Xavier mission
Xavier has long been a stopping place in the passage of young Jesuits through their journey of formation. At the same time, Xavier students draw unique inspiration from these young men of God. Dennis Baker, S.J., and Rodolfo Casals, S.J., Xavier’s most recent scholastics in Regency, reflect on their teaching and learning experiences on 16th Street. For Dennis Baker, S.J., the road to Xavier began in upstate New York. Buffalo, to be precise, as a student at Canisius High School. He was 14 when he saw the Xavier gym for the first time, as a member of the Canisius basketball team — the visiting team. Rodolfo Casals, S.J., took an even less direct route to 16th Street. He arrived at Xavier after time spent first at the U.S. Naval Academy, then as a Surface Warfare Officer at sea, followed by a five-year assignment in Japan. Still, their different paths led to a common experience. It’s a practice that helps differentiate Jesuit formation from that of other orders, one that extends back to the earliest days of Xavier. Jesuit Regency follows the first profession of vows and precedes further study and ordination. During this period, young Jesuit
“There’s a long history of Regents here, in many ways doing the same kind of things I am doing now.” scholastics work full-time for two to three years in a Jesuit ministry. Often that means teaching high school students. Training a new generation of classroom teachers isn’t the primary goal, however. According to Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., the former Superior General of the Society of Jesus, “The specific aim of Regency is to deepen the spiritual integration and human maturation of the Jesuit in all aspects, with its objective demands of organization, regularity, adequate evaluation of time and means used, of collaboration and service to others.” From Mr. Baker’s perspective, Regency “gives a guy a chance to test his vocation, to see if this is really what
Xavier Magazine
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