The Aracich Fellows of the Lii-Haybyrne Institute for Asian Studies (created and funded by Jim Haybyrne ’62 and his wife, Penny Lii) visited the Great Wall of China last summer. Ten Xavier students were selected by the Institute as the inaugural Aracich Fellows.
WINTER 2026
Xavier High School
Jack Raslowsky P’16
President
Kim Smith Headmaster
Shawna Gallagher Vega, APR Vice President for Communications and Marketing Editor, Xavier Magazine
Contributors
Hudson Dew ’26
Ralph Dinielli
Michael O’Brien ’19
David Orlando ’17
Jennifer Reeder Astrea Slezak
Callum Strebin ’26
Photography
Harisch Studios
Thierry Lee
Michael Marmora
Steven Martine
Reena Rose Sibayan
Mark Wyville
Design
Erbach Communications Group
How to Reach Us Xavier Magazine
30 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
Email: news@xavierhs.org
Xavier’s Mission Founded in 1847, Xavier High School is an academically rigorous, Catholic, Jesuit, college preparatory school in New York City that educates intelligent, motivated young men of diverse backgrounds and means. Xavier teaches students to take responsibility for their lives, to lead with integrity, to act justly in service of others, to pursue excellence in every endeavor and to deepen their relationship with God. Ultimately, Xavier forms young men who will go forth to transform the world for God’s greater glory.
On the Cover “AMDG” by Nick Leeper, S.J.
Sustainability
In keeping with Xavier’s commitment to sustainability, this publication is printed on FSC-certified paper.
For the Greater Glory of God
Dear Sons of Xavier, Parents and Friends,
A.M.D.G. Four letters with great meaning for those who have known the Jesuits. The motto of the Society of Jesus. The goal of her apostolic works. For some, the only thing they remember from their Latin classes decades ago long after declensions and conjugations have been forgotten. And for us on 16th Street, the conclusion of our mission statement: “Ultimately, Xavier forms young men who go forth to transform the world for God’s greater glory.”
A.M.D.G. is also the name of our newest art commission, a painting by Nick Leeper, S.J., a reproduction of which graces the cover of this magazine. Like scores of scholastics through the years (among them Nick’s fellow regent, David Said, S.J.), Nick has worked throughout his regency to give greater glory to God, and to help his students do the same.
I love the Roy Lichtenstein appeal of Nick’s A.M.D.G. I love the fact that it pops. I love the fact that it’s big and bold. I hope in some small way it can inspire us to be big and bold in our work, and that our work is big and bold in giving glory to God. Our shared work at Xavier is the work of helping young men grow into their fullest and best selves, to help them make real God’s greatest desires for them.
This is how they will give glory to God.
I am delighted to share this Xavier Magazine with you. It is a great celebration of Xavier: a celebration of our art and artists, and our care for students; a glimpse of things that have shaped the start of the 21st century on 16th Street; our Hall of Fame celebration; alumni gatherings near and far; and news of the lives and work of our alumni. Reading the magazine had me saying once again, “How blessed I am to do this work.” I hope your reading of the magazine evokes the same feeling in you.
In the spring of 2015, the cover story of this magazine read, “Welcoming the World: The Immigrant Story at Xavier.” It was a celebration of our history. The story of the Catholic Church in America is the story of welcoming and assimilating immigrants, anchoring them in faith and helping them build a life in America. Xavier is part of that wonderful and inspiring story. We featured students, alumni and families from Cuba, Lebanon, Guinea, China, Ireland, Vietnam, Poland, Ecuador, the Philippines, Ghana, Luxembourg, and Iraq. I wrote then, “Immigration is a hot-button issue and will be even more so as we enter the next presidential election cycle.” Those words, unfortunately, remain true today.
The Church has always stood in support of immigrants, even as the political winds blow hither and yon. In one of his final acts as the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Cardinal Dolan unveiled Adam Cvijanovic’s large mural, “What’s So Funny about Peace, Love and Understanding,” which depicts the arrival of immigrants to New York City in the 19th century and the present. The Cardinal then joined with his fellow bishops in issuing a “special message” on immigration in November opposing “indiscriminate mass deportation and dehumanizing rhetoric and violence against immigrants.” I commend the message to you for prayerful consideration. The same is true of “What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding.”
In this issue you will encounter 35 of our students who volunteered to take part in a public witness in support of immigrants and refugees in November. We also celebrate Mike Fernandez ’72 and José Miranda ’09 and their work to stand with immigrants and bring about just and lasting immigration reform for the common good. The November event was part of a larger witness of Catholics across the country. NBC New York picked up the story. I was proud of our students and faculty and glad others would see them living out their faith. After the NBC story appeared we received a number of letters, calls and online comments. Some were very positive and encouraging; others invited dialogue. Some were nasty and disappointing. Being a witness often has a cost.
I wrote about our distinguished alumnus John Courtney Murray, S.J. 1920 in my 2020 President’s Dinner address. That address is now posted online. It was John Courtney Murray who affirmed the importance of being fully Catholic and fully American. Murray’s belief in the American experiment, the freedoms it enshrined and its respect for the dignity of every individual was deep. His faith was even deeper, and he understood both to be fully compatible. He would say that our faith invites us to be better citizens and to value all that America stands
Transforming the world for God’s greater glory, making A.M.D.G. real in our lives, invites us all to work for the common good and see God present in all. Since 1847 we have dedicated ourselves to doing so. May that always be so.”
for. That is what our students were witnessing to in November. I think Mike and José would say the same.
My purpose in raising this is not to begin a political debate. Doing so would exceed my brief. What I want to affirm is that we remain anchored in our faith and in the teachings of the Church, which are anchored in Sacred Scripture. For our students not to give witness, for us not to recognize alumni who are doing prophetic work would be to betray our values. As Jim Keenan, S.J. said to me many years ago: “If we do that, we should close our doors.” And we have no intention of doing so.
We will continue to affirm the God-given human dignity of all with no exceptions, and we join with the bishops to “advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of good will work together.”
Transforming the world for God’s greater glory, making A.M.D.G. real in our lives, invites us all to work for the common good and see God present in all. Since 1847 we have dedicated ourselves to doing so. May that always be so.
Be assured of my prayers.
Jack Raslowsky President
NEWS
FROM 16TH STREET
Varsity Football Caps a Historic Season
At the 102nd Turkey Bowl on November 27, the Knights triumphed over Fordham Prep, 22-21, after a lastsecond field goal by Theodore Sheridan-Vitale ’26. The win at Rose Hill came five days after Xavier took home the CHSFL AA-1 championship, besting defending champion St. Joe’s by the Sea, 28-7. “My staff and I are so proud and honored to have coached the 2025 team,” said Athletic Director Dominic DeFalco ’10, who serves as Xavier’s head football coach. “Their legacy has been cemented as one of the best teams in Xavier football history. They earned that recognition with their effort, attitude, and togetherness that they played with week in and week out. The entire community should be very proud of how this team represented us all.”
In October, eight students—Shyun Kim ’26, Callum McGeory ’26, Shariyaan Lal ’26, Max Cuk ’26, Conor Lane ’26, Anthony Garvey ’26, Ronan Higgins ’26, and Caleb Soo ’26—counted among the thousands of artists whose work was featured in Brandon Stanton’s “Dear New York” exhibit at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal. Artists were selected as part of a competition to create a tribute to a loved one in the style of Stanton’s popular Humans of New York.
In the wake of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ special pastoral message on immigration, released on November 12, a group of Xavier students, parents, faculty, and staff participated in a prayer service and march to Federal Plaza on November 13—the feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, patron saint of immigrants. NBC New York covered the march, which was one of 100 One Church One Family Catholic gatherings across the nation.
In November, the Regiment marked Veterans Day with several public events. On November 6, Colonel Thomas Pike, USA (Ret.), Xavier’s Senior Army Instructor, and Cadet Colonel Daniel Zaletofsky ’26 led the Regiment to the Margaret Cochran Corbin VA Campus on 23rd Street, where cadets provided and served food at a special luncheon for our nation’s veterans. Four days later, Xavier cadets presented the colors during a New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden. On November 11, the entire Regiment marched in New York City’s Veterans Day parade for the first time.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Chris Stevens ’83 Under the Sign of the Eagle by William Berge
“Published in 1965 to celebrate local New Jersey history in the broader context of celebrating New Jersey’s tercentenary, this book concentrates on the history of Wayne Township, where I live. Wayne Township was formally incorporated in 1847, the year Xavier was founded!”
Dr. Aaron Shapiro What We Can Know by Ian McEwen
“It’s about a British scholar in the year 2119 who studies English literature (1990-2030).
He is researching a dinner party given by a famous poet in 2014. It’s good!”
Nick Leeper, S.J.
The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s by Paul Elie
“Elie’s book grabbed me because it shows how artists like Warhol and Serrano hid the sacred under controversy. The way they collided art and faith in the ’80s gave me a sharper sense of how the wisdom and power of God lies in the tension between scandal and humor (1 Corinthians 1:22-24).”
Kaija DeWitt-Allen What I Ate in One Year (And Related Thoughts) by Stanley Tucci
“I like journaling. I like eating. And I like Stanley Tucci.”
In mid-November, 12 Xavier students traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, the largest annual Catholic social justice conference in the United States. While there, Henry Byrne ’26, Lucas Nguyen ’26, Sam Ryland ’26, and Adger Smyth ’26 presented a well-attended breakout session, “Lessons from the Holocaust: Fighting Anti-Semitism,” based on their experiences in Xavier’s Holocaust Studies Program.
Religion and art teacher Nick Leeper, S.J.’s work was featured at the Biennale of Contemporary Sacred Art in Menton, France, in October. He penned an article about sacred art for America that same month.
On December 8, author, podcast host, and America editor-at-large James Martin, S.J. visited Xavier to speak to members of the Ignatian Scholars Program. Ignatian Scholars pursue a rigorous course of honors study, hear lectures from notable speakers, and visit cultural and artistic landmarks.
In November, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education awarded Xavier a Best of District II Award for long-form news/feature writing. The winning article— “An Enduring Symbol of Xavier,” about the late Jim Keenan, S.J.—was written by Shawna Gallagher Vega, Xavier’s Vice President for Communications and Marketing. Xavier is one of just two high schools honored in the long-form news/feature writing category, which is predominated by universities.
On November 2, guidance counselor Jimmy Buckley ’13, learning support specialist Amanda Carter, and Jack Raslowsky ran the TCS New York Marathon. Various alumni ran the race as well, including Pat Kilgallen ’12, John Maiocco ’12, George Prezioso ’13, Paul Rayder ’14, Kyle Strehle ’16, and Michael O’Brien ’19. Carter also ran the TCS Sydney Marathon on August 31.
Former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones visited Xavier to participate in a fireside chat facilitated by Jack Raslowsky on October 24. Held in Keenan Commons, the well-attended event—organized by Xavier’s Gay-Straight Alliance—capped a successful Ally Week. Jones spoke about his time in Congress, the intersectionality of being Black and gay, and the role politics plays in that experience. The day before, attorney Gabe Siegel spoke to students about the critical importance of allyship as previously settled cases related to the LGBTQ+ community face new challenges before the Supreme Court.
In October, 14 students traveled to Poland as part of Xavier’s Holocaust Studies Program. It was the third time Xavier students have embarked on the trip, which includes stops in Warsaw and Kraków as well as a moving visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous concentration and extermination camp. Tom Maher ’80, who along with his wife, Nancy, funds the Holocaust Studies Program, joined students and chaperones on the trip.
For the second year in a row, members of Xavier’s advancement team traveled across the country on the Young Alumni College Tour. Stops on the tour included Fordham University, the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University at Buffalo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Scranton, Boston College, Columbia University, Loyola Marymount University, the University of Chicago, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield University, Loyola University Maryland, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, the University of Notre Dame, the College of the Holy Cross, Villanova University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Drexel University. The college tour led up to the annual Turkey Bowl Rally and Young Alumni Lunch on Thanksgiving Eve and supported the annual Turkey Bowl Challenge, which pits Xavier’s young alumni against Fordham Prep’s. Xavier emerged victorious in the 2025 challenge, 656-560.
•••
In July, President Jack Raslowsky was named to the boards of Dominican Academy in Manhattan and Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. •••
Math teacher Kelly Morenzoni P’24 earned a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Fordham University in August.
Dean of Educational Systems
Lindsay Willert earned a graduate certificate in Catholic School Leadership from Creighton University in August.
•••
Xavier’s cross country teams swept the city and sectional championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on October 25. Varsity won its fourth consecutive city championship, its ninth overall city championship, and its 10th NYCHSAA title. JV won its 14th consecutive city title, while the freshmen won their ninth NYCHSAA title and third city championship.
Journalist
Eileen Markey, author of A Radical Faith: The Assassination of Sister Maura, visited Xavier in December to mark the 45th anniversary of the assassination of the American churchwomen in El Salvador.
•••
Jennifer Egan, winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her book A Visit from the Goon Squad, visited Xavier to speak with AP Literature students in December.
Howard University
University of Notre Dame
College of the Holy Cross
Rochester Institute of Technology
Art 4 student Roger Ancona, Jr. ’26 created this work last fall as part of a watercolor triptych.
