TORONTO—The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute Foundation (MASIF) is excited to announce that the Temerty Foundation, established by James and Louise Temerty, has made a transformational gift of $5 million to MASIF. The endowed funds will provide scholarships for students at the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies and support the continued publication of Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies. The gift also will support the maintenance of the Sheptytsky Institute’s headquarters on the campus of University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, which is now officially named “Sheptytsky House.”
“The Temerty Foundation commends the University of St. Michael’s College for honouring the legacy of Metropolitan Sheptytsky (1865-1944) by renaming Windle House to Sheptytsky House. This action recognizes Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s immense contributions to the preservation of Ukraine’s cultural heritage and his brave efforts to protect Jewish lives during World War II,” said James C. Temerty, C.M., chairman of the Temerty Foundation.
The institute’s executive director, Fr. Alexander Laschuk, highlighted how the university’s renaming of the house “gives recognition to one of the great leaders of the Catholic Church in the 20th century. Despite living through numerous foreign occupations, including the Nazi regime, Metropolitan Sheptytsky always preached tolerance, compassion and principled moral action.”
Catherine Pawluch, president and chair of MASIF, expressed gratitude for the gift that will help sustain and expand the institute’s mission: “We are profoundly grateful to the Temerty Foundation for its vision, its extraordinary generosity and its support of the important work of the Sheptytsky Institute. We are blessed to have such remarkable individuals as Louise and Jim Temerty as benefactors.”
A portion of the Temerty Foundation gift also supported an international academic conference marking the 80th anniversary of Sheptytsky’s death. The Sheptytsky Institute Foundation held a gala dinner to launch the conference at the University of Toronto’s Hart House. A highlight of the dinner was the address by renowned historian and public intellectual Timothy Snyder, who spoke of Sheptytsky’s moral stance against the Nazi regime during World War II.
Over 200 participants attended the conference. The lectures and discussion were recorded and will soon be available online. Conference proceedings are forthcoming.