St. Jerome's University

You’re invited to join this year’s Feast of St. Jerome, our Annual Fundraiser for Student Scholarships. The program will feature a keynote by Fr. Michael Garanzini, SJ, and the presentation of two outstanding alumni awards.

Early Bird pricing in effect until August 24th – get your tickets today!
Proceeds from this event are used to support entrance scholarships and bursaries. Your support ensures students from all backgrounds can continue to benefit from a St. Jerome’s education.

Event Date:
Saturday, October 3rd, 2026
Event Time:
5:00 p.m. Mass | Notre Dame Chapel
6:00 p.m. Reception | SJ2, Atrium Centre
7:00 p.m. Dinner and Program | SJ2, Atrium Centre

To learn more and secure your ticket, visit: https://heyor.ca/e9YxnJ

St. Jerome's University celebrated the Feast of St. Ignatius in a big way this year. Click through for statements including words of support and blessing from our founding orders the Congregation of the Resurrection and the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

There is so much more to Guatemala than this one partner and one project. Our Certificate in Catholic Leadership participants had the opportunity to enjoy a stay in beautiful Antigua, which was once the capital city of all Central America. They learned about the living history of Mayan peoples – who represent many distinct Indigenous groups, each with their own distinct language and culture, and who are still living out and revitalizing their traditions today.

To learn more about the Certificate in Catholic Leadership: and learn more about the Certificate in Catholic Leadership https://uwaterloo.ca/st-jeromes/academics/continuing-education/certificate-catholic-leadership

The Certificate in Catholic Leadership program's recent visit to Guatemala included a number of conversations circles which are an important part of

Planting Seeds International's dual exchange model. One circle took place in a community center in Guatemala City. This accessible community space is a unique resource for residents of Zone 3, where people primarily work in the informal recycling economy around the city landfill. Likewise, participants also had the chance to engage with parents of the PSI preschool in the rural community of Tioxyà. In both circles participants discussed elements of our community that are beautiful, challenging, and misunderstood. Participants discussed common experiences of inequality and dreams for the futures of our communities. All left these conversations enriched, with a better understanding of our world, and with deeper sense of solidarity in the face of social and environmental injustice.

Follow us this week as we reflect on our Certificate in Catholic Leadership's journey through Guatemala with our partner Planting Seeds International.

To learn more about the Certificate in Catholic Leadership: and learn more about the Certificate in Catholic Leadership https://uwaterloo.ca/st-jeromes/academics/continuing-education/certificate-catholic-leadership

The St. Jerome's Certificate in Catholic Leadership program participants recently travelled to Guatemala. Planting Seeds invites international visitors into a Dual Exchange experience. This means visiting groups and Guatemalan hosts are both having an intercultural experience, where each group has the opportunity to share their own knowledge about their community and learn about another’s way of life. With so many professional educators in our group, this was especially valuable for teachers from Canada and Guatemala to experience and discuss their unique and shared experiences in the classroom. Pictured here are a number of CCL participants, St. Jerome's Service Learning Coordinator Michelle, and Planting Seeds International Coordinators Carla and Blanca.

Follow us this week as we reflect on our journey through Guatemala with our partner Planting Seeds International

To learn more about the Certificate in Catholic Leadership: and learn more about the Certificate in Catholic Leadership https://uwaterloo.ca/st-jeromes/academics/continuing-education/certificate-catholic-leadership

SJU’s Certificate in Catholic Leadership (CCL) participants recently engaged in an international community service learning experience in Guatemala. Partnering with
Planting Seeds International (PSI), a non-profit seeking to improve access to quality early-childhood education, CCL participants were invited into a meaningful encounter with fellow leaders and educators Guatemala. Through mutual knowledge exchange, community service, and intercultural experience, our CCL participants are growing their understanding and awareness of how Catholic Leaders engage with community, through a focus on justice and dignity for all.