Tackling Cancer On and Off the Field
BY DAVID ORLANDO ’17
his year, the varsity football team took on an opponent far more formidable than any of the Knights’ longstanding rivals. Throughout the season—which ended on a triumphant note with back-to-back city championship and Turkey Bowl wins—each touchdown the Knights scored earned $100 to be donated to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer thanks to the generous support of Robert Hubner, Jr. ’97 and his company, Promethean Builders. Last spring, Townes Oltarsh ’26 and Peter Heaney ’26 approached the administration with the idea to raise money for cancer research. “My grandma had cancer; my best friend’s dad recently passed from it; a member of our class was diagnosed as well. Everyone knows someone affected by cancer, so we thought we might as well try to do something to help,” Oltarsh said of the project’s inception.
TPeter
Mr. McCabe. He’s really been our sidekick with all this.”
Everyone knows someone affected by cancer, so we thought we might as well try to do something to help.”
—Townes Oltarsh ’26
After presenting the idea to Headmaster Kim Smith, Oltarsh and Heaney quickly gained her enthusiastic support and began working to bring the project to life for the upcoming fall season. “We needed some way to branch it into football since Peter was on that team, and it’s one of the biggest and most involved communities at Xavier,” Oltarsh said.
“We decided on $100 per touchdown, but then we had to find the sponsor,” Heaney added. “That was a result of a lot of help from
Hubner and Promethean Builders answered the call. Through a connection made by Director of Annual and Planned Giving Brian McCabe P’23 and Patrick Heaney ’18, Peter’s brother, who serves as a field engineer at Promethean Builders, a fruitful partnership was born.
“It’s an honor to be part of this joint effort between Promethean Builders and Xavier High School. Townes and Peter worked through the spring and summer to turn it into an inspiring movement for this football season,” Patrick Heaney said on behalf of the company. “I was genuinely impressed that two rising high school seniors were so committed to creating a fundraiser to support those affected by cancer—a true display of Xavier’s mission of being men for others.”
When it came time to decide where exactly that money should go, Heaney and Oltarsh picked an organization that was especially close to home. “We considered big ones like St. Jude’s or the American Cancer
Society, but we decided we should probably do something more local,” Heaney said. “But then after Mr. Gibbons passed last spring, that is really what made us choose Memorial Sloan Kettering, which was the hospital he was treated at.”
The 2025 Knights closed the regular season with an 8-2 record, going on to win the CHSFL AA-1 championship and the Turkey Bowl. Along the way, the team racked up 45 touchdowns, earning $4,500 on the field. An additional $1,500 from a dress down day coordinated by Heaney and Oltarsh brought the grand total raised to $6,000.
“We got pretty lucky having a great team this year, but this project gave the season a deeper meaning,” Heaney said. “After we scored, everyone always made money signs at me. When I look back and say, ‘Oh, we scored five touchdowns today,’ that’s $500 for cancer research. It makes every touchdown a lot more special.”
David Orlando ’17 is Xavier’s Associate Director of Communications and Marketing. He is a graduate of New York University.
Heaney ’26 and Townes Oltarsh ’26
Q&A WITH BR. TYRONE DAVIS, C.F.C.
As the senior director of community outreach and leadership development at Catholic Charities New York and executive director of the Pierre Toussaint Scholars Program, which provides support and mentorship to college student leaders of diverse backgrounds, Br. Tyrone Davis believes in the transformative power of education. Now in his third year as a Xavier trustee, he sat down with XavierMagazine to discuss what he finds most enriching about that role.
What is your favorite part of board service?
Every opportunity I have to interact with students, faculty, and families in various ways. At most board meetings, there are opportunities created for us to do that. At the fall meeting, which included a Board retreat, it was not about the Board in isolation, but rather it was about the Board, the faculty, and the administration—and then, as we moved into the day, interacting with students and teachers in their classrooms. It’s always very clear to us what is central to our role. It is not all about us. It is about the community of Xavier and how we can make our contribution to the mission.
How did you come to serve as a Xavier trustee?
My initial connection with Xavier came through my godson. My godson is an alum, and I like to think that I was fully engaged in his experience. I came to truly love Xavier as much as he did. He was a tennis player, and I loved going to tennis matches and other things that were going on. Every aspect of that experience of Xavier gave me something more to be impressed with, and the lived experience of the mission allowed me to fall in love with Xavier.
Throughout the four years of my godson’s experience, I was so very impressed by his teachers and how they impacted him. He had a whole collection of amazing teachers, and I loved hearing about each and every one of them and meeting them. I went to Open House, to the parentteacher conferences. I went there because for me, I just wanted to meet these people. And they were all so very, very amazing.
How does your board service strengthen the relationship between Xavier, Catholic Charities, and the Pierre Toussaint Scholars Program?
How would you like to see the relationship grow?
I am a teacher at heart. The ministry that I have been most engaged in prior to working for the Archdiocese for the past 30 years—and before that, at the Brooklyn DA’s office—was in the classroom. I see the mission of Catholic Charities as being so very much in line with the mission of Xavier in terms of the importance of the person, the whole notion of justice, and that what we do for others is a reflection of our obligation to be just people. That’s the connection I see as well between Catholic Charities and the Pierre Toussaint Scholars Program. That is a program and a ministry that involves some of our alums from Xavier. We have 95 current scholars, and probably five of them are Sons of Xavier. I would love to see our Xavier students more involved in our Catholic Charities agencies as a vehicle for their service
projects. I would also like to see more of our Xavier graduates apply to the Pierre Toussaint Scholars Program, particularly the aspect of the program that involves students who are pursuing careers in healthcare and social work. It’s a program for college students of diverse backgrounds, and even that is an element of Xavier that I find so rich—its commitment to diversity as an element of who we are as a community.
It’s always very clear to us what is central to our role. ... It is about the community of Xavier and how we can make our contribution to the mission.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Being a board member is about your service to the institution, about what you can give— and certainly in my case, it is not financial! But what I’m really reflecting on is how much I have been given and how much I’ve grown spiritually. So much about being a board member at Xavier is coming to know and appreciate the mission. It is not as if we are people who have arrived, but people who are becoming—the whole notion of magis. I tease Jack [Raslowsky] that I get more homework from him than I did from many of my high school and college teachers. When we leave for summer break, he assigns us a reading list grounded in Ignatian spirituality and the role of a board member. And then we have retreat and other opportunities to grow. The notion that Xavier is only focused on its students is a bit too limiting. Xavier is about the development of all those with whom it comes in contact, and I think that’s a beautiful thing—and what makes me love Xavier so much and really appreciate my role as a board member.
By SHAWNA GALLAGHER VEGA
Illustrating the Mission O
ver the past decade, Xavier’s sprawling, interconnected spaces and corridors have taken on a distinctly different visual identity. Historic images now line the stairways connecting the 175-year-old Lynch building with the 10-year-old FernandezDuminuco Hall; additional images adorning the latter space convey Xavier’s commitment to service, justice, and the students it serves.
The opening of Fernandez-Duminuco Hall in 2016—and five years later, the renovation of what is now the Sons of Xavier Center in honor of John Courtney Murray, S.J. 1920—inspired a concurrent flourishing of Xavier’s fine arts holdings, honoring both the spaces and those who made them possible. 16th Street has long been home to beauty and goodness; now that lives on through art.
In May 2016, a few months before Fernandez-Duminuco Hall opened, the Church of St. Francis Xavier hosted the funeral Mass for the late poet and peace activist Daniel Berrigan, S.J. Later, mourners mingled at a repass held in the Xavier gym.
An unexpected conversation that day between William Hart McNichols, the Catholic priest and artist, and Jack Raslowsky led to Xavier’s first art commission. When McNichols mentioned his desire to create a work of art honoring Berrigan, Raslowsky agreed to purchase and house it on 16th Street.
“Holy Prophet Daniel Berrigan,” an acrylic on wood painting, now hangs in the president’s office.
Artist Robert Gerwing paints an icon of our patron, St. Francis Xavier.
That commission would be the first of many. Next came “Cross, Knot, Stripes: A Mural for Keenan Commons,” by the Jesuit artist Michael Tunney, S.J. Fernandez-Duminuco Hall had been designed as a home for the arts, and Keenan Commons, its principal gathering space—named for Xavier’s legendary 29th president, Jim Keenan, S.J.—needed art of its own.
16th Street has long been home to beauty and goodness; now that lives on through art.
“The opening of Fernandez-Duminuco Hall was a huge event in the life of Xavier High School. We wanted to mark the opening and dedication of this new addition in a significant way,” Raslowsky said. “And Keenan Commons is a big space. For a significant space, you need a significant work of art.”
Raslowsky told Tunney he wanted something “abstract and colorful,” but he left the rest of the creative process wide open.
Tunney began that process with meticulous research. He visited 16th Street, measuring and remeasuring the space for accuracy; then he navigated Xavier’s website looking for visual inspiration. Eventually, he settled on the idea of a painting with stripes in the background (taken from the stripes in the school seal) in Xavier’s iconic colors: maroon and
blue, with a healthy dose of gold, its primary accent color. He added a cross in complementary shades and then a Celtic knot to honor Keenan’s Irish heritage. The knot itself came about after Tunney spoke to Keenan. “I called him up and said, ‘Jim, what’s your favorite kind of cross in all of Western art?’” Tunney recalled. “And he immediately said, ‘Celtic!’”
“Cross, Knot, Stripes,” a multipaneled, 31'5" x 8'8" acrylic on canvas, was unveiled in May 2019. Another major moment in Xavier’s history—its 175th anniversary, celebrated over a one-year span from December 2021 to December 2022—quickly followed, as did another Tunney commission.
“Friends in the Lord: Ignatius, Francis, and Peter,” a 50 x 75" oil on canvas, now graces the fifth floor of Fernandez-Duminuco Hall. To mark Xavier’s milestone anniversary, Tunney decided on a studentfocused piece of art (particularly fitting for a space so heavily trafficked by students) depicting three Sons of Xavier as the original three Jesuit companions: Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, and Peter Faber. The painting was dedicated “to all the students, colleagues, and Jesuits past, present, and future who make St. Ignatius Loyola’s vision of finding God in all things a daily, living reality on New York City’s 16th Street.”
Tunney remains deeply grateful for those commissions, which not only broadened Xavier’s art holdings but led to ongoing commissions for
1. “Cross, Knot, Stripes: A Mural for Keenan Commons” by Michael Tunney, S.J. 2. “Friends in the Lord,” also by Michael Tunney, S.J.
2.
1. Jim Keenan, S.J. by Sergei Chernikov. 2. Mike Fernandez ’72 by Jie Ruan. 3. Faith and E. Peter Corcoran ’46 by Sergei Chernikov. 4. John Meditz ’66 by Grace Devito. 5. Colonel Donald G. Cook, USMC ’52 by Sergei Chernikov. 6. Vincent Duminuco, S.J. by Joseph Q. Daily.
7. John Courtney Murray, S.J. 1920 by Joseph Q. Daily. 8. Dr. Franklin N. Caesar ’72 P’00 by Patricia Watwood.
Tunney at other institutions. At the time of this publication, he is at work on a Xavier commission commemorating the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.
“I’m really grateful to Jack, to God, to circumstances of my life that I’m able to do this,” said Tunney. “If it weren’t for being a Jesuit and all the background and training that the Society provided for me, I’d never be able to do this. I carry a great deal of gratitude towards the Society and God for all they have given me.”
As Xavier prepared to mark its 175th anniversary, other major projects were underway. In September 2021, the revitalized Sons of Xavier Center in honor of John Courtney Murray, S.J. 1920 was dedicated, and it has become a principal center for Xavier’s art holdings.
The gift of Jim Haybyrne ’62 and his wife, Penny Lii, the renovation of the Sons of Xavier Center— which includes the Colonel Donald G. Cook, USMC ’52 Library, the Faith and E. Peter Corcoran ’46 Family Room, and the Dr. Franklin N. Caesar ’72 Conference Room—presented an opportunity to honor its namesakes in a meaningful way.
Working with a broker, Xavier commissioned portraits of Cook, Murray, the Corcorans, and Caesar. Eventually that group grew to include Mike Fernandez ’72 and his late headmaster, Vincent Duminuco, S.J., whose paintings adorn the entrance to Fernandez-Duminuco Hall, and John Meditz ’66, whose rendering marks the entrance to the Meditz Family Library. Another portrait of Jim Keenan was crafted for Keenan Commons.
The portrait commissions became an unexpectedly detailed project since only Fernandez, Meditz, and Caesar sat for their portraits.
For Cook, the library’s namesake—a prisoner of war who died in captivity in Vietnam—the painter had to work from a black-and-white photograph of his face, and no photographs of him in uniform. Former Vice President for Advancement Mark Mongelluzzo P’25, who oversaw the Sons of Xavier Center renovation, conducted methodical research to ensure the accuracy of such critical details as the placement of Cook’s ribbons. Mongelluzzo even
had a Marine officer pose in uniform as reference for the artist.
Each portrait averaged six months from start to finish. “But we pulled it off,” Mongelluzzo said. “It’s a wonderful way to honor people.”
The Sons of Xavier Center also houses icons of Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier (both by Robert Gerwing), and Pedro Arrupe (by William Hart McNichols). Further art holdings in the space include “The Western Hemisphere,” a replica of a map drawn in China in 1674 by Ferdinand Verbiest, S.J.—a special gift of the Haybyrnes. A 28 x 28" limestone relief of Francis Xavier, once housed at the now-shuttered seminary at Shrub Oak, was an unexpected gift from former Fordham University president Joseph McShane, S.J., whose father, Owen, was a member of the Xavier Class of 1929.
