Oct 8 Faith: Why Does It Matter to Me?
In the chapel at Hart House there are three windows, all seemingly random designs that stand out from the rest. Though beautiful, the contrasting colours, shapes, and designs make the overall effect initially quite puzzling and out of place. That is, until you learn that these particular mosaics are crafted from shards of shattered stained-glass windows originally found in French and Belgian churches, all decimated during World War I. Student soldiers from this university collected different pieces from different churches along their campaigns and brought them back where they have been memorialized in the chapel windows at Hart House.
The reason I bring up this story is that there are some things worth saving, some traditions that ought not to be forgotten, and some contributions that should not be ignored, despite the inevitability of time and the constant march of progress. That being said, this story is also about making something special from things that ordinarily would never have come together. Here at the University of Toronto, we are living in the shadow of a prestigious and often intimidating history, one that shapes much of what we do. Yet we are also challenged to come together in ways hitherto unimagined to create new ideas and to forge ahead into uncharted territory; in short, to make our own unique mark on the world. In order to do that we are saddled with the demanding task of balancing the old and the new, deciding what to preserve and what to prune for the next generation of students. And I feel that in particular, St. Mike’s feels this pressure as a historically Catholic college within a secular university. As St. Mike’s students head further into 21st century life, what will faith at the college mean? And what role will faith play in the daily lives of students?