinations in philosophy for St. Michael’s College.

1910 Graduation class composite.

1910

St. Michael’s College is declared a federated college in the Faculty of Arts and Science of the University of Toronto. Under this arrangement, St. Michael’s students can study for University of Toronto undergraduate degrees while attending classes taught by St. Michael’s faculty members. The College School adopts the Ontario high school curriculum.

1911

St. Michael’s presents six students for the B.A. degree from the University of Toronto.

Loretto College and St. Joseph’s College Class of 1920.
The class photo was taken in 1918 in their second year.

1911

Sir Robert Falconer, President of the University of Toronto, recognizes the wish of St. Joseph’s College and Loretto College to affiliate with the University and their female students can receive University of Toronto degrees. This leads to their affiliation with St. Michael’s College in 1912.

1918

Founding of the ‘Student Administrative Council’ (SAC), renamed in the 1960’s as the ‘St. Michael’s College Student Union’ (SMCSU).

September, 1920

St. Joseph’s University Hall opened at 25 Queen’s Park Crescent.

1920

St. Michael’s College acquires two acres from the Elmsley estate to complete the college property west to Victoria College.

1922

St. Michael’s begins teaching graduate courses in philosophy.

1922

Demolition of the buildings on the east side of the College property to make way for the construction of Bay Street.

October, 1926

Acquisition of the Christie House at 29 Queen’s Park Crescent by the Sisters of St. Joseph as the site for St. Joseph’s College.

January, 1928

St. Michael’s College purchases properties on Elmsley Place from the Elmsley estate to extend its campus westwards towards Queen’s Park and the University of Toronto.

PIMS faculty in front of No. 10 Elmsley Place. Seated: M.D. Chenu, E.J. McCorkell. Standing: G.B. Phelan, Étienne Gilson, B.F. Sullivan, H.S. Bellisle.

1929

St. Michael’s expands further into graduate teaching and research by opening the Institute of Mediaeval Studies, founded by Fr. Henry Carr, CSB, Étienne Gilson, Fr. Edmond McCorkell, CSB, and Fr. Gerald Bernard Phelan, CSB. In 1939, Pope Pius XI’s papal charter decrees the Institute as Pontifical, accelerating
St. Michael’s prominence in the Catholic philosophical world.

Laying of Queen’s Park Building cornerstone, 1935.

1935

The cornerstone of the Queen’s Park Building is laid. It will house the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, residences More, Fisher, and Teefy Houses, and classrooms and faculty offices in Teefy Hall.

September 1939

Opening of Brennan Hall, containing a dining hall, faculty dining room, common rooms, and guestrooms.

October 1939

Pope Pius XI signs a papal charter creating the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS), and empowering it to grant degrees. PIMS holds its first Convocation for the conferring of degrees on June 5, 1940.

Marshall McLuhan, University of St. Michael’s College.

1946

Marshall McLuhan is one of the first laypersons hired to teach at St. Michael’s, where he teaches English until his death in 1980. The Canadian philosopher becomes famous for his research in media theory, which he publishes in The Mechanical Bride (1951), Understanding Media (1964), and The Medium is The Massage (1967). He is credited with coining the expressions “the medium is the message” and “global village”.

1947

First issue of The Mike, the student newspaper of St. Michael’s College.

September 1950

The high school leaves Clover Hill and the St. Michael’s campus and becomes autonomous with the opening of St. Michael’s College School at 1515 Bathurst Street.

Centennial procession entering St. Basil’s Church. September 1952.

Centennial procession entering St. Basil’s Church.
Msgr. J.V. McAuley,
Fr. Robert Scollard, CSB,
Fr. Simon Perdue, CSB,
Fr. John Lee, CSB,
Fr. Hugh Curran, CSB. September 1952.

1952

Celebrations for the centennial of the founding of St. Michael’s College include an anniversary banquet.
Rt. Hon. Louis St. Laurent, Prime Minister of Canada, is the guest of honour.

September 1952

Last lectures for women at Loretto and St. Joseph’s Colleges; henceforth all teaching for men and women is conducted coeducationally in the classrooms of St. Michael’s College.

1954

The Ontario Legislature passes an amendment that allows St. Michael’s College to grant degrees in theology.
His Eminence James C. Cardinal McGuigan becomes St. Michael’s first Chancellor.

1954

Carr Hall opens at 100 St. Joseph Street and is home to faculty and administrative offices, classrooms, library, auditorium, and Co-Op cafeteria. It is named in honour of Fr. Henry Carr, CSB, who served as Superior and President of St. Michael’s College from 1915-1925.

September 1955

The cornerstone of Elmsley Hall, a men’s residence at 81 St. Mary Street, was laid by Cardinal McGuigan.

July 1, 1958

The University of St. Michael’s College Act goes into effect granting St. Michael’s university status as a federated university within the University of Toronto. Fr. Laurence K. Shook, CSB, assumes office as the first President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St. Michael’s College. This marks the separation of the office of the religious head of the Basilian Fathers of the College, the Superior, from that of the executive and academic head of the University, the President.

September 1958

Fr. John M. Kelly, CSB, assumes office as the second President of the University.

June 1961

Full-time enrolment at St. Michael’s surpasses 1,000 for the first time.

Fr. Kelly and guests at the William McElcheran statue unveiling in front of the Kelly Library in 1973.

1968

Opening of the Brennan Hall Student-Faculty Centre, an extension of the building containing a student lounge, assembly hall, students’ council offices, The Coop cafeteria, offices and meeting rooms.

Fr. Kelly and guests at the William McElcheran statue unveiling in front of the Kelly Library in 1973.

1969

Opening of the library at 113 St. Joseph Street. It is later named the John M. Kelly Library, paying tribute to Fr. John Kelly, CSB, who served as President and Vice-Chancellor of the College for 20 years.

April 1970

Incorporation of the Toronto School of Theology, an ecumenical consortium of the Catholic and Protestant theological colleges of the University of Toronto, including the Faculty of Theology of the University of St. Michael’s College.

May, 1974

The University of St. Michael’s College signs, along with the other federated universities, a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Toronto. Federated Colleges are permitted to offer distinctive interdisciplinary programs for the benefit of the entire undergraduate body. St. Michael’s draws from its rich academic traditions and creates programs in Celtic Studies, Mediaeval Studies, and Christianity & Culture. In 2003, the College creates the Book & Media Studies Program.

January, 1976

The offices of President and Principal are separated. Dr. Lawrence Lynch assumes office as the first Principal of St. Michael’s College, the undergraduate division of the University of
St. Michael’s College. He is succeeded by Dr. William Dunphy in 1981, Dr. Joseph Boyle in 1991, Dr. Mark McGowan in 2002,
Dr. Domenico Pietropaolo in 2011, Dr. Randy Boyagoda in 2016, and Dr. Mark McGowan, who returned to St. Michael’s as Interim Principal and Vice-President, in 2020.