Each portrait averaged six months from start to finish. “But we pulled it off,” said Mark Mongelluzzo, Xavier’s former Vice President for Advancement. “It’s a wonderful way to honor people.”
Each work of art was designed to carry special meaning, to inspire questions, and to reflect Xavier’s history.
“One challenge of older institutions is so much history can be lost. Where do you put it? What artifacts do you keep? How do you keep them? What memories do you hold? How much can you store and hold and remember?” Raslowsky reflected. “Those paintings represent those people and the institutional values they hold. There’s something about the importance of them and their witness. How we value those individuals allows us, over the long term, to hold them up as models of people worthy of emulation, and it’s a way of telling our history. The icons do the same, but they do that in a particularly religious dimension. When we see an icon of Dan Berrigan or Pedro Arrupe, it’s natural to ask, ‘How was God active in their lives?’ They invite us to see the icon as an instrument of mediation, if you will—an instrument that allows us to enter into the mystery of God.”
Art continues to flourish at Xavier with each passing year.
In 2025, three pieces of faculty art went on permanent display: “Journey to the Light,” a trio of paintings gifted by longtime art teacher Denise Iacovone, now located on the first floor of Fernandez-Duminuco Hall; “AMDG,” by religion and art teacher Nick Leeper, S.J., located on the building’s fourth floor; and “Woe to Golgotha,” gifted by art teacher Billy Maloney ’01 to the Campus Ministry Office.
Alongside fellow artists Ava Barbour and Dr. Roberto Sanchez Camus ’95, Iacovone created “Journey to the Light” in 2000 during a four-night interdisciplinary performance hosted by the Coalition of Creative Artists, a group she founded with her husband, Xavier Hall of Famer Rocco Iacovone ’62.
Denise Iacovone noted that the event was held at the Frying Pan, then owned by a Xavier family, and Daniel Marshall, the late husband of longtime Xavier faculty member Dee Kittany, read one of his poems. “Our focus was to visually record the music, dance, and poetry during the event, based on a three-part musical suite by Rocco that was also called ‘Journey to the Light.’ We were making the invisible visible,” she recalled. “Rocco’s music and my paintings are
really about spirituality. We don’t always say that, because people have preconceived notions about what that means. It’s not really about religion. It’s about the title—‘Journey to the Light.’ You’ve got to start somewhere, and you’re supposed to get better by the time you leave the world. You should have elevated yourself in some way.”
The Iacovones created Xavier’s Festival of the Arts in 1991, so they are particularly gladdened by the explosion of fine arts holdings at Xavier. “It’s not surprising to me, because that was the goal,” Denise added. “I’m so pleased to see kids looking at artwork. Now that we’ve redone the art studios and we have those display boards, they have discussions when we have their art out on the boards. It’s gratifying, fulfilling.”
Leeper feels the same sense of gratification and fulfillment when students and colleagues mention “AMDG.”
When Raslowsky asked Leeper, a Jesuit scholastic, to create a piece of art for Xavier last winter, he gave him the same creative freedom he offered Michael Tunney. Leeper settled on a pop art rendering of the Latin acronym for the motto of the Society of Jesus, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (for the greater glory of God).
“AMDG, of course, is what most students put at the top of their homework and things like that, so I thought that would be really good to help us, in a school setting, give new meaning to that acronym. This is very explosive, gold, bright. And I hope by making it in this way, it gives a new context to that slogan,” Leeper reflected. “That’s God’s glory. It’s not subtle. It’s not simple; it’s not quiet. And of course, it can be that, but at least in some parts of Scripture, like at the theophany at Mount Sinai, it’s a lot more forceful. It’s a lot louder. And then we think for ourselves, how are we living for God’s greater glory? How do we live our lives as loudly—not to be annoying, but boldly? How do we live boldly for God? It’s very bold in its aesthetic. How do we do that in our lives, too?”
Leeper loves the piece’s merging of the comic with the iconic—“again, very Jesuit, finding God in all things”—and noted that the confusion it provokes in some viewers is the point.
“When you have mystery in your life, that’s when you go and find answers. That’s when you go and live your life forward. That’s when you move,” he said. “I hope this art invites a conversation within—with God, with each other, to help make a spiritual movement. That’s what art and preaching really are. How do we move closer to God? How do we move closer to one
3.
Good art has real value. It has meaning. It is substantive. It says something about our values. It’s a doorway into beauty, and that is a further doorway into God. ... In a very real sense, it’s a mirror—it’s a reflection of what we do and how we do it.”
—Jack Raslowsky
another, to our true selves?”
Moving closer to God through art is a central theme of Billy Maloney ’01’s monotype “Woe to Golgotha,” a depiction of the crucifixion of Christ, which now hangs in Campus Ministry.
Maloney created the monotype after viewing Hans Buldung’s 1512 painting “The Crucifixion of Christ” during a Holocaust Studies trip to Berlin. Hours later, he dreamed he was present at the crucifixion, filled with profound empathy both for Jesus and the thieves who were crucified at his side.
“It helps me process these stories,” said Maloney,
1. Icon of Daniel Berrigan, S.J. by William Hart McNichols. 2. Icon of St. Ignatius Loyola by Robert Gerwing.
Icon of St. Francis Xavier by Robert Gerwing. 4. Icon of Pedro Arrupe, S.J. by William Hart McNichols.
I hope this art invites a conversation within—with God, with each other, to help make a spiritual movement. That’s what art and preaching really are. How do we move closer to God? How do we move closer to one another, to our true selves?”
—Nick Leeper, S.J.
who studied art under Michael Tunney at Canisius College. “You read the stories, you hear the stories, but drawing it all out, you really think about all the details—what happened to Jesus, the other two people involved, the people who were there, the sights, the smells.”
“Good art has real value. It has meaning. It is substantive. It says something about our values. It’s a doorway into beauty, and that is a further doorway into God. There is a spiritual, theological, faith dimension to this,” Raslowsky concluded. “As an institution, we can and should be proud of the artwork we have and of what it represents. The work reflects the quality of the institution, the quality of the student body, the quality of the faculty. In a very real sense, it’s a mirror—it’s a reflection of what we do and how we do it.”
Shawna Gallagher Vega is Xavier’s Vice President for Communications and Marketing. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Boston College.
1. Billy Maloney ’01 with “Woe to Golgotha.” 2. Nick Leeper, S.J. with “AMDG.” 3. Denise Iacovone with “Journey to the Light.” 2. 3.
25REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST
25
YEARS
By DAVID ORLANDO ’17
1
A New Mission Statement
In late 2011, at the request of the Board of Trustees, a task force of administrators, faculty, and Board members assembled to evaluate and revise Xavier’s mission statement to better express the work of the school. The aim was to produce a mission statement that reflected the forward-looking aspirations of the institution and could also clearly guide decisionmaking for everything from administrative policies to curriculum development.
“Writing the mission statement was not an easy task,” recalled former Executive Vice President Daniel Dougherty, who now serves as president of Cristo Rey New York High School. “We reviewed feedback from faculty, staff, trustees, and students. From that, a draft mission statement emerged. A host of ideas of great importance are embedded in almost every word. The Xavier community responded positively to the revised mission statement from the outset. Since its adoption in June of 2012, those 80 words have guided Xavier’s actions with clarity on issues as varied as the school’s response to Hurricane Sandy, strategic decisions about access and affordability, and the design and construction of Fernandez-Duminuco Hall. With God’s grace, the mission statement will remain a compelling expression of Xavier’s guiding principles for years to come.”
For nearly 180 years, Xavier’s traditions have served as guideposts for forming young men of character. From the Turkey Bowl to the Regiment—both of which hold the distinction of being the oldest traditions of their kind in New York City—16th Street is home to more than a few customs that have surpassed their 100th anniversary. They are the glue that binds Sons of Xavier together across generations, consistent hallmarks of a shared experience that transcends any single graduating class.
Many of our most enduring rituals were born out of the Church’s call to respond to the signs of the times. Xavier has never stagnated as a result of its lengthy history, instead using its heritage as a launchpad from which to always propel forward. As we approach our 180th academic year, Xavier Magazine asked members of the community to reflect on remarkable new initiatives that have sprung forth during the past 25 years, and to share their thoughts on the newest traditions that Sons of Xavier have come to cherish since the turn of the millennium.
Lay Leadership
Xavier has always been blessed with devoted teachers and administrators. Until the 1970s, the vast majority of those people were Jesuits. In recent years, there has been a shift toward lay leaders who have partnered with their religious colleagues to advance the Society’s core mission of Ignatian pedagogy. In 2004, Xavier named its first lay headmaster, and in 2009, its first lay president. “When the Board engaged in the last presidential search over 17 years ago, we faced two challenges: there were no Jesuits available to be missioned to Xavier to assume the role of president, and at that time, there were relatively few lay leaders who possessed the necessary preparation and experience to assume the leadership of a Jesuit high school,” said Rich Nolan ’83, former chair of the Board of Trustees. “Jack was unique among lay leaders within Jesuit education at that time. He was day-one ready, and he was a compelling example of a well-formed Ignatian educator who had thoroughly embraced Ignatian spirituality as the center of his Catholic faith. In Jack, the Board had found a leader who could faithfully direct the mission of Xavier as an apostolic work of the Society of Jesus, and dramatically ease the daunting transition from 160 years of Jesuit leadership to the first lay leader in our history. Jack became, and remains, a model for other lay Ignatian educators and leaders. Such lay leaders, as well as a number of talented Jesuits, will heavily influence our current search efforts and our opportunities for success as Jack concludes his tenure. This is cause for optimism for the strength of mission at Xavier and its Ignatian, Catholic identity.”
Fernandez-Duminuco Hall
Xavier’s newest addition, Fernandez-Duminuco Hall, opened to students at the start of the 2016-17 school year and marked the first major expansion of the school’s footprint in 51 years. This massive undertaking came to fruition as a result of seven years of planning and partnership between the president and the Board of Trustees.
“Fernandez-Duminuco Hall stands as a testament to the vision of the Board and to an inclusive master planning process,” President Jack Raslowsky remarked. “The faculty was involved and engaged and spoke passionately about the needs of Xavier to enrich the lives of our students and the lives of the community. A few priorities became clear: there was a need for more classrooms and common spaces, a need to move the arts writ large into a more central location in the life of the school, and we needed a ‘wow space,’ which became the Gannon STEAM Lab. The Board was not fazed by an arguably less than perfect economic environment at the time—they believed in Xavier, and they believed in the power of this project to transform what we do. I think it is a great testament to the strength of our community, the professional expertise of the Board, and the commitment of faculty, Board members, and alumni to giving the young men of Xavier the best possible facilities we can have.”
The Eight-Day Cycle
In the years prior to the opening of Fernandez-Duminuco Hall, the academic administration conducted a comprehensive review of Xavier’s time orders. Their goal was to create a custom schedule that left room for students and faculty to capitalize on the myriad new academic and cocurricular opportunities that the new building would soon make possible. Xavier’s eight-day schedule was officially introduced at the start of the 2014-15 school year.
“The new schedule changed the game for Xavier,” said Director of Annual and Planned Giving Brian McCabe P’23, who was serving as Dean of Faculty at the time and pioneered the shift. “Following a ‘backwards design’ curriculum review process, revising how we organized time opened up possibilities for the design of student-centered learning spaces in Fernandez-Duminuco Hall. It unleashed the potential for faculty and students to engage the academic subject matter and one another in dynamic new ways. Xavier is a relational place—the schedule change leaned into the desire to create space and time for faculty and students to imagine new Xavier traditions and put a fresh spin on timeless ones. It was a courageous move, which is a very Xavier way to be.” 4
6Community Period
From speech and debate to birding to stage crew, there is a co-curricular offering to satisfy the diverse range of interests of Xavier’s creative and engaged student body. The introduction of the eight-day rotating schedule allowed for the creation of community period, a daily block of time dedicated to academic and co-curricular offerings, ensuring all students would be able to take advantage of them regardless of their after-school commitments. As a result of this intentional time order change, there are now more than 75 active student-led clubs on 16th Street.
“When I started at Xavier in 2009, the role was just Student Activities Coordinator. The transition into our current eight-day schedule was the main reason for the recent explosion of student activities. Before this, it was really difficult for students in activities that met after school to be part of any clubs,” said Alicia Psillos, math teacher and former Director of Student Activities. “During community periods, clubs could now host all sorts of events for the entire school, and students wanted to get involved because so much was happening all around them that it was hard not to join in on the fun. In her second year managing student activities, former science teacher Johanna Tanzman recognized the increased need for the Student Activities Coordinator to be formalized as a director-level position, which I eventually took on for eight years until passing the reigns in 2023.”
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM)
Responding to the signs of the times is a guiding principle of Ignatian education. In that spirit, Xavier updated its curriculum in 2016 to require basic coding for all freshmen, in addition to a myriad of STEAM electives that were made possible in large part thanks to new labs in Fernandez-Duminuco Hall and the 5L corridor.
