Xaverian Celebrates Founder’s Week

This week, we joined our fellow Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools (13 in total) in celebrating Founder’s Week. We kicked the celebration off on Monday with a school-wide liturgy in honor of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of the Xaverian Brothers. Mass was presided over by Fr. Erick Berrelleza, S.J., Founding Dean at Messina College – Boston College, and concelebrated by Fr. Philip Dabney, C.Ss.R., Fr. Wayne Belschner, and Fr. Rocco Puopolo, S.X. ’67. See more photos from our liturgy here. 

As is our annual tradition, Xaverian’s 2023 Ryken Award Winner was announced after mass. Mr. Ryan Howard, Xaverian’s X-Ploration Center Director, was selected as this year’s honoree. A dedicated teacher, coach, club moderator, and colleague, it was no surprise that the gym erupted into thunderous applause from students, faculty, and staff alike.

Monday’s liturgy, however, was just the beginning of a week filled with activities designed to help celebrate our shared history and learn about our identity as a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School. Each day brought a new activity, lesson, and celebration centered around the five Xaverian Brother’s spiritual values: humility, trust, zeal, compassion, and simplicity. 

Theology classes for all grades focused their curriculum on the Xaverian Brothers’ legacy, while our freshman class specifically gathered together for a unique lesson on the legacy and connections between Jesus, St. Francis Xavier, Theodore James Ryken, the Xaverian Brothers, and the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools network. 

Some of the activities offered to students included lunch conversations with retired Xaverian Brothers, a service trip to the Boston Common to feed the homeless, a Belgian waffle breakfast to celebrate Xaverian’s Belgian roots, and a week-long art contest whose winners will be announced at the Advent Prayer Service next week. In a special Founder’s Day edition of Hawk News, our students put together a video message to students studying at the founding Xaverian school in Bruges, Belgium. 

Founder’s Week concluded with a Spirit Day, which saw our students proudly showcasing Xaverian’s colors of blue and gold. Overall, the week was a beautiful celebration of our values and traditions as we honored our past and look ahead to our future.