July, 1978

Fr. Peter Swan, CSB, assumes office as the third President and Vice-Chancellor.

St. Basil’s Church

1979

St. Basil’s Church is deemed to be of cultural heritage value as an example of early English Gothic style.
The church was designed by the prominent architect, William Hay.

October, 1983

Opening of Alumni Hall at 121 St. Joseph Street, the former Ontario Research Foundation building, renovated for College use containing classrooms, academic offices, a theatre and the Registrar’s Office.

July, 1984

Fr. James McConica, CSB, assumes office as the fourth President and Vice-Chancellor.

April, 1986

The Division of Continuing Education is established as the fourth division of the University of St. Michael’s College (in addition to the undergraduate college, the graduate Faculty of Theology, and the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies).

Fr. Kelly and guests at the William McElcheran statue unveiling in front of the Kelly Library in 1973.

1988

Fr. William Hilary (Bill) O’Brien, CSB, inscribing the names of the fallen at the St. Michael’s College War Memorial in the slype between More and Fisher Houses. The memorial honours the 159 St. Michael’s students who were killed in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean Conflict.

July, 1990

Dr. Richard Alway assumes office as the fifth President and Vice-Chancellor, the first layperson to hold the position.

May, 1996

Dedication of Sam Sorbara Auditorium in upper Brennan Hall.

September, 1996

For the first time, academic departments (French and German) of the University of Toronto take up residence on the St. Michael’s Campus. They are followed, in September 2000, by the Departments of Italian and Slavic Studies.

September, 1996

Opening of the restored Odette Hall-Clover Hill, the oldest building on the University of Toronto campus (1856) in continuous academic use through the generous donation of Louis L. Odette. An extensive collection of modern religious art, donated by Fr. Daniel Donovan, is installed on the two lower floors.

May, 2000

#1 Elmsley Place becomes the new home for the offices of the President, Alumni Affairs and Development, and Continuing Education after restoration.

2000

Renovations to Carr Hall are completed with the dedication of the former auditorium as Fr. Robert Madden Hall.

November, 2000

Publication of the Mission Statement of The University of St. Michael’s College.

March, 2001

The Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute (CCBI) is officially affiliated with the St. Michael’s College and takes up residence on campus.

Sorbara Hall Student Residence.

September, 2001

Opening of the Sorbara Hall Student Residence, 70 St. Joseph Street, built through the generosity of the Sorbara Family.

2002

Yearlong celebrations take place to mark the sesquicentennial of the founding of
St. Michael’s College, including a 150th Anniversary Gala Dinner at the Metro Convention Centre in September, an Anniversary Mass held in St. Basil’s Church in October, and the construction of a Prayer Garden on the north side of the ‘quadrangle’ through the generosity of St. Michael’s staff members.

September, 2003

St. Michael’s full-time enrolment reaches a record 4,200 students with the arrival of the ‘double cohort’ resulting from the elimination of Grade Thirteen in the Ontario High School system.

September, 2005

In anticipation of the closure of the St. Joseph’s College women’s residence in May 2006, St. Michael’s begins offering residence to women students in designated floors of Elmsley Hall and Sorbara Hall.

January, 2009

Sr. Anne Anderson, CSJ, assumes office as the sixth President and Vice-Chancellor.

2015

David Mulroney assumes office as the seventh (Interim) President and Vice-Chancellor.

2017

St. Michael’s introduces its first “SMC One” undergraduate program, “The Gilson Seminar in Faith and Ideas”, followed by “The Boyle Seminar in Scripts and Stories”, and “The McLuhan Seminar in Creativity and Technology” in 2018.

2018

Dr. David Sylvester assumes office as the eighth President and Vice-Chancellor.

St. Mike’s students in the revitalized
COOP in Brennan Hall.

2019

A revitalized Brennan Hall reopens at the heart of campus. With the support of many generous donors, this rejuvenated hall is a space for the community to gather. This building now holds the offices of the Registrar, Dean of Students, Campus Ministry, and Student Council, the Canada Room and Faculty dining halls, and numerous places for study and gathering.

November, 2001

Senate approves the Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility as an academic program within the Department of Continuing Education, in partnership with the Conference Board of Canada.

Fr. Morgan Rice, CSB, distributes bagged food to those in need at St. Basil’s Church during Covid.

March, 2020

With in-events cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, St. Michael’s quickly pivots to online delivery of classes. Social distancing, masking, and vaccine regulations are introduced to ensure all on campus are safe.

January, 2021

St. Mike’s 180: Rooted in the Future, the University’s strategic plan leading up to its 180th anniversary in 2032, is released. The plan’s three pillars are academics, community, and sustainability.

October, 2021

St. Michael’s launches the Global Classroom, a retrofitted space designed to give students a virtual, hands-on experience. Students in the Boyle Seminar were the first to use the high-tech classroom, which allows students to examine artifacts from around the world.

Students on the steps of Brennan Hall.

May, 2022

The federation creating the Regis-St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology takes effect, with Dean Jaraslav Skira appointed as of July 1, 2022.

Content and photos courtesy of the Archives of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Canadian Province,
the General Archives of the Basilian Fathers, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto,
the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto Archives, and the University of St. Michael’s College Archives.

Signs of New Life as St. Mike’s Celebrates 170 Years

alumni-magazine — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:58 +0000

We are Thriving

It really began the day they set up the hockey nets on Flower Pot Lane. From my desk in Founders House I saw them begin to gather with sticks in hand, hockey sweaters, ball caps, and masked goalies appeared dressed in full gear, complete with gloves, blockers and pads. Three-foot snow banks lined the Lane, providing an ideal barrier to stray pucks and a natural grandstand for the hundred or so students looking on cheering on their residence teams and waiting to play. When the knock came on my office door, and the students from the Historic Houses invited me to join their team, I threw on my sweater, borrowed a stick and joined the happy fray that was the Dean’s Cup Ball Hockey Tournament, 2022 edition. There still wasn’t a leaf on any of the St. Mike’s oak trees, but for all of us, this was the first sign of spring on our campus after what felt like two years of winter.

President David Sylvester and student on the steps of Founders House after the Dean’s Cup Hockey game.

Since that late-February celebration, the St. Mike’s community has come alive in familiar and new ways. Like a flick of a switch students returned in numbers to the dorms and in-person activities reappeared: classes, conferences, a student formal at the ROM, visits from ambassadors, exams, the Gilson Seminar program in Italy, and Masses, weddings and funerals in St. Basil’s.

