Cardinal Leo Visits University of St. Michael’s College

On April 27, His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo met with students, faculty, librarians, and staff of the University of St. Michael's College (USMC) at the close of the academic year. Cardinal Leo has served as the university's Chancellor since 2023.

President David Sylvester welcomed Cardinal Leo to campus by introducing His Eminence to the first fruits of St. Michael's Canadian Religious Communities Archive: an exhibition titled The Big Maps: The Sisters of Service as Canadian Trailblazers in the John M. Kelly Library. 

Over lunch in the Basilian Fathers Common Room, it became clear that faculty, students, and administrators shared priorities expressed by Cardinal Leo: preparing leaders for the Church and society; cultivating reflection and spiritual depth; helping young people to discern their charisms; and fostering authentic human flourishing. In addition to the new Diploma in Catholic Leadership offered at USMC, the formation of Catholic leaders at the Regis St. Michael's Faculty of Theology was discussed, including the importance of spiritual formation and experiential learning opportunities.

Faculty described how undergraduate students in St. Mike's Book & Media Studies and Christianity & Culture programs are critically engaging cultural and technological trends — like artificial intelligence — by reflecting on their own encounters with history, media, and art.

Moreover, examples were given from Campus Ministry and Student Services of programming that encourages students to discover their own values and talents through community, mentorship, service, and prayer. Reflecting on the temptation towards polarization and perfectionism, those around the table found USMC to be an academic community that fosters a model of human flourishing that broadens horizons and thrives in dialogue. The constellation of student support, spiritual depth, and curiosity creates a culture of hope that is USMC's unique charism offered to the U of T community and Canada.