Fr. McGivney left extraordinary legacy by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University Dictionaries offer two definitions for the word beatify. The first is “to make supremely happy.” The second is “a declaration of blessedness” and, for Catholics, this is the step before canonization. It seems to be self-evident that the two meanings share a [...]

Class virtually in session by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University Every year, as my children got older, the return-to-school routine got less exciting. Gone were the days where an afternoon spent at a stationary store was exciting; where an afternoon buying the autumn wardrobe was exhilarating. With age came a certain cynicism about [...]

The garden of the soul by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University I am not a gardener. In fact, I moved into a house with a large garden a decade ago and I joke that I have killed off one species of plant each year. Except that it’s not a joke. My garden once [...]

‘Duck and cover’ isn’t an option by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University When I was growing up it was popular to mock a film made in the 1950s to prepare children to survive a nuclear war. Older folks will remember this odd cross between animated and live action footage featuring a bow-tied Bert [...]

Racism protests are a sign of hope by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University It wasn’t so long ago that many of us were using the COVID-19 virus to argue that our world was more interconnected than we care to admit. Divisions are commonplace and people move through their lives erecting barriers between the [...]

Scratching the surface of cat psychology by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University I have been plagued by cats almost my entire adult life. (OK, maybe I like them just a little.) Dogs, I feel I understand. They’re reasonably straightforward. You know when they’re happy, when they’re guilty of chewing your favourite shoe and [...]

This is a fight for our shared humanity by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University I had promised myself that I wouldn’t write a COVID-19 column. In the midst of what is clearly a once-in-a-lifetime event for most of us, I knew we would be besieged with news item after news item, column after [...]

The vital art of dance by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University In June we celebrate St. Vitus’ Day, a time that honours an unusual saint whose influence was seen throughout Europe generally and in Germany in particular. Martyred in 303 during widespread persecution of Christians, St. Vitus became inexplicably important to Germans in [...]

The Wiki and wacky world of St. Isidore by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University As I was driving to work this week, I saw a sign outside a neighbourhood church. It read: “Prayer is the original wireless form of communication.” It brought to mind the old joke that Moses was the first person [...]

Always room for prayer in life’s overflowing jar by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University A good friend of mine, a fellow scotch aficionado, sent me a story which is an adaptation of a well-known leadership story, popularized by Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In my friend’s version, a [...]