“Xavier has always done a fantastic job with the classical studies, and the addition of STEAM classes took that foundation to the next level,” said Damian Delfino ’20, who went on to pursue a career in engineering after his experience in Xavier’s autonomous robotics class. “Courses like robotics gave me an early start and helped me get ahead in my engineering classes at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Xavier prepares young men to succeed across so many different majors, and the expansion of STEAM offerings gives students the tools to thrive in fields beyond the traditional ones. It’s exciting to see Xavier continue investing in STEAM, because it opens doors for future students to explore emerging technologies and discover passions they might not have known they had.”
7 A Home for the Arts
Since making a permanent home in the dedicated arts spaces of FernandezDuminuco Hall and the newly renovated 5L corridor, the past decade has seen a 16th Street renaissance take shape.
“It’s been a joy to watch the arts at Xavier flourish over the last 15 years that I have been here. What began as a small program, in old classrooms tucked away in various parts of the old building, has grown into a creative community that now has the space to support it,” said Fine Arts Department Chair Nicole DiMarco. “Thanks to our increased fine arts graduation requirement, students from all disciplines are finding ways to express themselves and connect through the arts, and our new spaces have truly helped that blossom. New art studios, new music rooms, and a new theater space have made that growth possible, giving students space to experiment and showcase their work at a professional level. Seeing their confidence and creativity take shape every day is one of the most rewarding parts of my work. It’s been incredibly satisfying to watch the arts become such an integral part of the Xavier experience.”
16th Street Transforms
One byproduct of Xavier’s longevity in a single location is that the physical spaces eventually begin to show their age. The Board of Trustees (in partnership with Xavier’s leadership) has thoughtfully planned for critical infrastructure upgrades to the C, D, Kane, Lynch, and Old Stone buildings to ensure that 16th Street remains a steadfast home for generations of Sons of Xavier to come. Early highlights of this work include the 2011 updates to the Kane building science labs, the 2016 restoration of the Student Chapel (funded by Vincent Lewis ’62 and his wife, Barbara, in addition to a reunion gift from the Class of 1964), and the 2021 remodeling of the Sons of Xavier Center (thanks to a gift from Jim Haybyrne ’62 and his wife, Penny Lii).
“The recent work that has been completed to date represents those areas of the building which provide the greatest ‘bang for the buck’ for our students. Since the initiation of these recommendations, phased renovations have included superclassrooms, art labs and studio space, the lobby, front entrance, and façade, Campus Ministry, College Counseling, Admissions, and Athletics,” said trustee Tom Evans ’81, who serves as chair of the facilities committee. “This work to modernize our facilities is first class, allowing Xavier to remain competitive with other public and private schools in New York City, and we believe it will benefit our students in support of their growth and learning outcomes for years to come.”
Four-Year Retreat Program
The 21st century has seen a marked expansion in student retreats, ensuring that every Son of Xavier has opportunities to suit his unique spiritual needs and desires. In addition to the Via Dei and Montserrat retreats that are built into the freshman and sophomore curriculums, students can now choose from offerings such as the Magis, wilderness, and silent retreats, as well as Kairos, which has become the most popular voluntary retreat at Xavier.
“In my 37 years at Xavier one of the most important projects I have worked on, and the one I am proudest of, is Kairos. Fr. Terry Baum asked me to help get Kairos started in the late ’90s by recruiting students, training them, and fine-tuning the experience for Xavier,” said history teacher and former campus minister John McGoldrick. “Kairos is centered on gratitude for the gifts God has given us and is by nature authentically Ignatian. What is my relationship with God, family, and friends? What are the gifts God has given me and how should I put love into action? As a result our young men realize that each of them is a true gift from God. In my time as campus minister, I was privileged to see young men discover through Kairos God’s creation in all its wonder, and strengthen their relationships with both Him and their families. Kairos has been a blessing to our Xavier community. Here is to living the 4th!”
CFX Flourishes
Service is a cornerstone of a Xavier education. Since founding the Companions of St. Francis Xavier (CFX) program in 1998, Campus Ministry has worked to provide students with timely and immersive experiences— and witnessed a surge of students who are interested in serving their neighbors near and far.
“The Companions of St. Francis Xavier program continues to evolve with the hope of always giving our students an opportunity to encounter strangers as friends, to grow in understanding of communities near and far, and to be the hands and feet of Christ in a world of need,” said Director of Campus Ministry Kaija DeWitt-Allen. “In the last decade, what are now long-term relationships with Esperanza International in Tijuana and First Fruits Farm in Maryland have really given us opportunities to serve in ways that root us more deeply in those communities in need. Our newest partnership with Re-Member on the Pine Ridge Reservation [in South Dakota] has offered a complex and beautiful encounter with the Oglala Lakota Nation.”
Maroon and Blue Day
Since the first Maroon and Blue Day was held in 2006, this uniquely Xavier spirit day has become a cherished tradition that allows both faculty and students to come together to ring in the new school year on a high note.
“By the early 2000s, it became clear that Spirit Day, an event that replaced the walk-a-thon of the ’90s, had run its course,” recounted history teacher Mike LiVigni P’21, who served as Headmaster from 2006 to 2021. “Instead of a student fundraiser, I thought having a day that celebrated our community would allow our neighbors to see the students being the great kids that they are and inculcate the freshmen into what it means to be part of the Xavier community. Besides, who doesn’t love a huge block party? We thought that if different classes competed together, they would start to know each other across grades. It was a way to have fun, launch into the school year on a positive note, and for two lucky classes to get bragging rights. At the end of the day, Maroon and Blue Day is a celebration of the Xavier community, a celebration of our school and our spirit. I stand in the gym every year and see the students with faces painted, maroon and blue banners, and balloons everywhere, while they cheer their hearts out. Each time I see that, I think, ‘I really love this place.’”
The Gay-Straight Alliance
Xavier’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) was founded in 2014 to create a dedicated space for conversations around supporting and uplifting Sons of Xavier who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. The following year, the club was featured in The New York Times
“I was amongst the first group of moderators of the GSA. The groundwork was laid by collective action of many interested members of the community, from teachers to staff members to alumni, to Jack Raslowsky, who spearheaded conversations for several years,” said former physics teacher Alex Lavy. “We spent a good deal of time discerning how we could best support all students. It was not obvious that a GSA was the right answer—after all, at the time, almost no Catholic schools had them. But we realized that such a club would indeed advance the mission of the school by making questions around sexuality and gender, questions that many students had been wrestling with privately for years, into a public discourse that would invite all members of the community to become more welcoming and loving.”
St. Peter Claver Day
Named after the patron saint of interracial justice, St. Peter Claver Day features a keynote speaker and student-led talks focused around issues affecting communities of color. Xavier held its first St. Peter Claver Day in 2018.
“St. Peter Claver Day began as an effort by students and faculty to create space for honest reflection and dialogue about racial justice within the Xavier community. We wanted it to be more than a single assembly or conversation. We wanted it to be a day rooted in our Jesuit values that invited everyone to listen, learn, and take action,” recalled Angel Alcantara ’18, one of the student leaders who conceived of the day.
“What makes it powerful is that it’s become a shared tradition, not just for students of color but for the entire school, to examine how we live out solidarity and inclusion. My hope is that future generations of Xavier students continue to treat it not as a day off from classes, but as a day to deepen empathy and commitment to justice in the world around them.”
14 Athletics Modernizes
Xavier’s Athletics Office knows that a strong body and strong mind go hand in hand. In recent years, the office has worked to create new ways to support our scholar-athletes, not just with training, but also with industry-standard injury recovery and concussion protocols.
“The Athletics Office has transformed in many ways over the past decade. We’ve restructured and modernized our weight room and added a full-time strength and conditioning coach to the staff,” said Director of Athletics Dominic DeFalco ’10. “This has allowed the weight room to be open throughout the school day and after for focused team lifts. With a full-time strength and conditioning coach, our athletes have developed a love of fitness. Finally, we’ve partnered with NYU Langone Medical and Concussion Center, letting us better support our players with a full-time trainer at all home games and for rehabilitation.”
15
College Counseling Expands
Xavier’s college counselors have helped students chart their path beyond 16th Street for generations. In response to the ever-increasing complexity of the college admissions landscape, Xavier built the William J. McGowan, S.J. College Counseling Center and hired additional counselors, helping both students and parents navigate the important decisions ahead of them.
“Having previously gone through the college process with my daughter, I knew how overwhelming and stressful it could be,” said Jennifer McQueen-Sullivan P’25. “My son’s college counselors took the time to really get to know him, offering thoughtful, personalized guidance throughout. She understood what he was looking for and worked with him to create an individualized approach to finding the perfect college fit—not only for him, but for our family as well. I just dropped my son off at his dream school, and I honestly don’t know if that would have been possible without the support of Xavier’s counseling office.”
Counseling, Safety, and Wellness
Xavier’s school-based mental health program, now in its seventh year, is a one-of-a-kind resource that ensures each Son of Xavier has the support he needs throughout high school.
“When I started working at Xavier in 2013, the administration hired an additional counselor to improve the student-to-counselor ratio, and as time passed they have remained committed to supporting students in a variety of ways. During COVID, when mental health services were difficult to find, Xavier hired a clinical psychologist to help us navigate these tough times,” explained Joseph Guglielmo, chair of the School Counseling Department. “We’ve since developed an in-house psychotherapy program to continue bolstering student mental health and well-being on campus. In addition to mental health services, we also hired a learning support specialist and reimagined the learning center to better suit the needs of all students academically. With an administration that actively supports student well-being, Xavier is in an amazing position to keep growing and meeting the needs of future generations to come.”
17
The Aracich Fellowship
In 2025, the Lii-Haybyrne Institute for Asian Studies selected 10 Xavier students to visit China. Founded by Jim Haybyrne ’62 and his wife, Penny Lii, the Institute promotes cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of Asia’s diversity and complexity. Last summer, after completing a co-curricular course of study throughout the school year, the 10 recipients of the Anthony S. Aracich, S.J. Fellowship for Asian Studies traveled to China for three weeks on a trip that took them to Beijing, Hong Kong, the Great Wall, the Confucian Temple, and many other culturally significant sites.
“When our Aracich Fellows presented on their experience to a room of parents, faculty, and Jim Haybyrne and Penny Lii, we were all in awe of what they shared. Their immersion experience in China was so much deeper than a simple visit, though the sites of ancient temples and the discovery of favorite foods were memorable,” said Headmaster Kim Smith. “What they spoke about upon their return were relationships built with students at the Jesuit school in Hong Kong, and with the teachers and guides they met through the Beijing Center. They were able to express what they learned about the fearsome parts of encountering a new culture, and what we learn about ourselves when we are positioned to do that. The Fellows developed the knowledge, skills, attitude, and behaviors that make them world travelers walking in the footsteps of our patron, St. Francis Xavier.”
Holocaust Studies Program
In 2023, Tom Maher ’80 and his wife, Nancy, approached Xavier about establishing a fully funded co-curricular program dedicated to the study of one of the darkest chapters of human history. The program includes both domestic and international encounters that allow students to examine the horrors of the Holocaust with the goal of preventing such atrocities from ever happening again.
“When I was in 10th grade, Xavier introduced the Holocaust Studies Program with the mission to fight the rise of antisemitism through education. What makes this program special is that it teaches students the lessons of the worst mass genocide and hatred in history to guide them on a path to prevent future events,” said Henry Byrne ’26, one of the inaugural members of the program. “After being accepted for the first international trip to Poland, I got to tour the cities of Warsaw and Kraków and learn firsthand the stories of despair, rebellion, and survival. The Holocaust Studies Program has been a fundamental part of my high school experience that has brought me closer to my Xavier brothers and to my own culture.”
19
All-School Read
The all-school read was introduced in order to unite the entire community in a shared intellectual pursuit and foster multidisciplinary thinking across subjects. The first two selections, Born a Crime in 2020 and Educated in 2021, were chosen by a committee of chairs from each academic department. In subsequent years, the responsibility has rotated between departments, with titles including Einstein’s Dreams, The Alchemist, and A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. For summer 2025, the history department selected the Constitution as the all-school read, kicking off a year of programming related to our nation’s governance.
“When the history department was considering its choice for the all-school read, we had a few goals in mind: choose a read that will remain pertinent throughout the school year, be sure that the content could apply to all levels and subjects, and give students chances to engage with the text as often as possible, especially outside of the classroom,” said History Department Chair James Costa ’02. “If the Constitution as an all-school read works as planned, the boys will not simply have a better understanding of what the document says, but they will appreciate its strengths and nuances. We hope that as they encounter the world around them at Xavier and beyond, they will be able to recognize the core values of the Constitution in action and notice when those values are being challenged. This will help our students become the active citizens that the original writers of the Constitution intended them to be.”
20 Faculty Professional Development
Grows
Xavier believes strongly in investing in its faculty so they always remain on the cutting edge of their fields. In recent years, the Headmaster and Dean of Faculty have worked to ensure that teachers have the resources they need to continue developing their craft and deepening their vocation. One such offering is the Excellence in Teaching Grant, which provides summer funding for teachers to pursue an innovative research project or course of study in their field that falls outside of the traditional professional development curriculum.
“I arrived at Xavier straight out of education school, and I worried that because I was no longer a student, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to continue my own learning or regularly talk with other adults about my classroom experiences,” said Eleanor Hawkes, a second-year English teacher. “Thankfully, this has not been the case at all. Xavier encouraged my professional development by sending me to the Jesuit Schools Network Colloquium last summer, and also by supporting my participation in the yearlong New Teachers Fellowship through the Academy for Teachers. Overall, I’ve found my PD experiences through Xavier to be very beneficial to my improvement as a teacher, through both concrete takeaways for the classroom and bigger-picture inspiration and community building.”