Follow us this week as we reflect on our journey through Guatemala with our partner Planting Seeds International. To learn more about the Certificate in Catholic Leadership: https://uwaterloo.ca/st-jeromes/academics/continuing-education/certificate-catholic-leadership

St. Jerome's University campus will be closed Wednesday July 1st, 2026, and will re-open Thursday July 2nd at 8:30 a.m. Happy Canada Day!

Sara Elizabeth Headley (class of 2004) established the Betty G. Headley Senior Essay Award as a tribute to the memory of her late mother. Since 2005, this annual award has recognized the outstanding written work of upper-year undergraduate students in two categories: Best Course Essay ($1,500) and Best Personal Essay ($500).

The adjudicators for this year’s award were thoroughly impressed by the quality of this year’s submissions. The Committee is pleased to announce the winners for the 2025 competition:

Sharing the prize for Best Course Essay :
Jared He - “Blaring and Baying: Reason, Passion, and Sound in Gawain and the Green Knight”
and
Anson Lu - “The forgotten appeasement: Canadian responses to Japanese aggression in 1931 and 1937”

Best Personal Essay:
Chris Materman – “The Fox”

This year’s competition was chaired by Dr. Michelle Atkin, Library Director for the St. Jerome’s University Library, and included the following voting members: Mark Spielmacher, PhD, Department of English; Chad Wriglesworth, PhD, Department of English; and Carol Acton, PhD, Department of English.

As Dr. Atkin notes, “by encouraging undergraduates to share their voice through personal essays, or their scholarship through course essays, the Betty G. Headley Award makes it clear to students that their contributions are both meaningful and worthy of praise. We are very thankful to be able to administer this generous award, which recognizes the creative and scholastic talents of our students.”

For more information about this award, please visit the Awards page on the St. Jerome’s website: https://heyor.ca/ZqK3Hm

The D.R. Letson Community Service Award is presented to a co-registered, undergraduate student or student who lives in residence who is committed to, and involved in, service to the community beyond our campus. This year’s recipient Chinmayi Manda is an Honours Political Science and Business student who has served as a Residence Don, participated in SJU in Peru, and serves on the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Local Committee supporting refugee students. These are just a few of her accomplishments and her nominators celebrated her “ability to form genuine connections across age, language, and cultural difference which speaks to her empathy and deep respect for the dignity of others.”

St. Jerome's is proud to collaborate with our fellow University-Colleges to host the Student Refugee Program (SRP) at UWaterloo. The SRP helps to sponsor, support, and facilitate a smooth transition for incoming refugee students, all while fostering a meaningful and fun cross-cultural community of peer-support here on campus. The program is a peer-sponsorship model, with UW students funding their peers’ through WUSA student fees, as well as tangible academic and settlement support through the student Local Committee. For the SRP students, we hear that this a truly life-changing opportunity that creates a durable solution in the face of humanitarian crisis. Two St. Jerome's students shared how the program provides opportunities, hope and support in their lives and academic journey's.

On World Refugee Day, we celebrate the accomplishments of our SRP students, and we affirm the importance of inclusive education opportunities at St. Jerome’s as we live out our values of love, truth, and justice.

"The SRP program is important because it gives refugee children an opportunity they may have thought impossible, the chance to return to school, receive an education and rebuild their future. For many children affected by displacement, education is more than learning; it restores hope, dignity stability and the belief that life can move forward."--Nyandeng Treza Deng

"I want my community to know that refugees are individuals with potential who can contribute to their communities when given the opportunity. The Student Refugee Program (SRP) is important because it provides education, safety, and a chance to build a new future for refugee students. I believe supporting it means investing in people who have overcome incredible challenges and are determined to make a positive impact. To me, World Refugee Day is a time to reflect on my journey and celebrate the resilience of refugees everywhere."-- Abuk Angok

Photos include: SRP students and peer supporters enjoy an end-of-year celebration in Niagara Falls.