As I look out my Founders House window today, I see lush green grass, an explosion of blossoms, a canopy of green throughout campus, and the Brennan rock gardens beginning to bloom. The red and silver foxes who took over campus for many months have been replaced by students, faculty, and staff. The Advancement Team is putting the final touches on the preparations for Alumni Reunion, and our first in-person Convocation and Welcome Days for new students since 2019.

These signs of new hope are reflected in plans for the year ahead, with building renovations, new appointments, and several campus initiatives. As long-overdue upgrades to the historic Queen’s Park buildings continue it’s become a bit of a joke that the nicest washrooms on the U of T campus are in the basement of Fisher and More Houses — imagine that! Over the summer, we will welcome a new Dean, Dr. Jaroslav Skira, who will lead the newly formed Regis-St. Michael Faculty of Theology, and a new Principal for the St. Michael’s College undergraduate programs. Both will build on the strong legacy built by John McLaughlin and Mark McGowan.

And, as always, we will take time to remember that this small corner of Toronto remains connected to the broader global community, through our alumni, our partnerships, and our place in the human family. This summer, we will host on campus women faculty and their children who have been forced to flee Kyiv, and today I spoke to our remarkable Head of Grounds at St. Mike’s, John Scarcelli, and plans are now in the works to plant a forest of sunflowers on campus in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and as a welcome to our guests.

As I reflect on these last few months at St. Mike’s, I thought you might like to know that all is well on Clover Hill as we prepare to celebrate our 170th anniversary as Canada’s leading Catholic university.

David Sylvester, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor

David Sylvester, PhD President and Vice-Chancellor

As I reflect on these last few months at St. Mike’s, I thought you might like to know that all is well on Clover Hill as we prepare to celebrate our 170th anniversary as Canada’s leading Catholic university.

Featured image: President David Sylvester, goalie, and students play in the Dean’s Cup Ball Hockey Tournament.

Eight St. Mike’s Students Receive U of T Leadership Awards

alumni-magazine — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Congratulations to the 2022 Award Recipients

Eight members of the Class of 2022 have received Student Leadership Awards from the University of Toronto for their outstanding volunteer contributions to the life of the College and the larger University.

Cianna Choo

Cianna Choo: Cianna’s leadership roles include serving as Executive and Treasurer of the Arts and Science Student Union, President of the St. Michael’s College Student Union, Orientation Coordinator, Orientation Marshal, Senior Mentor, and Student Representative on both the Senate and the Collegium.

Simran Dhir

Simran Dhir: A peer tutor and mentor, Simran coordinated performances of the
St. Michael’s College Troubadours and helped organize Orientation over multiple years. As Major Operations Manager of the Communicatable Club at St. Mike’s this academic year, she organized regular workshops and events to help students develop skills to develop speaking skills and connections.

Abigail Iyekekpolor

Abigail Iyekekpolor: Abigail has provided community support for several years as a residence don and as an orientation leader. She also created the social media campaign #SoulsOfSMC, an initiative that creates space for diverse expressions of identity among St. Michael’s students.

Fasika Jembere

Fasika Jembere: Fasika has left a deep impression during her student career. She has served as president of the Equity Studies Student Union since September of 2021 and in the role has overseen initiatives in direct response to the pandemic, including the distribution of Covid mutual care packages to U of T students.

Ren Manalo

Ren Manalo: Ren was a mentor with St. Michael’s Mentorship and the Filipino Students’ Association and helped new students find a home at St. Michael’s as an orientation leader. Currently, she serves as co-president of the Medieval Studies Undergraduate Society.

Ashwini Selvakumaran

Ashwini Selvakumaran: Ashwini’s volunteer and service work on and off campus includes engagements in tri-campus mental health advocacy; founding the Brown Citizen Circle (BCC), a non-profit that serves to amplify BIPOC youth voices; co-directing the 2020-2021 annual Peace, Conflict and Justice Student Conference; and serving as the 2021-2022 Editor of the Rapoport Journal of Peace, Conflict and Justice.

Adriana Williams

Adriana Williams: Adriana was one of nine participants to consult with the Honourable Chrystia Freeland on issues affecting Black Canadians during the pandemic, a recognition of Adriana’s work on behalf of the Black community throughout her undergraduate career. Her four-year association with the Black Students’ Association at U of T culminated in her becoming the organization’s president, and in the role she has continued to help build safe spaces for Black students in the university community.

Ingrid Wong

Ingrid Wong: Ingrid has held a variety of roles, including in orientation, as a mentor, and on Fontbonne House Council. She has also raised awareness of and advocated for human rights as co-president of HanVoice’s University of Toronto chapter and helped shape academic discourse in editorial roles with Synergy: the Journal of Contemporary Asian Studies.

Meet Simran Dhir

alumni-magazine — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:22 +0000

When Simran Dhir arrived at St. Mike’s four years ago to study pharmacology and toxicology, she quickly became deeply engaged with her community. An orientation leader, tour guide and mentor, she helped form a new club, Communicatable, designed to develop communications skills and build relationships.

Her goal is to work on issues related to brain disease and mental health. But her university experience has also strengthened her resolve to be open-minded and ready to learn from the people around her, to help create a more welcoming, inclusive world.

Simran wants to thank the donors who helped foster a positive,
productive time for her at St. Mike’s.

In my first year, when I received an in-course scholarship, I remember it giving me the encouragement to believe in myself and my abilities.”
Simran Dhir (SMC 2T2)

Reunions and Revisiting the Past

Catherine Mulroney (SMC 8T2, USMC 1T0) — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Sharing a Love of St. Mike’s

By Catherine Mulroney (SMC 8T2, USMC 1T0)

I remember watching my mother (Barbara Hood SMC 4T5) getting ready for her 25th reunion and thinking, “I’ll never be that old.” ¶ Today, I am staring down my 40th and wondering, needless to say, where the time has gone. ¶ My mother (who, for the record, would want me to add that she was just 19 when she graduated) loved her time at St. Mike’s. She remained amazed that her own mother lasted just one day here before transferring to University College. Being a woman in university during the 1920s would be challenging enough, my grandmother felt. As a French Canadian woman, she felt a non-Catholic college might help her get ahead in a still very Anglo Toronto. And so she picked up and crossed Queen’s Park, a move, my mother felt, that was her loss.

My mother’s memories recalled a very different place than the St. Mike’s I experienced. In her Latin class, for example, the seminarians sat apart on one side of the classroom, while the other students — and particularly the female ones — sat across the room. Most of the students with whom my mother interacted were also Catholic, and St. Mike’s was small enough that almost everybody knew each other.

By the time I got to St. Mike’s in 1978, the world had greatly changed. Vatican II had shaken up the Church, so the communion rail in St. Basil’s Church where my mother had knelt was long gone. The increasing options open to women meant that the Sisters who were the first women to teach at St. Mike’s were increasingly joined by lay female colleagues. And when the boy I had a crush on in Fr. Leland’s first-year Major British Writers class made a move to brush ashes off my forehead I realized that, unlike my mother’s St. Mike’s, my classmates were not all Catholic.