The Regimental Drum Corps
The Regimental Drum Corps kept Xavier’s cadets in step for many a parade until disbanding in the 1980s. The unit was officially reintroduced to the Xavier parade formation on St. Patrick’s Day 2023, drawing young men who wished to continue the distinguished legacy of military musicianship.
“Whether at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Turkey Bowl, or the annual Celebrate Xavier Scholarship Gala, the purpose of the Xavier Drum Corps is to lift the spirit, boost morale, and instill pride in belonging to this community,” said Frank Dorritie ’64, who funds and advises the Regimental Drum Corps. “After an almost 50-year hiatus, and with major support of alumni from the 1960s, this special unit was re-organized in 2022 to resume its traditional role as ‘The Heartbeat of Xavier.’ These cadets provide a solid cadence for the Regiment’s appearances and perform at community events like the annual Drumming for Veterans in support of patients at VA hospitals. Drums of Xavier, keep marching.”
Xavier Educator Awards
The Xavier Educator Awards were created in 2008 by former Headmaster Mike LiVigni P’21 as a way to honor the work of middle school teachers who form our young men before they walk the halls of 16th Street. The ceremony is now hosted by the Admissions Office every spring.
“Too often, these teachers go unrecognized for the incredible impact they have on the growth of our students’ character. Too often, they never get to celebrate the fruits of their labor,” said Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Luciano Lovallo. “By inviting our freshmen to reflect on and write about a teacher who influenced them, we not only celebrate those educators but also help our students cultivate gratitude, humility, and an appreciation for the people who have guided them. It’s a meaningful way to connect our newest students to the values that define Xavier—gratitude, reflection, and purpose.”
The Xavier Summer Tour
Beginning in 2011, the Xavier Summer Tour (with stops in Rockaway, on the Jersey Shore, in Quogue, and on Cape Cod, among others) has become a welcome touchpoint for the community during the short time each year when 16th Street is not buzzing with activity.
“The Rockaway summer receptions are a wonderful tradition that brings together many facets of the Xavier community,” said longtime host and Xavier parent George Clark P’16 ’24. “These gatherings unite alumni, current students, and future Xavier Knights with teachers, administrators, and coaches in an informal and welcoming setting. Joanie and I have hosted many of these events because we’ve witnessed firsthand all that the Xavier community has done for our children, George ’16 and Andrew ’24. We encourage future Knights to join us—to mingle, connect, and experience the strong sense of family that defines Xavier. Although our boys have graduated and moved on, we remain deeply grateful for the education they received, the memories we’ve created, and most of all, the lasting friendships we’ve built with our Xavier family.”
24
The Turkey Bowl Challenge
While the Turkey Bowl is a tradition that requires no explanation, the Turkey Bowl Challenge was introduced in 2016 as a way to engage young alumni from both Xavier and Fordham Prep.
“The Turkey Bowl Challenge has added another layer to the rivalry,” said Justin Pastilha ’16, who was among the very first class of young alumni to support the giving challenge. “Although it is a friendly competition, we want to slam the ram in all facets, not just on the field. The more bragging rights, the better. I continue to give to Xavier to allow other young men to have the same great experience I had. The Turkey Bowl is not just a rivalry; it’s tradition. Who does not love Jesuit-fueled gridiron glory?”
Alumni Affinity Groups
Within our expansive network of more than 13,000 living alumni, affinity groups allow Sons of Xavier with overlapping interests and professional goals to come together to share their experiences and expertise. Among the most active of these groups are organizations such as the Xavier Bar Association and the Emerging Xavier Leaders (EXL), which was founded in 2023.
“Jake Nicholson, James Amodeo, and I created the EXL because we thought it could play a unique and needed role in the Xavier family and network. We saw opportunities to act as a bridge between the newest Xavier graduates and the most senior,” said Mike Flynn ’14, a founding member of EXL. “We thought of it as alumni helping each other help each other—men for others. This would apply to the current student or recent grad who might be more comfortable talking with us about hunting for internships or interviews, but not as confident in networking right away with alums who had more in common with their dad than with them. It would apply equally, though, to the more seasoned alums who could use us as a bridge to younger generations, and the feeder system of resources that their businesses depend on to stay fresh. And for us in the middle, it meant that we could both learn to be mentors ourselves, while still learning from our own mentors as we try to move ahead. In that way, alumni leaders could emerge at every level.”
CURA PERSONALIS MADEREAL
ByASTREA SLEZAK
In the formation of men for others at Xavier High School, the Jesuit ideal of cura personalis—care for the whole person—is deeply woven into the school’s mission and curriculum. Caring for the mental health of the young men on 16th Street is a core component of living out that mission.
Xavier approaches student well-being through a uniquely Ignatian lens. Educators and counselors draw inspiration from St. Ignatius of Loyola, who, through the Spiritual Exercises, was effectively practicing psychology centuries before the field had a name—teaching self-awareness, emotional discernment, and reflection long before they became clinical terms.
“St. Ignatius was a brilliant psychologist,” said Dr. Amelio D’Onofrio, Xavier’s Director of Student Mental Health and Wellbeing. “The Exercises are all based on psychological principles that didn’t exist as psychological principles back then because the field of psychology didn’t formally exist. What we psychologists teach now is not all that new. St. Ignatius had it first. And so we look back, and we say, ‘This is genius.’”
Educators and counselors draw inspiration from St. Ignatius of Loyola, who was effectively practicing psychology centuries before the field had a name.
In keeping with that Ignatian tradition, Xavier’s school-based mental health program values collaboration to ensure the school is developing young men who understand themselves deeply, are able to navigate life’s challenges well, and are compassionate, grounded men for others.
Formation of character, conscience, and compassion stand at the forefront of student growth. On 16th Street, students learn to celebrate kindness, responsibility, and service as much as achieving academic success by learning to become self-directed, independent individuals while, at the same time, caring for others and the community.
In 2019, in response to growing needs for accessibility to mental health care, Xavier established a school-based psychotherapy program. The program, which provides in-house counseling and psychotherapy, aims to be a resource for those students who may be struggling with a variety of mental health issues (such as depression, anxiety, and substance use) that interfere with their studies and in living their fullest lives.
“I think at the heart of good psychotherapy is developing a deeper understanding of oneself,” D’Onofrio reflected. “Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. Therapy is precisely about examining one’s life to give us a deeper sense of who we are and how we fit into the world, so that we can be freer and make more informed and healthier choices. In our case, in Jesuit education, the hope is that we help students align their choices with the Ignatian values we try to teach.”
D’Onofrio is one of two in-house clinical psychologists at Xavier. Assistant Director of Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Dr. Adam Joncich works closely alongside him. Joncich works directly with students each week and also supervises an extern from Yeshiva University and an intern from City College of New York, who support the work of the department.
What makes Xavier’s mental health program unique is that it is led by clinical psychologists who focus on diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Their work helps students develop mindfulness skills and learn how to tolerate and manage stress, and they also provide education surrounding emotional regulation and building effective interpersonal relationships.
In addition to the clinical strength of the department, Xavier’s mental health model is extraordinarily collaborative. From teachers to counselors to parents, the network of people who care about students is expansive.
Through education, direct therapeutic intervention, and formal assessments, the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Department serves as a fulcrum. “We bring everyone in, and in building a team, we create a tight net so we try to catch the kids
before their struggles overwhelm them and they fall,” said D’Onofrio.
Part of the fabric of that net are school counselors, who lead counseling classes for students in each grade level, conduct basic mental health screenings, and work with D’Onofrio and Joncich to identify potentially at-risk students. Freshmen have counseling classes built into their schedules and participate in one class per cycle. Sophomores and juniors take one class every other cycle, and seniors meet several times throughout the year. Counseling class is an opportunity to speak to students about topics related to building and living a healthy life, as well as ensuring that they are informed on how best to take care of their mental health.
School Counseling Department Chair Joseph Guglielmo said two main topics of conversation in counseling classes are Xavier’s mission and the values enshrined in the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation, a set of five characteristics that Jesuit schools set forth for their graduates to embody upon Commencement (being open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice).
“Students sometimes don’t know what the Grad at Grad is when they come to Xavier. They might not even be familiar with the school’s mission,” added Guglielmo. “So in counseling class, we now have the opportunity to intentionally reflect on those documents and ask, ‘Why am I at a Jesuit school?’ and ‘What is the benefit of being here?’ We discuss the opportunity to gain spiritual growth or to start taking on a life of service. We get to work very deeply with them.”
Counselors and faculty provide invaluable insights into the lives of students that might
otherwise go unseen. Faculty will inform counselors if they notice any changes in a student’s behavior or demeanor, such as appearing distressed or excessively tired. Teachers are on the front lines, and they often have the most immediate view of how a student may be struggling. They are an invaluable resource in helping counselors identify students who might need additional support.
If needed, counselors refer a student to D’Onofrio, who will conduct a thorough and formal assessment and, if appropriate, offer the student in-house, ongoing therapy, or if more appropriate, make a referral to treatment in the community.
If the student is already in treatment, the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing team will work with parents to ensure their findings are consistent with those of external clinicians.
Guglielmo noted how crucial this collaboration between counselors and teachers is in successfully caring for students. “It’s a very comprehensive, team approach,” added Guglielmo. It is also a testament to the Xavier community’s collective care for our students.
The effect of this collaboration is a continuous pipeline of people looking out for students.
Xavier’s mental health model is largely based on meeting the needs of students, which are vast—from interpersonal relationship assistance, to critical and emergency care, to working with psychiatrists regarding students’ medication management.
The school’s “at-risk team”—composed of D’Onofrio, Guglielmo, the Dean of Students, the Dean of Academics, and the learning support specialist— meets every two weeks to discuss students in need of further evaluation. It is a time to holistically look at students and decipher whether their behavior and general functioning are revealing a more significant problem. For example, a student may, all of a sudden, be failing a number of classes when, in the past, he excelled academically. The team then dives into that case and decides whether the student should be funneled to D’Onofrio to assess whether the change in his school performance is related to some other issue playing out in the student’s life.
“We really care about the students first. We care for the individual,” Guglielmo said. “Students may
Dr. Adam Joncich and Dr. Amelio D’Onofrio.
say they’re fine and that they’re okay, but in reality, there may be so much behind that ‘I’m good, I’m fine.’
As counselors, we really pride ourselves in getting to know the students through our counseling class, through our one-on-one meetings, and through our participation in clubs and activities. We get to know our kids very well, so there’s a culture of safety here at Xavier.”
physical health—but we know everything is really interconnected. The brilliance of the document, the Graduate at Graduation profile, is that it gets at the question of, ‘Who do we want this kid to be at the end of their time here?’ It’s a holistic view,” said D’Onofrio. “It’s not just about getting into elite colleges. No, it’s to be loving. It’s to be religious. It’s to pursue justice. It’s to have a good heart. It’s having an inquiring mind, always working toward excellence … all of those things.”
Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. Therapy is precisely about examining one’s life to give us a deeper sense of who we are and how we fit into the world, so that we can be freer and make more informed and healthier choices.”
—Dr. Amelio D’Onofrio
Parents are also included in the team approach to the care-net that the mental health team attempts to create. For example, parent coffees are offered multiple times a year to discuss adolescent mental health issues. Parents are educated on issues relevant to their sons’ development and well-being and are enlisted to work with the counselors in the care of their sons. These meetings serve as a forum for parents to receive psychoeducation on relevant topics ranging from dealing with digital addiction, identifying risk factors for depression, and making sense of their changing relationship with their adolescent sons. These parent coffee meetings also allow parents to ask questions of the mental health team as well as the Headmaster, Kim Smith. Many parents have commented that attending these events has given them the sense that they’re not alone in this sometimes difficult vocation of parenting a high school student.
This act of collective learning, alongside widespread collaboration between departments, is all an effort to ensure that Xavier is forming healthy and resilient young men.
“Often we compartmentalize things in our culture—we split our mental, social, spiritual, and
D’Onofrio added that the goal is not to micromanage or control who a student becomes, but rather to provide him with the tools to grow into the most genuine version of himself. “My approach is to engage with the student, the human being sitting in front of me now. If the student and I do the work together, the outcome takes care of itself. What is transformative about the Gospels is that it is the encounter with Jesus that ultimately heals. The transformative element is the encounter. As therapists, we also want to encounter, we want to see beyond the limits of how a student may see themselves, to see and help cultivate the goodness that they themselves can’t yet access. And that we be channels for a grace that can help Xavier students to touch their own deep worth and dignity. So when I work with a student, I’m not aiming for a specific outcome. I’m there to first understand them in the fullness of who they are so that they can more accurately understand themselves. I’m there to encounter them.”
Astrea Slezak is Xavier’s Associate Director of Communications and Marketing. She is a graduate of Marist University.
Guidance counselor
Sara Bacsik leads a group guidance class.
SONS OF XAVIER
Xavier’s 2025 Hall of Fame inductees: John Anticev ’76, Richard Battaglino ’67 P’96, Thomas Lamberti ’48, Rudy Cecchi ’69, Mike Tolkin ’85, and Kevin McLaughlin ’74.
