University of St. Michael's College

10/21/2026

How do time loops explore the way audiences participate in the media they consume? Book & Media Studies student Sharmeen Imran has turned her interest in this question into an independent study as an Undergraduate Fellow at the Jackman Humanities Institute. Her project, “No Exit Infinite City,” examines how recursive storytelling in 21st-century media turns repetition into a lived experience, through a video game, a play, and a TV show. It speaks to the Institute’s annual theme, “Doubles, Doppelgangers.” We spoke with Sharmeen about her project, her research process, and what it’s like to be part of a community of fellows. Read the full Q&A at https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/news/book-media-studies-student-sharmeen-imran-named-jackman-humanities-undergraduate-fellow.

10/20/2026

Join us on Tuesday, November 3 for an evening with Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, and Deacon Robert Kinghorn. The event will take place in OISE Theatre G162, 252 Bloor Street West.

All ticket proceeds will go to support founded by Fr. Greg!

https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/boundless-compassion-event

Toronto School of Theology University of St. Michael's College

10/19/2026

All UofT students, staff, and members of the Toronto community are welcome to a fascinating talk from the award-winning children's writer and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Join us afterwards for a reception! Admission is free, but please reserve a space: https://tinyurl.com/58bcmjj3

10/16/2026

Noel McFerran, Theology Librarian at the John M. Kelly library, returns to remind us of the annual Dante Lecture today, this Friday, October 16 at 6 p.m. in Alumni Hall room 400. This year, the Lecture marks the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis by contrasting the figures of Ulysses and Saint Francis in Dante’s epic poem. Heather Webb, Professor of Italian Studies at Yale University, will show how Dante's Divine Comedy offers a powerful vision of charismatic leadership in these two iconic figures. You can RSVP from the link in the bio. Noel is speaking from the exhibit he curated on St. Francis in the Kelly Library, featuring many treasures from the Dante Collection at the Kelly Library. The exhibit is on display until the end of December.

10/13/2026

St. Michael’s is honoured to have Dr. Ann Dooley and John McGrath (SMC 6T3) join its Legacy Wall.

Dr. Ann Dooley, Professor Emerita of Celtic Studies and Medieval Studies, has played a defining role in the study of Celtic literature and culture at the University of St. Michael’s College, and John McGrath has brought his financial expertise and philanthropy in service of the Church and the University.

Dr. Dooley and John McGrath's additions to the wall were unveiled at a luncheon during the University's Michaelmas celebrations.

Read the full story at https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/news/university-of-st-michaels-college-inducts-dr-ann-dooley-and-john-mcgrath-smc-6t3-to-its-legacy-wall.

10/10/2026

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you a wonderful long weekend. The University is closed on Monday, October 12.

10/08/2026

The University of St. Michael's College is absolutely thrilled to announce that Anne Carson (SMC 7T4) has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. More to come on this breaking story soon, but in a 2001 intervirew Carson recalled St. Mike's Classics professor Father James Sheridan, “So far as I can recall, Father Sheridan taught us Plato’s Apology by walking up and down and telling us stories about Ireland.” Revealing a flash of how her poet’s mind apprehends things, Carson adds, “Father Sheridan had a thickness of being; he let learning fall out of the folds of his cassock.” If we have Classics students from Anne's year out there, please reach out!

Anne Carson, who honed her mastery of the classics at the University of Toronto before giving them new life in the modern age, has won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

10/07/2026

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, acclaimed screenwriter, playwright, novelist, and Children’s Laureate in the UK, is the keynote speaker at this year's Christianity and the Arts Lecture. The lecture is Friday, October 23 at 6 p.m. in Alumni Hall and open to the public. RSVP at https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/children-literature-and-the-christian-imagination.

10/06/2026

You watched Matt Damon as Odysseus on the big screen this summer, but who would play St. Francis of Assisi in his biopic? This year, St. Michael's Annual Dante Lecture marks the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis by contrasting Ulysses and Saint Francis in Dante’s epic poem. Heather Webb, Professor of Italian Studies at Yale University, will show how Dante's Divine Comedy offers a powerful vision of charismatic leadership in these two iconic figures.