My St. Mike’s was increasingly engaged with the outside world. I recall an all-candidates’ meeting in Brennan Lounge which included candidate George Hislop, a high-profile gay activist, in an era when broader acceptance of the LGBTQ community was still in its infancy. Campus Minister Sr. Diane Bridges, IBVM, always had something topical on display outside her office at the north end of Brennan Hall, whether it was instructions on how to write letters of support to the Mothers of the Disappeared in Argentina or on the ongoing struggles of the California grape pickers.

I was taught by many of the greats, including Fr. Madden, Msgr. Synan, and Dr. Colin Chase, who had a particular influence on me, offering suggestions when I was in fourth year about a career in journalism, a world away from Old English and Chaucer. His mother, he told me, had been a journalist. Modest to a fault, what he didn’t tell me was that his mother was Mary Coyle Chase, author of the play Harvey, which had been made into a wildly successful film with Jimmy Stewart.

Fr. John Kelly, by then retired, was still a force on campus. In yet another of university’s life lessons, I watched the man whose homilies had terrified me as a child because of his fiery oratory skills now socializing with students, sometimes playing pool or having a beer, and realized there was so much more to the man.

I recall a Christmas wine and cheese party my first year during which a very elegantly dressed man began to chat with me.

“And what do you do at the university?” I asked, with a naivete I’ve never really shaken. “Oh, I’m Fr. Swan,” he replied, and when that didn’t register, he added “the new president….” I remain chagrined to this day.

The St. Mike’s connection has carried forward into my post-graduation life. For example, when my husband and I first needed an accountant, a neighbour passed on a name. When I walked into Roger’s office, I realized I used to see him almost daily in the old Brennan Hall lounge. My first thought was that if we’d been in school together, he couldn’t be old enough to do my taxes, followed by the realization that, if I were old enough to have my taxes done, he was old enough to do them.

The St. Mike’s I returned to in 2004 to work on a Master of Divinity degree was different again. If I recall correctly, the Faculty of Theology, once a male bastion, now had more women enrolled than men. You could now eat in the
Kelly Library and the statue of St. Michael in the quad had a feeling of permanence, having long since shaken the mantle of being the shiny new thing on campus.

Today, I am lucky enough to work at St. Mike’s and witness first-hand the ongoing engagement of students, faculty and staff with important issues. Working in the communications department, I have had the privilege of talking to young adults, for example, about projects promoting sustainability, the need to fight anti-Asian racism and the happiness of Muslim students upon discovering that the Canada Room was making special dietary schedules and meals for Ramadan. When chatting with professors, the topic may be new classes on everything from Indigenous issues to the cultural impact of video gaming or the importance of St. Mike’s first-year check-in program to ensure students are feeling comfortable.

In other words, the St. Mike’s that you and I knew is still all that — and more. Great students, fabulous professors and a lively vibe.

I was unable to attend this year’s reunion as I was out of town for my daughter’s convocation but I spent that weekend thinking of my former classmates, wondering, for example, whether the guy who used to look just like Sting still does. I’d love to know whether the person so offended by the song Jet Boy, Jet Girl that he scratched the copy played at pub nights with a nail file attended — or whether the person savvy enough to replace the record with the French version showed up either.

Like my mother, I loved my St. Mike’s days. These days, each time I set foot on campus I feel re-energized. Here’s hoping my classmates had a great time and that the years faded away. Miss you, Class of 8T2. Wishing I were there.

First Person: A version of this piece ran on our website, stmikes.utoronto.ca, on May 20, 2022, as part of our InsightOut blog. The blog is designed to tell the stories of the extended St. Mike’s community. If you would like to learn more about contributing, please contact us at USMC.Communications@utoronto.ca.

My mother’s memories recalled a very different place than the St. Mike’s
I experienced.
Catherine Mulroney
(SMC 8T2, USMC 1T0)

Featured photos: Catherine Mulroney (SMC 8T2, USMC 1T0) at Convocation, and her mother, Barbara Hood, in her Class of 4T5 graduation photo. PHOTOS: AUTHOR’S OWN AND “TORONTONESIS”, 1945, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.

St. Mike’s Fellows Program a Win-Win Experience

alumni-magazine — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:45 +0000

Enriching University Life

When Dr. Mark McGowan was appointed Interim Principal, one of the items on the to-do list he drew up for himself was to re-energize St. Michael’s long-standing fellows program, appreciative of how fellows enrich university life. ¶ Fellows are an integral part of the St. Michael’s community, sharing their knowledge and expertise with other faculty and students. They are appointed by College Council on the basis of their promise and accomplishments in teaching and research. Today, more than 50 St. Michael’s fellows — both those already on St. Michael’s faculty as well as from across the University of Toronto — bring to St. Mike’s backgrounds in everything from Chemistry and Computer Science to Law, Philosophy
and Statistics.

Dr. Mike DeGagné

Visiting fellows like Dr. Mike DeGagné widen horizons even further. DeGagné is the CEO of Indspire, Canada’s largest Indigenous-led and Indigenous-focused charity. He is the former President and Vice-Chancellor of Nipissing University and Yukon University and is also an alumnus of St. Michael’s, having graduated from the CSR program. As a fellow he contributed to our very first St. Michael’s Indigenous Advisory Committee.

Fellows are invited to participate in the life of the university in many ways, including attending institutional and informal events on campus, offering mentorship to St. Michael’s students, and participating in college governance through Senate and College Council

In return, St. Michael’s offers fellows a warm and welcoming community, including an open invitation to all events, access to the Faculty Dining Room and Common Rooms, the ability to book rooms for talks and short events, and access to St. Michael’s College research fund competitions.

Dr. Elizabeth Smyth

“It is an honour to be a Fellow of the University of St. Michael’s College,” says Dr. Elizabeth Smyth, Professor Emerita and former Vice Dean (Programs) at the School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto.

“Principal McGowan has created so many ways in which Fellows can participate in College life through governance, administrative, academic and social initiatives.”

Asked to single out highlights, she cites meeting students in the Celtic Studies Program; participating in the Celebrating Sisters initiative and working with faculty and staff in the production of the Sisters of St. Joseph 170th Anniversary publication. She was also grateful for the opportunity to participate in the synodal listening circles.

“I look forward to many more opportunities to engage with students, faculty, and staff, and to meet alumni and alumnae,” she says.

Prof. Mark McGowan,
Interim Principal
and Vice-President

Fellows are an integral part of the St. Michael’s community, sharing their knowledge and expertise with other faculty and students.