1949
Tom O’Brien shared that he and his wife, Nancy, are doing well at 94 years old. In late October, they attended the wedding of their granddaughter and celebrated the birth of their ninth great-grandchild. A 10th greatgrandchild was born in January.
1952
Louise and Peter McCloskey celebrated their 65th anniversary in November 2024. They have four children, 14 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. McCloskey recently published his autobiography, What a Wonderful Life; it is available on Amazon. “Read it and you will know more about me than you care to know. God bless all my classmates,” he writes.
1955
“To my fellow 1955 Golden Knights,” Walter Dauerer writes, “if you’re up to it, let’s meet at the next reunion. [We] can’t plan very much at our age, but it sure would be great to meet up. Otherwise, my mobility is down, but I try to keep up with my five kids, nine grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Isn’t life wonderful!”
1957
Brendan Battle recently visited his brother Vincent Battle ’58 in Beirut, Lebanon. Vincent served as U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon from 2001 to 2005 and has continued to reside in Lebanon since his 2005 retirement from the State Department. Brendan notes that Vincent sends his regards to his Xavier friends and classmates.
1958
Barry Ryan shared that the Class of 1958 meets on Zoom quarterly. To join their meetings, please send your email address to Brian Smith at bhsmith801@gmail.com.
1959
Daniel Gatti, S.J. shared that golf is still his game. On September 22, 2025, at the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus’ annual golf outing, Gatti won the closest to the hole contest, hitting a 6-iron to three feet from the hole. And yes, he made the putt.
1960
In September 2025, Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY) honored Dr. Richard J. O’Reilly with its Medicine Gives Hope Award. O’Reilly is an emeritus member of the Department of Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a founding board member of RMH-NY.
St. Louis University High School recently recognized Pat and Aja Stokes with its 2025 Sacred Heart Award in celebration of their longtime support of the school and many other St. Louis organizations.
Richard Tucciarone attended Manhattan College (now Manhattan University) after his Xavier graduation. After working for corporations for about eight years, he went into public accounting, became a Certified Public Accountant, and eventually started his own practice. Tucciarone lived in New Jersey at the time, but shared that he also had a house on Cape Cod. In 2001, he sold his Jersey house, vacated his office, and moved to Cape Cod permanently. He ran his practice remotely and retired in 2021. “I’m enjoying life on the Cape with a beach half a mile from me and many nice restaurants nearby,” said Tucciarone.
1962
Silver Horn Records, led by Xavier Hall of Famer Rocco John Iacovone, is proud to announce the release of its latest album, recorded in Sicily. “An American Songbook in Sicily,” which was recorded live at the Filarmonica
Laudamo in Messina, spotlights compositions by Iacovone, who also plays the alto saxophone. Rocco’s wife, art teacher Denise Fusco Iacovone, conducted an improvisational painting session while the album was being recorded. The album is available for purchase at silverhornrecords.bandcamp.com
1963
Robert Comer reached a milestone birthday last year. He celebrated it in Ireland with all of his children and grandchildren and visited the heritage sites of his grandfather.
In April and May 2025, John T. Dalessio and his wife, Kathie, walked the Camino Francés to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. They also added trips to Finisterra and Fatima. “It was a blessed and fruitful time,” he said. Dalessio, who runs Dalessio Engineering, LLC, was a member of the design and restoration team for the New Victory Theater on West 42nd Street in Manhattan. The team received the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy on April 22, 2025.
1965
Dan Denihan, Ken Nolan, John Laffey, and Jim Rogers attended the funeral of Gerald Slattery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on October 27, 2025. “Among other things, Gerry will always be remembered for his gregarious nature and
1. St. Louis University president Alan Carruthers with Aja and Pat Stokes ’60.
2. Dr. Richard J. O’Reilly ’60.
3. Richard Tucciarone ’60.
4. John Dalessio ’63 and his wife, Kathie.
commitment to Xavier,” Rogers writes. “He served as class chairman of the Annual Fund for decades. RIP Slats.”
1966
Members of the Class of 1966 recently gathered for their second annual class luncheon at St. Stephen’s Green in Spring Lake, New Jersey.
F. Patrick O’Brien and his wife, Charlotte, spent July 2025 traveling throughout the United Kingdom. They attended Torvill and Dean’s final ice dancing performance in Nottingham, their hometown. Other highlights included a tour through Wales and the Lake District, a stay in Bath to enjoy the thermal spa, walking through several villages in the Cotswolds, dining on haggis in Glasgow, and cruising Loch Ness (no Nessie!). “More adventures await us on our next visit!” O’Brien added.
1968
David McGroarty recently received the 1851 Medical Alumni Award from his alma mater, Georgetown University. The award is named after the school’s founding year. McGroarty is the proud brother of John McGroarty ’70 and Paul McGroarty ’71, both Georgetown alumni. He is also
’66
the father of three Georgetown graduates, and five of his nieces and nephews attended the school.
John Sterling, who played ice hockey for the City College of New York (CCNY) from 1969 to 1972, was recently elected to the CCNY Hall of Fame.
1969
Rafael Martinez recently became involved in a startup, Taiga Ventures LLC, that provides AI services for a multinational company that refurbishes fighter jets for the Pentagon.
Mike Tierney spent two weeks traveling through South Africa and Zimbabwe this past summer. Among the highlights of his trip was a visit to Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park.
1970
John Spatuzzi’s new book, Red Coolers, is a collection of true stories from a Coast Guard pilot. The book, which is available on Amazon, features more than 100 photos over 300-plus pages.
1971
Thomas Cannon shared that his son, Robert, has been promoted to 1st Lieutenant
in the United States Marine Corps and is deployed.
Anthony Flood’s book Christian Individualism: The Maverick Biblical Workmanship of Otis Q. Sellers will be published by Atmosphere Press this year
John N. Frank recently played the title role in the new young adult play, Buzz Aldrin Goes to Mars, at the Exploration Theater in suburban Chicago. The role gave Frank his first chance to be a puppeteer on stage, playing both Buzz and his avatar (a puppet).
Robert “Doc” Hynes ’71 recently left the Federal Housing Finance Agency after 17 years serving as its principal risk analyst for capital markets. He is currently looking for his next opportunity.
1972
Dr. Franklin Caesar P’00, Steve Anderson, Tom Flynn, and Bill O’Brien recently gathered for dinner at Rosa Mexicano on 18th Street. While at dinner, O’Brien told the group about a Xavier banner hanging at the nearby Old Town Bar and Restaurant, so they went to take a photo in front of it.
1. F. Patrick O’Brien ’66 and his wife, Charlotte.
2. Members of the Class of 1966 at their annual class luncheon.
3. Mike Tierney ’69.
4. John N. Frank ’71.
5. Steve Anderson ’72, Dr. Franklin Caesar ’72 P’00, Tom Flynn ’72, and Bill O’Brien ’72.
Young Alumni Luncheon
1. Patrick McCann ’23, Alexander Anastasiades ’24, Michael Nestor ’24, and Eoin McBride ’24.
2. Michael Schechner ’26, Francis Ancona ’25, and Patrick McInerney ’25. 3. Dr. Stephen Haller ’05 and Alexander DeGuzman ’25. 4. Joseph DiAngelis ’25, Ryan Wierzbowski ’25, Matthew Sheikowitz ’26, and James Costa ’02. 5. Ladd Cropper ’25, Christian Duncan ’26, D’Angelo Brown ’25, Aaron Gill ’25, and Logan Opalka ’25. 6. Alexander Plagos ’25, Evan Conroy ’25, George-Raphael Pavlakos ’25, and Theodore Steinke ’25. 7. Nicolas Son ’25, Edward MarquezMiles ’25, William Scariano ’25, and Christopher Lobo ’25. 8. Chad Theodore Herry ’25, Nathaniel LeBlanc ’24, Nicole DiMarco, David Orlando ’17, Emmett Greer ’24, Tadgh Ignaffo ’24, and David Bernatowicz ’22. 9. Giuseppe Quatela ’22, Jack Raslowsky, Mark Faust ’22, Ryan Murphy ’22, and Shane Lavin ’03. 10. Matthew Stahmer ’25, Jennifer Velazquez, and Jack Nelson ’25.
Mike Fernandez ’72
BY SHAWNA GALLAGHER VEGA
n Christmas Eve 1964, after businessman Mario
Antonio Fernandez
P’72 had spoken out against Cuba’s nascent dictatorship, he and his family were expelled from the island. Armed militia snatched them from their dinner table, sent them on a truck to the airport, and put them on a small plane headed for Mexico. They had only the clothes on their backs.
More than 60 years later, the memory of that night remains vivid for Mario’s son, Mike Fernandez ’72—now a Miami-based healthcare mogul, philanthropist, and fierce supporter of immigrant rights.
“I’ve been involved with this because I am one of them—because I’ve always been one of them,” said Fernandez, whose family sought refuge at a Mexican convent before making their way to New York City six months later. “When I got to Xavier, I was a kid from an immigrant family without a penny, working two jobs, one at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and then on the weekends at the American Museum of Natural History. I never went to a high school dance. I never went to a football game, because I was working.”
the Jesuit’s name.
Today, as he faces criticism for his pro-immigration advocacy in his adopted Florida, Fernandez is buoyed by memories of the moral courage displayed by his father and his headmaster.
“Those two men showed me courage, showed me the importance of standing up, the importance of not giving in—but at the
[My father and Vincent Duminuco, S.J.] showed me courage, showed me the importance of standing up, the importance of not giving in—but at the same time, being flexible in your thinking. We have to embrace the reality that we live in, but we don’t need to accept it.”
On 16th Street, Fernandez met and was mentored by Xavier’s then-headmaster, the late Vincent Duminuco, S.J. Ten years ago, when Fernandez gave the principal gift that made Fernandez-Duminuco Hall possible, he insisted the new building bear
same time, being flexible in your thinking,” Fernandez said. “We have to embrace the reality that we live in, but we don’t need to accept it. We have to deal with it, and deal with it based on laws and right and wrong, not force and violence.”
Once a major Republican donor, Fernandez now channels his energy and considerable resources into supporting sensible immigration reform. In 2017, he founded the Immigration Partnership and Coalition (IMPAC) Fund, which has since merged with the American Business Immigration Coalition, a bipartisan group of business leaders that aims to secure the border and remove convicted felons, build a competitive legal immigration system, and humanely address the status of undocumented immigrants.
According to Fernandez, this is simply good business. “Look at the number of public companies that are run by immigrants today—not only run by immigrants, but founded by immigrants,” he said. “Then look at the number of communities that are led by an immigrant. From the political perspective, look at the job creators. A person from a foreign country arriving in the U.S. is four times more likely to start a new business in the U.S. than somebody who was born here, and it’s because of the situation they’re in. Not having a fallback plan is very motivating.”
Alarmed by the surge in immigration raids over the past year—and the relative
silence of Miami’s three Cuban-American Republicans in Congress in response— Fernandez began pouring millions of dollars into a targeted multimedia advertising campaign highlighting what he calls their “complicity and cowardice.” The effort garnered significant attention in South Florida, leading to a New York Times feature last August.
Later that month, two sculptures funded by Fernandez’s family foundation—both replicas of works that were installed in St. Peter’s Square in 2019—were unveiled at Miami’s National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, better known as La Ermita. The sculptures by Timothy Paul Schmalz, titled “Angels Unawares” and “Be Welcoming,” honor the plight of migrants and refugees. (Their names are inspired by Hebrews 13:2—“Be welcoming to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”)
Archbishop Thomas Wenski, himself the son of Polish immigrants, blessed the sculptures.
“That church is always the home to firstgeneration immigrants when they come to South Florida, including me. That’s the church that all immigrants go to,” Fernandez reflected. “I wanted them to know that not everything that is happening in our country is ugly. We have a lot of things that are not pretty, a lot of things that are unexplainable, a lot of things that we don’t understand. I wanted them to see that there’s a positive side to this country. Those who are arriving today are no different than we were. They’re equally as good. I believe, regardless of what country they come from, they will be a plus, not a minus, to this nation. Yes, there’s always a rotten apple that ruins it for everybody else. We had that when the Italians came, when the Germans came, when the English came, when the Cubans came, when the Filipinos came.
But the vast majority of immigrants are good people with good values who want the same thing my parents wanted when they brought us here in 1965.”
Fernandez remains steadfast, but his advocacy has come at a price. He’s lost friends and investors; he’s received threats and been stopped by authorities. He now carries his passport in his back pocket at all times, even when flying in his own plane.
“This is a time that will be remembered by our citizens and our future citizens, where we all have an opportunity not to be complicit to what is happening today. Those of us who have come from dictatorships, we know that we see the signs—the changing of books in schools, the labeling of people who disagree with the government,” Fernandez said. “I think there’s an obligation for all of us to stand up and speak and not be scared.”
Fernandez’s family foundation funded the production of “Be Welcoming,” left, and, “Angels Unawares,” right, to highlight the plight of migrants.
1. Craig Sinclair ’74, Richard Scheller ’74, Joe Garvey ’67, Randy Emond ’67, and Dave La Valle ’98. 2. Thomas Lamberti ’48 and Eileen Lamberti. 3. Emily Sadutto, Patrick Scariano ’19, Ariella Blake, Andrew Scariano ’21, Paul Scariano ’90 P’19 ’21 ’23 ’25, Eileen Scariano P’19 ’21 ’23 ’25, William Scariano ’25, Timothy Bobb ’25, Matthew Scariano ’23, and Ava Brancatella.