Don't miss this cornerstone event celebrating the enduring importance of Dante’s work within literature, theology, philosophy, and cultural history. Lecture is Friday, October 16 at 6 p.m. Register at https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/event/the-annual-dante-lecture-between-ulysses-and-saint-francis-models-of-leadership-in-dante.

10/05/2026

Did you know that Mary of Nazareth plays an important role in the Muslim faith? Tomorrow, Prof Klaus von Stosch, Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Bonn, reflects on the importance of Mary (or Maryam in the Quran) as a cross-cultural and interreligious bridge-builder in his lecture 'The Qur’anic Mary as a Bridgebuilder between Religions'. More information at https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/event/the-quranic-mary-as-a-bridgebuilder-between-religions-a-lecture-and-discussion-with-prof-klaus-von-stosch.

10/05/2026

Together, our volunteers and guests made this year's Friends of the Kelly Library Annual Book Sale a great success. 📚 Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you again next year!

09/29/2026

September 30 is Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Commemoration. Tomorrow at Regis St. Michael's Faculty of Theology (RSM), a panel of doctoral students will discuss a research retreat they took part in at the Anishinaabe Spiritual Centre in April 2026. The retreat was a pilot project of the Walking in Service initiative, funded through the Lilly Endowment's Pathways for Tomorrow, that aims to engage Indigenous communities in relationships of learning, reconciliation, and shared wisdom. To learn how RSM continues to respond to the TRC's Call to Action no. 60, which calls on Church leaders and theological schools to work with Indigenous spiritual leaders and residential school survivors to develop curriculum that respects Indigenous spirituality and addresses the legacy of residential schools, visit https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/news/beyond-the-classroom-charting-regis-st-michaels-path-to-reconciliation-through-curriculum-and-community.

The RSM panel marking NDTR will be at 3:30 p.m. in St. Joseph Chapel in Regis College. We invite students, librarians, faculty members, and staff to register to attend this, or any of tomorrow's events at the University of Toronto in person or online.

09/29/2026

Today, September 29, St. Michael's celebrates its feast day! We honour the patron saint of our University and the Archdiocese of Toronto, whose likeness stands on the second floor of Carr Hall, where he is shown as Michael the Archangel atop a dragon. The sculpture was a gift from Ernest Cormier, the architect who designed the building. In a 1954 letter, Father Laurence Shook, CSB, then President of the University, wrote that the statue was "most effective" and that the artist, Sylvia Daoust, had given us "a manly St. Michael without sacrificing grace and beauty."

The first picture was taken by Peter Skrepichuk from our facilities department; the second photo is of the sculpture in its studio dated 1954 and found in the Cormier’s files at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. The article was published in May-June 1985 issue of St. Michael's Bulletin.

The Basilians

09/24/2026

Meet Sylvia and Ross, two of our dedicated volunteers preparing for The Friends of the John M. Kelly Library Book Sale, as they share a few unique treasures they've discovered while sorting through donations. They're excited to see these books find new homes! St. Michael's Book Sale runs from September 30 to October 3 in the Kelly Library.

https://library.stmikes.utoronto.ca/about/friends/sale/

09/23/2026

Last week, renowned American novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux spoke at the University of St. Michael's College, in advance of the launch of his latest travelogue, True North: On the Road in Canada.

Hosted by St. Mike's Principal's Office, Theroux shared his account of traveling across Canada at a time of heightened political tension with the U.S. What began as the completion of that trilogy of three travelogues exploring the landscapes, cultures, and sociopolitical realities of the American South, Mexico, and Canada became a deeply personal exploration. In this book, Theroux traces his ancestral roots in Quebec, journeys through remote settlements and multicultural cityscapes, and listens to the diverse voices shaping modern Canada. True North: On the Road in Canada officially launched yesterday, and is available in bookstores now.

We thank Paul Theroux for his visit to our community and we are also honoured that the event was moderated by Professor Ira Wells, President of PEN Canada.