St. Mike’s Alum Works to Protect and Preserve Human Dignity

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Meet Elizabeth McIsaac

Alumna Elizabeth McIsaac (SMC 9T1) has some reassuring advice for university students concerned about the future: “Don’t expect to figure it all out right now.” ¶ Today, McIsaac is the President of Maytree, a Toronto-based foundation dedicated to examining the links between poverty and human rights in areas such as income security, housing, and access to education. Through education, research, and advocacy, McIsaac and her team work to highlight what happens when social systems do not keep pace with societal change. Maytree’s work is rooted in a philosophy that safeguarding economic and social rights is essential to creating a just and healthy society for all.

“Every human being has a right to dignity, to live free of poverty, which includes a fundamental human right to an adequate standard of living.”

Maytree and McIsaac take a multi-pronged approach to their change work. For example, Maytree hosts Five Good Ideas, a lunch-and-learn program where industry and issue experts share tips on managing non-profit organizations. It offers Maytree Policy School, a six-month program to support non-profit leaders and their organizations learn more about public policy. Other initiatives have included creating a discussion guide for community conversations on housing, and McIsaac and her colleagues regularly publish reports, briefs, and opinions to provide evidence for change and promote public discussion on policy issues.

McIsaac is passionate about effecting change, and her resume reveals a career rooted in the non-profit and advocacy sectors.

But when asked whether this was where she pictured for herself when she was an undergraduate, she describes her career path as “accidental” rather than carefully mapped out. Today’s role grew organically, she says, because she was drawn to the issues and the change she wanted to see.

And so, when she speaks with students today, McIsaac tells them to “do what makes you feel fulfilled. If you find your passion, opportunities will open up.”

While studying as an undergraduate, she was exposed to a wide range of social and political issues. Then, while working on an MA in Sociology in Education from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, she had the opportunity to explore the importance of education in creating an equitable society. As a student she also gained volunteer experience at the Jesuit Centre for Social Faith and Justice, which was followed by contract work in refugee protection and also immigrant settlement. With each experience her vision was sharpened, and she “kept moving toward things that deeply interested me.”

In time, her professional resume included positions as Maytree’s Director of Policy and as the Executive Director of one of Maytree’s key ideas: the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). She then went on to establish and lead Mowat NFP (Not-for-Profit Policy) at the Mowat Centre, conducting and directing research to analyze the challenges facing the non-profit sector today.

In 2014, she returned to Maytree as President, her experiences having emphasized for her that a healthy society grows from the position that every person deserves dignity and must have access to fundamental human rights such as housing, education, and an adequate standard of living.

It’s an ambitious goal, she acknowledges, and there is much work to be done in order to achieve it.

For Maytree this means working to advance social and economic rights in Canada by working to change the collective decisions we make as a society that create poverty. Public policy is an important lever for making this change happen, and two of the key areas of that have emerged for Maytree are housing and income security. For McIsaac, these are the social protections that provide the foundation for dignity and opportunity in people’s lives.

Increasingly, Maytree is also exploring other areas where it sees poverty being created. Clearly, there are many more dimensions that are connected. Maytree is supporting work around employment rights, education as a human right, and food security.

Most recently, it’s been exploring how experiences with the criminal justice system create and are created by poverty.

Of course, the challenge in all of this is finding the meaningful levers for change. McIsaac says, “we have also devoted significant attention to how we do the work — what does a human rights-based approach mean for a foundation and what does it look like?”

McIsaac believes that it is critical for people to be able to participate in the decisions that affect their lives — this is core to her understanding of a human rights approach. In practice, this means being able to build relationships, organize, and advocate for change. In some cases, this looks like supporting residents to organize around issues with their landlords or to advocate for better public transit. In other cases, it can mean supporting networks of civil society organizations and people with lived experience to work together to make change happen.

And that’s where St. Mike’s and other post-secondary institutions can play a role, she argues. While U of T is a very large place, it offers a meeting place where smaller communities can come together and exchange ideas. And as a university in the middle of Canada’s largest and most diverse city, the opportunities for engaging in social change are exciting and unlimited.

Culture can be a powerful force in the educational experience, McIsaac says, making it important for St. Mike’s to provide students with ways to find sources of support and inclusion, finding common ground and empathy in a place rich in resources.

She also notes that, as St. Mike’s becomes more diverse, with an increasing number of students from around the globe, the exposure to different cultures and ways of thinking can only benefit the student community. When you have a better sense of who your neighbours are and what challenges they face, you are more likely to respond with respect and understanding.

And so, while students needn’t graduate knowing exactly how their career path will play out, McIsaac suggests, you may want to start to connect to work or volunteer opportunities in areas you are interested in — because such exposure can be a great guide.

“I gravitated to the thing I want to get up in the morning for. Look for work that makes a difference.”

I gravitated to the thing I want to get up in the morning for. Look for work that makes a difference.
Elizabeth McIsaac
(SMC 9T1)

Featured image: St. Mike’s alumna Elizabeth McIsaac (SMC 9T1). Background: Cherry blossoms at Scollard Park, Spring 2022.

Thinking Big

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The Year Ahead Looks Bright

By Lisa Gleva, CFRE, Executive Director, Advancement

What an eventful spring we’ve had at St. Mike’s! ¶ We welcomed more than 650 alumni back to campus in May for Alumni Reunion, with parties, brunches, lectures, Mass, and the presentation of the Alway Award to Barry McInerney (SMC 8T5). We returned to in-person events after two years. We will continue to offer select events virtually, particularly lectures, so those unable to join us in person may experience the enriching teaching our students enjoy here every day.

We launched Being Well at St. Mike’s during Alumni Reunion. Being Well will support our students’ physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. I’m pleased to say that donor contributions, with a generous match offered by Rod McEwan (SMC 9T5), have reached $25,000 to date! Together, we will ensure that students continue to feel the support of this extraordinary community.

I have been with St. Mike’s for six months now. From Day One, I recognized that this community is unique. In the most recent newsletter I noted that it is entwined generationally — and what I observed during reunion reinforced this notion.

In June we welcomed more than 800 graduates into the alumni community. Convocation began with a Baccalaureate Mass Sunday followed by an awards ceremony. On Monday we had two convocation ceremonies at Convocation Hall and hosted a fantastic BBQ on Elmsley Place. If you graduated and are receiving St. Michael’s Alumni Magazine for the first time, welcome (again) to the alumni community! If you missed the BBQ, please get in touch to receive your graduation gift.

Late in 2021, the University of Toronto launched Defy Gravity, the largest university campaign in Canadian history. This campaign has two goals: to inspire 225,000 alumni to engage as volunteers, mentors, donors, participants, and leaders, contributing their time; and to raise $4 billion for the University’s highest priorities.