4. Colonel Thomas Pike, USA (Ret.), Thomas Dolan ’27, Daniel Zaletofsky ’26, and Blake Paret ’26. 5. Franco Cerabona, Rudy Cecchi ’69, Emily Cecchi, Rosemary Cerabona, and Thomas Cerabona.
6. Kevin McLaughlin ’74 and Jack Raslowsky.
7. Christine and Dr. Kwame Ohemeng ’96. 8. Mark Orlando P’21 and Jennifer Kennedy-Orlando P’21. 9. Elaine Mowbray, Richard Battaglino ’67 P’96, Pat LaRosa, and Cheryl Williamson. 10. Emcee Michael Gargiulo ’77. 11. Student speaker Matteo Clementi ’28. 12. Donna Brassil and Mike Ford ’63.
6. 7. 8.
9. 10.
12. 11.
Ed Fox and his freshman year roommate at Holy Cross, Joe O’Keefe, S.J., reunited on the roof of the Jesuit Curia overlooking the Vatican on October 15, 2025. Fox and his wife were on a Jubilee year pilgrimage to Rome sponsored by the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus. O’Keefe, who serves as the USA East provincial, graciously offered Mass for the pilgrims in the Borgia Chapel of the Curia, the Jesuits’ global headquarters.
Each year, the College of the Holy Cross honors up to four graduates with the In Hoc Signo Award, the Alumni Association’s highest honor. Last year, Tom Healey was one of the award recipients. First presented in June 1960, the In Hoc Signo Award is an expression of respect and admiration for those alumni who have given most generously of their time and talents to Holy Cross. Steve Anderson, who is also a Holy Cross ’76 classmate, joined him at the awards dinner.
After nearly 53 years of employment and 40 years as president, Richard J. Moylan retired from Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery last year. The New York Times marked the milestone with a feature article.
1973
“The year 2025 has been a wild ride for me,” Scott Cameron
writes. In early January, he was asked to rejoin the Department of the Interior as a political appointee to help re-launch the second Trump Administration. On January 20, Cameron began serving as acting Assistant Secretary for Water and Science and acting Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs. Then he became the President’s designee to negotiate a variety of issues with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. He now serves as the acting Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, a role in which he is trying to negotiate a new 20-year deal for the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah to share the ever-shrinking Colorado River. “Of course, the seven states don’t get along that well. What an adventure!”
Christopher Roman reunited with Jeff Devlin and his wife, Gwen, in Las Vegas after the Devlins’ journey through southern Utah’s national parks. He invites all 1973 classmates for a drink or a meal, or both!
1974
After Frank Bilski’s wife passed away in 2023, he discovered Reiki as a way to heal. He is now a Reiki Level 2 practitioner.
Michael Nardolilli was featured in the August 2025 issue
of Washingtonian Magazine for leading efforts to make the drinking water supply in the nation’s capital region more resilient to drought and contamination events, both accidental and deliberate.
Richard Domenichetti retired after 44 years in the automotive industry and is enjoying traveling and spoiling his grandchildren.
1975
Al Gumbs sends regards from Wilmington, North Carolina, to his fellow 1975 classmates.
John Telesca shared that his 50th reunion weekend in May 2025 was wonderful. “It was great to see pals in person again, and I left with wonderful new memories (and photos shared on our Facebook group),” he writes. “The students did a fine job leading tours around the school; it’s come a long way in 50 years!”
1976
After traveling almost nonstop during their first two years of retirement, Mike Amoroso and his wife, Ginny, have settled in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Amoroso is active with the Charleston City Rowing Club and the Charleston Men’s Chorus in addition to volunteering for Senate candidate Dr. Annie Andrews.
1. Ed Fox ’72 and Joe O’Keefe, S.J.
2. College of the Holy Cross president Vincent Rougeau, Tom Healey ’72, and Patrick Lynch, president of the Holy Cross Alumni Association.
3. Scott Cameron ’73.
4. Chris Roman ’73 and Jeff Devlin ’73.
5. Michael Nardolilli ’74.
6. Mike Amoroso ’76.
José Miranda ’09
BY MICHAEL O’BRIEN ’19
n November 13, a group of Xavier students, parents, faculty, and staff marched to New York City’s Federal Plaza to speak out against the treatment of immigrants in the United States. The demonstration, held on the Feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini—the patron saint of immigrants—reflected not only the school’s mission but its deep and lasting influence. That mission continues to shape alumni like José Miranda ’09, who have devoted their careers to defending immigrant communities.
OMiranda attended Hunter College and graduated from Columbia Law School in 2018. Now a senior staff attorney at Innovation Law Lab, his work is dedicated to pro bono immigration services. He provides technical assistance to attorneys representing immigrants in Oregon’s universal representation program, the Equity Corps of Oregon, mentors junior attorneys in its fellowship program, and develops training materials to help practitioners navigate the U.S. immigration system.
and Immigrant Justice Corps fellow in the Removal Defense Project at Catholic Migration Services, offering free deportation defense to detained and non-detained immigrants. A native Spanish speaker, he is a member of the New York bar and serves on the board of South Brooklyn Sanctuary, a nonprofit that trains New Yorkers to support immigrants who lack access to legal representation.
Miranda sees the roots of his professional habits in his time at Xavier.
“Xavier helped me develop academic rigor at a very early stage,” said Miranda, whose parents emigrated from Ecuador. “I was equipped to deal with law school, which is a very challenging environment. It’s been said that lawyers make things happen in society using words, and I had very rigorous English language development at Xavier.”
He credits teachers who recognized his potential and pushed him to grow. “My freshman English teacher, Benjamin Hamm, was one of my favorites—he really helped us articulate our thoughts on paper. By the end of the semester, he encouraged me to join honors, which I got into. It really comes down to people paying attention and recognizing your talents—then putting you in a position to succeed. If no one had noticed, I probably would have been perfectly happy just getting great marks in the regular courses.”
I asked myself, ‘What do I really want in life?’ I soon realized I didn’t just want a career. I wanted my work to be guided by a moral purpose: to advocate for justice for the marginalized, not convenience for the powerful.”
His career path reflects a sustained commitment to immigrants’ rights. He previously served as supervising attorney in the Climate Department at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), expanding protections for populations displaced by climate change, and earlier represented refugees, displaced persons, U.S. wartime allies, and detainees at Guantánamo Bay as part of IRAP’s U.S. Legal Services Department. Before that, Miranda was a staff attorney
His formative years were shaped just as much by spiritual and co-curricular life as by academics.
“The phrase ‘men for others’ was definitely a sticking point for me. I was a student who did a lot of service trips with CFX, in addition to participating in Kairos; that kind of spiritual development, in the tradition of the Jesuits who are all about service, really informed me,” he explained.
After leaving Xavier, Miranda stayed connected to 16th Street, returning as an alumni volunteer in admissions before enrolling in law school. Seeing the institution from the inside, he said, only strengthened his belief in Xavier’s values.
“It was interesting because I had known the institution as a student, and then I got
to know it as someone who worked there. It was very heartening to see that behind the scenes, the teachers really care. It’s not just public messaging about the principles Xavier promotes—people are talking about them in meetings, too. People genuinely believe what they say.”
After Columbia, he faced a pivotal choice about his future—one that was ultimately informed by that early grounding.
“I had a lot of opportunities going to Columbia. The path of least resistance at these Ivy League institutions is to just work for a big law firm and take the route that will get you the most money right out of school,” Miranda said. “At that juncture, I asked myself, ‘What do I really want in life?’ I soon realized I didn’t just want a career. I wanted my work to be guided by a moral purpose: to advocate for justice for the marginalized, not convenience for the powerful.”
Since choosing a mission-driven path, Miranda has become a model for combining professional excellence with profound social impact—something he believes Xavier taught him was possible.
“I’ve had a very rewarding and fulfilling career so far,” he said. “I’ve gotten to do things that have changed people’s lives, to be honest. It’s hard work, but knowing how you’ve affected and served others has made it worth it.”
Michael O’Brien ’19 is a writer and graduate of the College of the Holy Cross.
1977
Joe Sexton’s story, “The Hardest Case for Mercy,” was a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in feature writing. He is working on a book for Simon & Schuster based on the article.
1978
Dr. Michael Driscoll was recently appointed interim dean of the Nicolais School of Business at Wagner College.
Eugene Innocenti recently hosted Sean Murphy at the Steel Club in Hellertown, Pennsylvania.
1979
Dr. Daniel J. Kerr is a coauthor of two recent research articles. The first article focused on targeting sickle cell pathobiology and pain with novel transdermal curcumin. The second article looked at the salutary effects of transdermal curcumin on multiple indices of health span in rodent models of normal aging and hypertension.
Joe Ferrara established a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to continue advancing the field of crystallography in the United States and to represent the nation within the global scientific community. His motivation was to address the dissolution of the U.S. National Committee for Crystallography by the National
Academy of Sciences due to a lack of funding. In addition to his scientific and organizational work, Ferrara continues to volunteer as a fire-medic and recently earned professional certification from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection.
1980
Russel Colding was promoted to director of financial systems at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP in 2022.
Tom Lane met AJ Orlando for dinner and drinks last June. “It was great to see him. He is still funny and a great storyteller,” Lane writes. “I am sure at least half of what he said was true!”
1982
Keith Farrell made his way through southeast and northeast Asia until January, when he traveled to Milan for the Winter Olympics. He was thrilled to reunite with his son, who is serving in Okinawa, along the way.
1984
Domenick Chieco received the Distinguished Alumni Award from New York Tech’s School of Architecture at the school’s Architecture and Design Gala on October 30, 2025.
As his career in proposal and grant development winds down, John Devaney has turned his interest in commercial and event photography into a business based in the Hamptons. “Check out East27 Creative when you visit the area,” Devaney writes.
As Michael Walter approaches 40 years as a mobile DJ, he continues to be grateful to the couples who book him to entertain at their weddings. Walter adds that he enjoys his career and hopes to continue into his sixties.
1985
Peter D’Antonio officially retired from government service in November 2024. He continues to coach and officiate high school basketball and softball in the Hudson Valley.
Teig Keenan-Hunt is moving to British Columbia. “Two-year wedding anniversary and the promises happening every day. A new life. A new adventure. Come visit British Columbia. Come one, come all ... all welcome,” Keenan-Hunt writes.
1986
After 25 years of service to the U.S. government, Fernando Maldonado retired as assistant chief of police with the U.S.
1. Eugene Innocenti ’78 and Sean Murphy ’78.
2. Michael Walter ’84.
3. Teig Keenan-Hunt ’85.
Department of Veterans Affairs Police on May 31, 2025.
1987
Jim Creighton was re-elected councilman for the Town of Cortlandt in November 2025. He serves as the deputy supervisor of the town while working as a senior assistant county attorney for Westchester County in its litigation bureau.
1989
Filmmaker Roy Szuper released a film in July 2025. Szuper wrote and directed the comedy anthology Can’t Let it Go, which features five vignettes about New Yorkers a few days before the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
1990
Michael Amoroso just completed his second year as head coach of the Xavier freshman baseball team.
1991
Last summer, Bill Kelly P’29 and his family attended Mass in Rome at the Caravita Church, next to the Church of Sant’Ignazio, with Anthony SooHoo, S.J. Soohoo (who now lives and works in Rome) and Kelly served as Xavier trustees together.
1993
Dan Pious-Mbewe is an associate director and script producer at ABC’s Tamron Hall.
Patrick “Tubz” Tubridy established a real estate team operating in both New York and Florida. Team Tubz is based out of Rockaway Beach with REMAX Elite and Fort Lauderdale with Charles Rutenberg Realty. Tubridy extends his gratitude to his fellow alumni and their families who have chosen to use his services. He also serves as an emcee at local Radio Bingo events.
1994
Dr. John-Breshaire Georges earned his Master of Education degree from Tarleton State University, a member of the Texas A&M University system, in 2025. He previously earned his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, his Master of Science in Education degree from Baruch College, his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from New York University, and his Associate of Arts degree from Pace University.
1995
Ed Rivera and Jean Joseph attended a Wu-Tang Clan
concert together at Madison Square Garden last July.
1996
Dr. Zane Massey ’96 P’22 earned his Doctor of Education degree from Saint Peter’s University in October after successfully defending his dissertation, “A Qualitative Study on the Philanthropic Behaviors of African-American Alumni at Jesuit Colleges and Universities.”
1999
Alberto Cordero P’25 is happy to share that his son, Isaiah, graduated from Xavier and is doing well at Fairfield University.
2000
Tim Williamson recently returned to college athletics as associate director of athletics and strategic communications at Stonehill College. Stonehill is entering its first year as a full Division I institution.
Richard Scarponi continues to live and work in the northern Hudson Valley area with his family. He is an avid outdoorsman and a lieutenant in the volunteer Catskill Mountain Search and Rescue Unit.
1. Bill Kelly ’91 P’29 (second from left) and his wife, Danielle (second from right), with their children and Anthony SooHoo, S.J.
