News from 16th Street Campus Ministry IS BRIDGE BETWEEN CLASSROOM AND WORLD Xavier’s Campus Ministry program works side-by-side with students to provide a bridge between lessons learned in the classroom and active comprehension of the world beyond 16th Street. “We see everything we do in Campus Ministry as part of the same effort and vision for students to embody Ignatian ideals, while developing a deepened awareness and spirituality,” said Dee Kittany, co-director of campus ministry. Peer ministry opportunities at school liturgies are open to all levels of students, who serve as lectors, altar servers, assistant sacristans and choir members as they take steps toward constructing an active faith life. Three donation drives over the course of the year offer every student the chance to make a difference in the lives of those
(L to R) Kaija DeWitt, Joseph Petriello and Dee Kittany with Rev. Ralph Rivera, S.J.
in need, while classroom conversations encourage students to examine the root of the need for food, clothing and shelter. “The drives are visible signs of our charity in action,” said Joe Petriello, director of Ignatian service programs. “But this charity must always move toward justice.” Expansive lessons in the classroom on unjust social conditions provoke challenging questions. “That analytical process is central to our Jesuit mission and Ignatian identity.” Companions of St. Francis Xavier service trips and the senior Christian Service Program enable students to be on the front lines of major charitable organizations, as well as hundreds of shelters, hospitals, agencies and schools. At the same time, junior and senior classroom curriculum focuses on injustice and the concern for human dignity and, later on, the powerful concepts of consolation and desolation. Similarly, Xavier’s four-year sequence of retreats — the freshman in-house day of reflection, the Montserrat retreat for sophomores, Kairos for juniors, Magis and the Senior Silent Retreat for seniors — is designed to encourage ever-growing, everevolving faith and spirituality.
Co-Director of Campus Ministry Kaija DeWitt points out that seniors’ interest in the Magis retreat, even with its weekend timeframe, shows the tangible need for slowing down, quiet prayer and reflection in their busy lives. “The retreat is rooted in the Spiritual Exercises, and the aim is for our seniors to begin to cultivate a mature and lasting prayer life that will serve them when they leave us,” she said. Students and faculty alike may also meet one-on-one with Fr. Ralph Rivera, S.J., the Xavier chaplain. “Our students and faculty are not only involved in academic matters, but with the challenges and questions of life itself,” said Fr. Rivera. “My daily work plan is often ‘interrupted’ to deal with problems and issues that students and teachers wish to discuss,” says Fr. Rivera. “In some cases I may work for weeks with a student or faculty member. I consider this an integral part of our Campus Ministry, for it implies meeting people where they are and letting them know their concerns are taken seriously. This type of ministry is an honor and a labor of love since, in this way, I encounter how God is working through the lives at this marvelous place we call Xavier.”
Antediluvian–Before the flood–Old-fashioned Legendary English teacher’s study guide resurfaces A recent Facebook post asking former students of the late Rev. Vincent Taylor, S.J., to submit English papers sparked a deluge of comments. Before long, a copy of the legendary English teacher’s Princeton Review Hit Parade surfaced, courtesy of Brendan Faughnan ’01, who is now teaching English at Cristo Rey New York High School. Alumni also provided several sets of definitions featuring the exact 4.
Xavier Magazine
word groups Fr. Taylor repeated for an unknown number of his 53 years teaching at Xavier. The Princeton Review Hit Parade famously provided several basic definitions or synonyms for tricky vocabulary words students were likely to encounter on the SAT exam. It is unclear for how long Fr. Taylor had been using the same handwritten, photocopied list, but right up until his death in 2000, the
list was introduced at the start of the school year and his vocabulary lessons and exams were amazingly effective. Rev. Vincent Taylor, S.J. To take the actual vocabulary test Fr. Taylor gave as late as 2000, (and to see if you can match Faughnan’s perfect score!) visit www.xavierhsalumni.org/taylor.