In the past year, we have seen increasing numbers of alumni engaged at St. Mike’s. In addition to the impact alumni engagement has on our culture, this involvement enriches the student experience as they benefit from your wisdom and insight. We will continue to build on this by refining our programming so that you can become involved in ways that fit for you. Alumni involvement is a significant part of what makes St. Mike, well, St. Mike’s.

St. Mike’s 180: Rooted in the Future laid the foundation that allows us to focus our advancement efforts on three enduring mandates: to build an authentic and inclusive community, to develop and deliver transformational academic programming, and to continue towards comprehensive sustainability. These mandates are woven into our fabric, and our progress relies on our entire community.

The year ahead looks bright.

Alumni involvement is a significant part of what makes St. Mike, well, St. Mike’s.

Featured image: “Being Well at St. Mike’s” campaign banner in front of Brennan Hall.

Congratulations to St. Mike’s Class of 2022

alumni-magazine — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:11 +0000

June 20, 2022

We Remember Our Connection to Place

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A Remembering for Renewal

By Dr. Maria Gallo, SMC 9T8, President and Chair of the Alumni Board

As I write, I am planning my first visit to St. Mike’s in four years. During my last visit, The Dodig Family COOP (the COOP) and Brennan Hall were under construction. As I plan my stroll around campus, I look forward to the grand reveal of something new and something familiar. As I take on the role as President and Chair of the Alumni Board, I envisage the St. Mike’s 180 Strategic Plan will be our compass. This will set our direction as a Board and for alumni at St. Mike’s through the lens of the plan’s three key strategic priorities — community, education, and sustainability. This is an incredible opportunity for remembering and renewal.

We remember our connection to place. Our St. Mike’s nostalgia allows us to look back at the transformation we experienced starting as a student, throughout our studies, as a graduate and then taking that imprint of our experience out in the ‘real world.’ St. Mike’s remains a welcoming place for alumni. In our renewal process, we hope to offer even more opportunities for alumni to rekindle their relationship with the community, including with fellow alumni and students.

We remember Andy Lubinsky, the longest-serving past President and Chair of the Alumni Board. Andy was a dedicated alumni volunteer who passed away suddenly earlier this spring. We are proud to continue the process of renewal Andy started to thread alumni across the St. Mike’s community, including supporting students and recent graduates as they navigate the world.

We remember that our fellow alumni represent St. Mike’s in the work and service they do every day. Sometimes this service is known to the University. More often, it’s hidden but crucial: recommending St. Mike’s to a neighbour, forwarding an alumni event, informally mentoring a student. As part of this renewal, we hope to unearth many of the hidden alumni acts of service and highlight extraordinary ordinary stories of St. Mike’s alumni as inspiration.

We remember the education we received throughout our St. Mike’s experience. We are grateful for the support, guidance, and care we received during this journey. We also remember when perhaps we didn’t get the support we needed, feeling lost in our career aspirations, unsure of our next steps. We looked for direction to live a life of purpose. In our renewal, I hope alumni can play an increasingly important role in inspiring current students, new graduates, and fellow alumni. As alumni we can connect — or reconnect — with faculty, staff, residence life, and University governance to advance to the St. Mike’s holistic education.

We remember that institutions like St. Mike’s have a responsibility to take a leadership role in social justice and sustainability. The University has prioritized sustainability and social responsibility in the St. Mike’s 180 plan. There is a key place for alumni to advance and support these efforts. The renewal challenge for alumni is to raise the awareness across the St. Mike’s community — including among alumni themselves — on their potential for alumni to contribute, to lend their expertise to support these ambitious sustainability goals.

Alumni are not an add-on to the St. Mike’s community. Alumni are essential. Our challenge as the St. Mike’s Alumni Board is to lead this alumni renewal across the community, education, and sustainability for the institution. As crucial members of the St. Mike’s community, alumni will also benefit in this renewal. We will continue to strive and enhance the lives of St. Mike’s alumni throughout their lives. St. Mike’s needs to mobilize its entire community — including all alumni — to find their place to support and be supported to achieve a healthy balance in this marvellous ecosystem.

The committee aims to have the new structure functioning for the 2022 – 2023 academic year, although full implementation will take longer.

Alumni are not an add-on to the St. Mike’s community. Alumni are essential.

Make a Difference:
I invite you to reach out to me at St. Mike’s events or by email at
m.gallo@alumni.utoronto.ca with your ideas and vision to contribute to building the St. Mike’s community — I look forward to hearing from you!

News from Our Alumni and Friends

alumni-magazine — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:00 +0000

First In-person Alumni Reunion Since 2019 a Huge Success

We were so glad to welcome alumni back to campus this May for the first in-person Alumni Reunion since 2019! ¶ Events got off to a productive start with the Annual General Meeting and then some competitive fun at the Young Alumni Pub Quiz. ¶ The weekend was packed with fascinating faculty lectures from Drs. Michael O’Connor, Alison More and Cynthia Cameron, talks that taught us about the Sistine Chapel, women who pursued religious life outside the cloister in the Middle Ages, and Pope Francis’ vision of what our theologies of the human person might resemble if we take youth seriously. We celebrated together at an all-alumni Double Blue Party and a Mid Century Brunch honoured alumni from classes 1972 and earlier. ¶ The weekend of fun and fellowship wrapped up on Sunday with Mass at St. Basil’s, the presentation of the Alway Award to Barry McInerney (SMC 8T5) in recognition of his contribution to St. Mike’s, and Dr. Cameron’s theology lecture. ¶ Thanks to everyone for participating online and in person. We’re looking forward to next year already!

Alumni Reunion photos: Dewey Chang

SMC Alumnae Celebrate 70 Years of Family Traditions

With smiles as bright as the sunny Sunday afternoon Joan MacDonald (Garvey) and Miriam Kelly (SMC 5T2) are happy to be back home at SMC! Seen here following the Alway Award and Alumni Brunch during Alumni Reunion 2022, Joan is sporting her mother’s 70th-anniversary medal. Joan’s mother Marie Garvey (Foley) graduated from SMC in 1926. Miriam’s father Arthur Kelly graduated from SMC in 1920, her sister Carol Johnson in 1951, and her brother Hugh Kelly in 1956. Both Joan and Miriam have remained in touch with each other and SMC over the years. Congratulations on your SMC 70th anniversary!

News from Alumni and Friends

CAREER

Tony Comper: Former BMO CEO and
St. Michael’s College Alumnus

Former BMO CEO and St. Michael’s College Alumnus Tony Comper has written a book focused on Leadership, Learning, and Legacy. The book, Personal Account, provides insight into his leadership journey and the legacy of his outstanding 40-year career. In Personal Account, Tony shares his passion for learning, his deep support for inclusion and many rich stories.

