Orientation Day Kicks off an Exciting New Chapter at Emmanuel College

^{The growing balance and integration between different religious traditions is part of what makes Emmanuel so special, said Principal HyeRan Kim-Cragg.}

Story and photos by Joe Howell 
 
The Emmanuel Chapel was at capacity for the college’s orientation day, with leaders from across Victoria University in attendance to greet the record number of incoming students. 
 
This academic year also marks the culmination of Emmanuel’s vision to become a truly multi-faith theological school. For the first time, the college welcomed an almost equal number of students into the Buddhist, Christian and Muslim foci of its Master of Psychospiritual Studies and Master of Theological Studies degree programs. 
 
The growing balance and integration between different religious traditions is part of what makes the school so special, Principal HyeRan Kim-Cragg told the incoming class. Emmanuel College is a place that will “challenge your assumptions” and “sharpen your minds,” she said, while providing space “to deeply engage in your own roots, whatever they may be: cultural, linguistic, theological or spiritual.” 
 
Kim-Cragg recalled her own first day at Emmanuel. “I came here exactly 29 years ago—like you, as a student,” she said. “I remember the nervousness and anxiety and all those big questions.”  
 
She hoped the new students would ultimately have an experience like hers, finding meaning while cultivating lifelong friendships. 
 
The size and diversity of the incoming class was a sign of changes happening in the public sphere, said Vice-Principal Pam McCarroll.
 
“In Canada and across North America, there’s a sense of more interest in the spiritual dimensions of life,” she said. “There’s more openness to diverse religious practices and forms. More openness to exploring questions of theology, and also taking a scholarly look at these things and thinking about the way practices form thoughts and ideas.” 
 
It’s an exciting time to be at Emmanuel, McCarroll continued. “So many of you are coming here with incredible lived experiences to share. I love the transformative things that happen inside and outside the classroom when people come together from very different spaces and backgrounds. Gathering in this unique space has a larger ripple effect, and it’s such a privilege to be a part of that.” 
 

The students were also welcomed by various other leaders from Victoria University and the University of Toronto, including Dean Kelley Castle; Julian Munro, chair of the Emmanuel College Student Society; Jeanette Unger, associate chaplain of the Ecumenical Chaplaincy at the University of Toronto; James Hung, associate director of campus safety and emergency management; and Rhonda N. McEwen, president of Vic U. 
 
“All of you are in amazing hands as you embark on this journey,” McEwen told the incoming class. “My wish for you is that alongside your personal and academic success, you find growth, you find expansion, that you find all the things you are seeking—and know that we are here for you.” 

Interested in learning more about Emmanuel College? Read the Fall 2024 edition of the EC News magazine here, or reach out to admissions counsellor Andrew Aitchison at emmanuel.admissions@utoronto.ca.