Voice of the wounded is essential for healing by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University Recently I read a wonderful LinkedIn entry by Aron Laxton about the U.S. Navy’s efforts to study and reinforce aircraft based on planes that had been damaged from the front. Engineers studied and mapped the bullet holes that peppered [...]

There’s plenty of gain from this pain by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University Recently I experienced a rather serious injury. The official version is that I fell off a 15-foot ladder while rescuing a child from a burning building. The first part of that story is true, and the latter part should quietly [...]

‘Soft’ approach triumphs by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University I always look forward to the spring. It is when our university celebrates convocation, and while this is usually an all-consuming, logistically complex event, come the day this is feel-good all the way. To see the faces of the graduates and their families, and [...]

Yes, a little tenderness can change the world by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University It is rare to laugh out loud when listening to a news item, but recently this is exactly what happened. Listening to the Calgary Eyeopener, a morning radio program, I was charmed by the story of a six-year-old boy [...]

There’s a light ahead in our Lenten journey by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University During Ash Wednesday Mass on the St. Mary’s University campus, professor of psychology, Fr. Peter Doherty, offered an inspiring homily. He spoke of the importance of the Lenten journey and the need for us to reach out and to [...]

Books mark the many pages of our lives by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University I was recently tagged on a Twitter post in what has been called the Book Challenge. If invited, the recipient is asked to post a cover of an all-time favourite book, with no explanation or description of the choice. [...]

Resolving myself to a Year of Depth by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University It is fashionable for columnists to devote the first column of the new year to resolutions — those kept and those broken. For the record, I’ve done both. It is just as fashionable to review the year that was, focusing [...]

This story of devotion hinges on hinges by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University At St. Mary’s University here in Calgary, we open all our meetings with a reflection. Sometimes it is the university prayer, but often it is a meditation on a relevant issue, meant to support, comfort and uplift. The person who [...]

Selfies and looking beyond the lens by Dr. Gerry Turcotte, President, St. Mary’s University Recently I Googled the term “selfie” and determined quickly that no further research into the matter was needed. What I found were endless varieties of scantily clad self-representations, with very little analysis about why anyone would transmit these images about themselves, [...]