Rosemary Burns Ganley (SMC 5T8), a writer, activist, and teacher, has received an Honorary Doctorate in Laws from Trent University in Peterborough, where she has lived for 50 years.

“The God Painter” by Jessica Pegis (SMC 7T6)

Jessica Pegis (SMC 7T6) had her first novel published by US-based Stone Table Books. The God Painter is a sci-fi fantasy novel with spiritual aspirations.

Carla Erzetic-Pahulje (SMC 7T7) has retired from SickKids Hospital after a successful career as a Medical Radiation Technologist. She started her exciting job in 1979 and now, after 42 years, has decided o move to other interesting prospects ahead.

Dr. Leo Piilonen (SMC 7T8), a physics professor at the Virginia Tech College of Science, has been elected to the Fellowship class of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This achievement — a high honour within the scientific community — recognizes Dr. Piilonen’s career and contributions to the field of experimental particle physics.

The Most Reverend Bryan J. Bayda CSsR (SMC 8T2, USMC 8T7) has been appointed by Pope Francis as the Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada.

Barry McInerney
(SMC 8T5)

Barry McInerney (SMC 8T5) retired this month from his role as President and CEO of Mackenzie Investments. Barry had had more than 25 years of experience in the investment management industry, leading Canadian, US, and global investment businesses and is a graduate of the Master of Business Administration and the Bachelor of Commerce programs at the U of T Rotman School of Management. Barry’s important contributions to the U of T community, including his work on St. Mike’s Golf Tournament, were recognized in 2020 when he received U of T’s Arbor Award. Barry was presented with the Alway Award at St. Mike’s Alumni Reunion.

Rev. Jacques E. Fabre (USMC 8T5)

Rev. Jacques E. Fabre (USMC 8T5) has been appointed bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, by Pope Francis. Rev. Fabre, who was previously an Administrator of Mission San Felipe de Jesus in Forest Park, GA, is the first Black bishop of Charleston. (Photo: Sam T. Holland)

Fr. Thomas Looney (USMC 8T6) was installed as President of King’s College, a Catholic university in Pennsylvania, in May of this year. Originally from Otisville, N.Y., Fr. Looney received a Master of Divinity in 1986 and was ordained in 1987.

Monika Erzsebet Berenyi (SMC 0T0) recently joined McInnes Cooper LLP as a corporate lawyer. Concurrently, she is a researcher at McGill University with the Faculty of Law (Rule of Law & Economic Development Group). Previously, Monika served in the European Union’s diplomatic corps as legal advisor to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. She is actively involved in advocacy and humanitarian initiatives which promote UNSCR 1325 and support women’s formal participation in peace processes.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

Michael Killoran (SMC 6T8) and his wife Carol (née Munro).

Michael Killoran (SMC 6T8) and his wife Carol (née Munro) celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 14. Along with both their sons, their lovely wives and two grandchildren, Michael and Carol were also accompanied by many friends and relatives at an outdoor celebration.

Alexandra Dalimonte (SMC 1T2), a former Don, and her husband, David Mannion (SMC 1T2), recently welcomed a second baby boy, Sawyer.

Gianna Marks-Dorder (SMC 1T3) recently welcomed her first son, James.

Emma Graham (SMC 1T8, USMC 2T1) and Eugene Oliver

Emma Graham (SMC 1T8, USMC 2T1), Assistant Dean of Campus Life, married her high school sweetheart, Eugene Oliver on April 30, 2022, in a beautiful ceremony in Mississauga. Emma and Eugene were celebrated by friends and family before heading off for two weeks in Greece for their honeymoon. 

GET IN TOUCH

What’s new? We’d love to hear from you!

Email us your news, updates, and high-res photos for the Bulletin Board section.

Change your email or postal address

Do we have your correct name and address? Update your information through U of T’s Alumni Address Update Form.

An unfortunate database error placed alumni Kathy O’Connor Diesman (SMC 7T3) on the list of recently deceased.
She has reached out with the following update, and we offer our sincere apologies.

Kathy O’Connor Diesman
(SMC 7T3)

Kathy O’Connor Diesman (SMC 7T3) is alive and well. Kathy and her husband, Mickey, retired in 2017 and moved from Los Angeles to the San Luis Obispo area of California. Kathy (Judge Diesman) continues working part-time as a California Superior Court Judge in family and criminal courts throughout California. Kathy has come full circle, starting as a substitute teacher in Toronto and is now a substitute judge in California. In her free time, she enjoys swimming at the local gym and hiking to balance the local winetasting. Kathy says she now reminds herself to be “grateful for every day … I never imagined being 70, but now that I’m here, I still feel young and have more to do.”

Rest in Peace

We Acknowledge the Loss in Recent Months of the Following Alumni,
who Graduated from St. Michael’s in the Class Years Shown Here

1940s

Armstrong, Leo J. SMC 4T7

Battersby, Frederick T. SMC 4T8

Butler, R.G. SMC 4T3

Curry, M. F. SMC 4T6

Davies, Albert F. B. SMC 4T9

Dermody, Dorothy M. SMC 4T8

Houghton, Victoria Charron
(née Baechler) SMC 4T9

Hunter, Thomas J. SMC 4T9

Kelley, Harry B. USMC 4T7

Korman, Marianna SMC 4T8

Lawlor, Rev. Edward J.J SMC 4T2

Manley, Thomas Joseph SMC 4T9

McBridge, Denis J. SMC 4T7

McGrady, Joseph F. SMC 4T7

Platt, Rev. Philip Wallace SMC 4T7

Reid, Edward O. SMC 4T8

Sanclemente, Rodolfo P. SMC 4T4

Schneiderhan, Elizabeth R. SMC 4T8

Sullivan, David R. SMC 4T9

1950s

Carlton, Barbara Mary (née Black)
SMC 5T5

Catania, Hartley F. D. SMC 5T5

Connerty, Thomas F. SMC 5T7

Culliton, Raymond M. P. SMC 5T0

Darby, Lawrence M. M. SMC 5T8

King, Ernest B. SMC 5T0

Kitamura, Ernest E. SMC 5T8

Knollmeyer, Roger A. SMC 5T1

Leo, John SMC 5T7

Matteo, Professor Gino John SMC 5T9

McGuire, Rev. P.J. SMC 5T4

Phelan (née Southern), Barbara SMC 5T0

Shephard, Professor Ronald T. SMC 5T6

Taylor (née Beaudoin), Bernice A. SMC 5T3

Vizintin, John L. USMC 5T0

1960s

Casson, Thomas E. SMC 6T9

Clark, Michael Frederick SMC 6T0

Dagenais, Norm A. J. SMC 6T8

Dawson IBVM, Dr. Caroline J. SMC 6T2

Davison (née McGoey), Maureen A. SMC 6T5

Dosso, Silvano SMC 6T9

Dwyer, Maureen I. SMC 6T8

Fox, Harvey S. SMC 6T9

Hains, Roy F. SMC 6T7

Hannon, Gerald SMC 6T6

Holt Allen, Mary Elizabeth SMC 6T1

Johnston, Joan M. SMC 6T8

McCaig, William “Peter” SMC 6T1

McRitchie, Donald T. USMC 6T2

Nicol, Alexander Russell SMC 6T1

O’Brien, James E. SMC 6T1

Purcell, Judy SMC 6T0

Quinn, Frank J. M. SMC 6T2

Roche, Nick B. SMC 6T5

Shea, Michael E. SMC 6T7

Sutherland, Frederick D. J. SMC 6T4

Vialardi, William SMC 6T0

1970s

Boragina, Angela Carmela SMC 7T5

Carroll, Marley O’Brien SMC 7T0

Collin, Michael J. SMC 7T6

Hoy, Teresa Mary SMC 7T1

Ko (Yuen), Helen T. C. SMC 7T1

Koltun, Lilly Ann SMC 7T3

Kuzmickas, Nijole V. SMC 7T2

Lubinsky, Andy SMC 7T9

Marziliano, Rev. Vito G. SMC 7T7

O’Connor, J.P. SMC 7T1

O’Mara, James J. SMC 7T4

O’Shea IHM, Sister Margaret M. USMC 7T7

Trombley, Gaye SMC 7T1

1980s

Williams, Dianne Ellen (née Swigger)
SMC 7T8

Baldanza, Frank Joseph SMC 8T2

Bisson, Diane Irene SMC 8T1

Dillon, Michael David USMC 8T1

Flanagan, F.J. SMC 8T1

Kudirka, Teresa Anne USMC 8T0

O’Leary, Lisanne SMC 8T3

McCarthy, Sister Mary USMC 8T0

1990s

Cusack, Dr. Paul J. USMC 9T0

Jina, Gulam M. SMC 9T3

Lang, Christine M. SMC 9T2

Tkachyk, Peter SMC 9T6

2000s

Akhtar, Sarah N. SMC 0T7

Friends

Knowles, Ronald Frederick

O’Mara, Most Reverend John 

To share an update please contact
416-926-2331 or smc.alumniaffairs@utoronto.ca

LIFE’S WORK

Remembering Andy Lubinsky

Andy Lubinsky served as the Beadle at a pre-pandemic convocation

The University of St. Michael’s College is mourning the loss of Andrew (Andy) Lubinsky (SMC 7T9), Chair of our Alumni Board from to 2009 to 2021.

“Andy was a great friend to St. Michael’s and will be deeply missed,” says University President David Sylvester. “Our longest-serving Alumni Board Chair, he was generous with his time and talents. We offer our prayers and our sympathy to his wife Denise and daughters Anna and Christina.”

After earning a BA in 1979, Mr. Lubinsky attended the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, earning an MBA in 1981. In time, Anna and Christina also attended St. Mike’s.

He had a lengthy and successful career in marketing and strategic planning. Most recently, he was Chief Strategy Officer at Bible League Canada.

In 2011, he received an Arbor Award from U of T for his service to the university community. His citation noted that, under his direction, the St. Michael’s Alumni Board developed a strategic plan and launched a number of initiatives, including the Alumni Connections series and Career Connections night, a mentorship event to bring together students, young alumni and alumni who are business leaders. He continued to serve as Board Chair until September of 2021.

In 2017, Mr. Lubinsky enrolled in the Faculty of Theology, working on a Master of Theological Studies degree in the midst of an already busy schedule. In an article he wrote on his experience for St. Michael’s Magazine, he noted, “I love every minute of being back to school at St. Michael’s.”

Andy, you will be missed.

Giving at St. Mike’s

Thank You for Giving

We are moved and inspired by the outpouring of offers to help as we work to take care of the educational and residential needs of our students. Your individual actions continue to make a signiﬁcant difference.

Give to St. Mike’s →

Arriving at the New Normal

alumni-magazine — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:33 +0000

News from St. Mike’s

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Dr. McGowan Takes Part in Famine Memorial with Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin

Irish Folksinger Declan O’Rourke, Dr. Mark McGowan, and Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the National Famine Museum, Strokestown, County Roscommon.
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

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

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

Jean Talman

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

Fr. Alexander Laschuk

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

Irish Ambassador Eamonn McKee chats with Celtic Studies students in Charbonnel Lounge on St. Patrick’s Day.

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.

Úna-Minh Kavanagh

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

Dr. Randy Boyagoda holds forth with students in one of the many Roman tour lectures.

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

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

Dr. Darren Dias, OP

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

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

Faculty of Theology graduands at the annual Commissioning Mass

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

Students on campus for a Social Responsibility and Sustainability workshop.

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

Renovated Bathroom in More House.

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

Sheril Hook, former Chief Librarian, John M. Kelly Library says goodbye to St. Mike’s.

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, Interim Chief Librarian, John M. Kelly Library

James Roussain, the library’s Head of Public Services, assumed the role of Interim Chief Librarian on June 1st, 2022.

The John M. Kelly Library’s Rare Book Room is moving.

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

The John M. Kelly Library, Spring 2022.

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.

“Redeemer and Child (Garden Study)”

Fr. Donovan — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 13:00:00 +0000

The Redeemer Figure Embodies Hope

By Fr. Dan Donovan, The Donovan Collection, University of St Michael’s College

The first thing that most people notice when they view this painting from close up is the texture of the paint and the vibrancy of its colours. The latter reflects the fact that at the time he painted it, the artist was working on a series of paintings inspired by his colourful and lush flower garden near the shore of Georgian Bay. As abstract as the work at first appears, its title, Redeemer and Child, tells us that it is dealing with something more specific. The first sign one notices of that is the trio of crosses in the upper right-hand corner. They are set off in such a way that one cannot help but see them. How they relate to the rest of the painting becomes clearer as one recognizes the large yellow crucified figure at the centre of the painting. His arms are outstretched and his legs are bent in the manner of baroque treatments of the crucifixion. At the bottom centre of the painting, there rises up the form of a tree, evoking the traditional notion of the tree of the cross. On a branch to the right, is the form of a child. The artist spoke of the challenge parents face in entrusting their children to the world. The Redeemer figure embodies the hope that doing so will not be in vain.

About The Donovan Collection

The Donovan Collection of contemporary Canadian art at the University of St. Michael’s College includes approximately 400 works by 200 artists, almost all of whom are Canadian. The works are in a wide range of media and styles and represent a cross-section of the art exhibited in Toronto from the early 1980s to the present time. The Collection is curated by Fr. Dan Donovan.

View The Donovan Collection →

Featured image: John Hartman, Redeemer and Child (Garden Study), 1990