2. Ed Rivera ’95 and Jean Joseph ’95.
3. Richard Scarponi ’00.
UPCOMING EVENTS
CHARLESTON RECEPTION
March 4, 2026
ATLANTA AREA RECEPTION
March 5, 2026
CELEBRATE XAVIER SCHOLARSHIP GALA
April 24, 2026
GOLDEN KNIGHTS MASS AND LUNCHEON
May 1, 2026
50TH REUNION WEEKEND
May 1-2, 2026
5TH-25TH REUNIONS
May 29, 2026
30TH-45TH, 55TH AND 60TH REUNIONS
May 30, 2026
GRADUATION AT ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL
June 11, 2026
ROCKAWAY RECEPTION
July 14, 2026
JERSEY SHORE RECEPTION
July 16, 2026
SAG HARBOR RECEPTION
July 23, 2026
WESTHAMPTON RECEPTION
August 13, 2026
CAPE COD RECEPTION
August 15, 2026
SEPTEMBER 11 25TH ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL MASS
September 10, 2026
CLASS NOTES
2003
Senior Deck Training Officer Tony Rogone shared an update from SUNY Maritime’s Summer Sea Term 2025, which included deck cadets James Wageman ’22, Leo Cymbalsky ’23, and Thomas Larosa ’22. The training ship Empire State VII departed on May 25 and visited the ports of New Orleans, Los Angeles, Ponta Delgada, Azores, and Bergen, Norway before returning at the end of July. The deck cadets worked towards their Third Mate Unlimited Tonnage Coast Guard licenses and participated in watch standing, classes, and work during the summer cruise.
Brendan Russo is the co-director of a new documentary feature film, Big Mountain Soul: Ski Africa, which premiered at the Breckenridge Film Festival in November 2025. The film tells the story of a group of Black skiers from varying backgrounds on a
mission to backcountry ski and snowboard the wildest mountains on all seven continents, including a moving visit to Africa. “The film proudly states that the mountains are made for everybody—Black, white, rich, poor,” Russo writes. “This is part of the inheritance we’ve been given by creation to share in together; values of inclusion and being men and women for others that Xavier instilled in me, both as a student and for the brief time I taught English and drama there.”
2004
Matthew Zaharenios earned his doctorate in physical therapy from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in May 2025.
2006
Leon A. Hampton was named to the Board of Trustees at Xavier University on July 1, 2025.
1. James Wageman ’22, Tony Rogone ’03, Leo Cymbalsky ’23, and Thomas Larosa ’22. 2. Brendan Russo ’03.
2008
Fr. Nicholas Colalella is the parochial vicar at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Middle Village, Queens. He was also recently appointed as the chaplain to Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, Queens, and as the coordinator of the Italian apostolate of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Colalella celebrated Xavier’s 2025 Lenten liturgy. “It was an honor to be back at the place where I first heard God’s call to priestly ministry,” Colalella writes.
2009
José Miranda is now a board member for South Brooklyn Sanctuary, a nonprofit that trains everyday New Yorkers to provide support to immigrants who cannot afford attorneys.
2011
Will Lorenzo has been accepted into a Ph.D. program at Rutgers. He now adjuncts extensively while pursuing his doctorate in American Studies, with a focus on the history and theory of American film and television.
2012
Jared Jerrick has transitioned out of the Army and is now enrolled at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He won a LunaCap Foundation scholarship, which helps fund veterans and others with MBA scholarships at top business schools.
Jack Johnson, who served as head golf coach at Xavier for 12 seasons, recently accepted the director of golf and head professional position at Copake Country Club in Crayville, New York. He is also actively working on becoming a fullstatus member of the PGA. Johnson continues to serve as an advisor to the golf team.
After medical school and residency in otolaryngology (head and neck surgery), Dr. James Alrassi is completing his fellowship in voice and airway surgery at Harvard’s Mass Eye and Ear in Boston. He enjoys combining surgery with teaching and research. Outside of medicine, he has been training for the Boston Marathon to raise funds for Mass Eye and Ear’s research in voice restoration. He is grateful
to be completing his journey in medical education, which started back on 16th Street.
2015
Louis Vazquez, a former Xavier runner, is the associate head cross country and track and field coach at Toledo University, a Division I school. He won coach of the year for the MAC conference in 2025.
2018
John Bambury is currently a 1st Lieutenant on active duty with the United States Marine Corps. He is deployed to Norway, training with NATO forces for cold-weather warfare.
Timothy Cusack-McPartlin shared that he is proud to be a Xavier alumnus, saying the work ethic instilled in high school has carried through his career. “The desire to win and accomplish anything never leaves as long as you take it with you when you leave 16th Street,” he writes.
In August 2025, Stephen Day returned to New York City from Philadelphia to rejoin Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a litigation associate.
1. Fr. Nicholas Colalella ’08.
2. Jack Johnson ’12.
3. Timothy Cusack-McPartlin ’18.
AlumniYoungFall Kickoff
October 21, 2025
1. Jack Palillo ’16, Neil McEnerney ’16, Julian Navarro ’19, Justin Pastilha ’16, and John Patterson ’16. 2. Young Alumni Fall Kickoff attendees. 3. Sam Rodriguez ’14, Francis Garces ’14, Marco Raffa ’14, and Konstantinos Katehis ’13. 4. Panayoti Athineos ’21, Chirag Chadha ’21, William Coppa ’21, Owen Alicandri ’21, and Austin Ginocchio ’21. 5. Greg Cerchione ’10 and Dean Pillarella ’11. 6. Andrew D’Alessio ’21, Margaret Gonzalez P’24, Brian McCabe P’23, and Rocco Sciangula ’17. 7. Mark Polito ’20, Seamus Dwyer ’20, Justin Schafer ’21, and Joe Westhoff ’20. 8. Austin Nasta ’14, James Amodeo ’14, Marco Raffa ’14, and Justin Armstrong ’14.
Xavier High School
1. Alexander Stuhr ’19.
2. Dylan Buck ’21.
3. Ted Badea ’20, Panayoti Athineos ’21, Kory Sam ’20, Michael Carbone ’20, Ryan Wong ’21, and Joseph Dell’Olio ’20.
4. Harry Montague ’22, Nicolas Son ’25, Nick Bruno ’22, Anthony Dabao ’23, Liam Averill ’26, and Robert Milacci ’26.
5. Antonio Rafael P’22, Sebastian Rafael, Cato Rafael ’22, and Ellen Chung P’22.
2019
Dylan Glowski recently began a new role in business development at Shield.
From New York to Madrid, Alexander Stuhr said the memories he made at Xavier still stay true. “Graduating from one of the top business schools in Europe, yet still staying close to my brothers back home, has brought me so much joy,” he writes. “The experiences I’ve had on 16th Street will forever remain.”
2021
In May, Dylan Buck graduated as valedictorian of the Knauss School of Business at the University of San Diego with both a bachelor’s degree in accountancy and a master’s
degree in taxation. He also successfully passed all four sections of the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam.
On May 19, 2025, four Xavier alumni—Panayoti Athineos ’21, Kory Sam ’20, Michael Carbone ’20, and Ryan Wong ’21—proudly graduated from Boston College, earning their respective bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Ted Badea ’20 and Joseph Dell’Olio ’20 joined them to celebrate their academic milestones.
2022
Harry Montague ’22, Nicolas Son ’25, Nick Bruno ’22, Anthony Dabao ’23, Liam Averill ’26, and Robert Milacci ’26 represented Xavier at the Penn State rugby game in Happy Valley.
Cato Rafael earned his bachelor’s degree in international economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. His parents and younger brother Sebastian, proudly sporting Cato’s Xavier Knight tie, joined him at his graduation ceremony. Cato is currently pursuing a master’s degree in finance at Erasmus, the European Union’s flagship initiative for education, training, youth, and sport.
2024
John Myler spent his freshman year at Bard College in service to others both as a campus EMS volunteer and, after hours, as a shift volunteer at the nearby Red Hook fire department. He recently earned his New York State EMT certificate and transferred into the sophomore class at the University of Virginia.
Your generosity fuels everything that makes a Xavier education exceptional. That’s why so many alumni, parents, and friends choose to give—because they know their support makes a real difference.
The Annual Fund
The Annual Fund powers every part of the Xavier experience: scholarships, athletics, activities, and the exceptional teaching that brings our mission to life.
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Endowed scholarships, endowed programs, and campus renovations strengthen Xavier for generations. These investments shape our long-term future and expand what’s possible for our students. Every gift matters. Every gift changes a life.
Learn more at xavierhs.org/giving.
The Xavier Hall of Fame celebrates Sons of Xavier and Xavier faculty and staff who embody the highest ideals of Jesuit education. Through the example of their lives, these men and women give glory to God and honor to their fellow man. We invite you to nominate outstanding individuals for induction into the Xavier Hall of Fame. Honorees will be celebrated at the Hall of Fame Dinner in fall 2027.
Nomination Deadline: September 30, 2026
To learn more or submit a nomination, scan the QR code or visit www.xavierhs.org/alumni/hall-of-fame
Engagements
Andrew Salmieri ’08 is engaged to marry his fiancée, Samantha, on September 19, 2026.
Weddings
Matthew O’Connor ’10 married Kayla Scandole on April 12, 2025. Brian Leary ’11, Taylor Conlon ’10, Tom Welsh ’10, Tom Woods ’10, Sean Strongreen ’10, and Robert Gallagher ’10 served as groomsmen.
Peter Salvatore ’13 married Rachel Maggiore on May 3, 2025, at the Church of Saint Francis Xavier.
Births
Eduardo Sarduy ’79 welcomed his first grandson, Julian, in October.
Neil Brickfield ’81 and his wife, Kelley, are excited to announce the birth of their second grandchild, Juniper Brickfield, who was born on May 13, 2025.
Daniel J. Martinez ’05 and his wife, Ciara, welcomed their second child, Molly Catherine, on September 25, 2024. Molly joins her big brother, Declan.
Al Ragone ’06 and his wife welcomed their first child, Sofia, on October 1, 2024.
Matt Furey ’07 and his wife, Kristina, welcomed their first child, Gerard Robert Furey, on September 20, 2025.
On July 24, 2025, Jesse Fuller ’10 and his wife, Danisha, welcomed their first child, Yadiel St. Michael Espinal-Fuller. Yadiel weighed 4 pounds, 9 ounces and measured in at 17.3 inches. Fuller shared that they “look forward to raising this future Son of Xavier to be a strong, intelligent, and caring young man.”
On May 12, 2025, Matthew Rienzi ’15 and his wife, Caitlyn, welcomed their daughter, Amelia Kathleen Rienzi.
Matt Furey ’07 and his son, Gerard.
Andrew Salmieri ’08 and his fiancée, Samantha. Matthew O’Connor ’10 and Kayla Scandole.
Juniper Brickfield, grandchild of Neil Brickfield ’81.
Julian, grandson of Eduardo Sarduy ’79.
Jesse Fuller ’10 and his wife, Danisha, with their son, Yadiel.
Amelia Kathleen Rienzi, daughter of Matthew Rienzi ’15.
DR. GEORGE SHEA ’52
Dr. George Shea ’52, professor emeritus of classics at Fordham University and former dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, died on July 3, 2025. He was 90.
Shea attended Fordham University and spent his junior year abroad in Paris. Following active duty service in the U.S. Army Reserve, he enrolled at Columbia University, where he earned master’s and doctoral degrees.
In 1967, Shea returned to Fordham as a classics professor. “Almost immediately after Shea’s faculty appointment, he took on a more active and challenging role in the university’s future,” noted a Fordham obituary. “In 1968, he was appointed assistant dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, and in 1970, he was appointed academic dean and dean of faculty at the university’s undergraduate college in Manhattan, then known as the Liberal Arts College. Located at the newly constructed Lincoln Center campus, the college had been founded just two years earlier. As such, Shea would go on to oversee the hiring of hundreds of new faculty members during his tenure.”
Shea served as dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center until 1985 and continued his work as a classics professor until 2011. Robert Grimes, S.J. ’70, who later served as dean from 1997 until 2018, saluted Shea’s transformative leadership in an interview with Fordham Now. “George managed to shepherd the undergraduate school at Lincoln Center through the tumultuous early years of its existence and developed it into an innovative, multigenerational college beloved by both its faculty and students,” Grimes said.
Shea is survived by his children, Susan and George; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Shirley Ashton, and his daughter, Sarah.
OTTO OBERMAIER ’53
Otto Obermaier ’53, who served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1989 to 1993, died on September 26, 2025. He was 89.
The son of immigrants, Obermeier earned a degree in electrical engineering at what was then Manhattan College. As The New York Times noted in its obituary, he had decided against an engineering career by the time of his college graduation, but he capitalized on his training to become an examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington. In 1960, he earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
After serving in the Army and as a federal law clerk, Obermaier was hired as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in 1964. He handled narcotics, tax evasion, bribery, and organized crime cases.
From 1968 to 1970, Obermaier served as chief trial counsel in the New York office of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He became associate counsel to the Knapp Commission, which exposed police corruption in New York, in 1970. That same year, he co-founded Martin & Obermaier, a white-collar defense law firm.
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush nominated Obermaier as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he oversaw what is widely thought to be the most prestigious prosecutor’s office in the country. He served in the role until 1993, when he joined the firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. In 2006, he re-established Martin & Obermaier. He was a prolific writer and speaker, often appearing on television to give legal commentary.
Obermaier is survived by his wife, Patricia; his children, Thomas, Patricia, Joseph, and Karen; and seven grandchildren.
The following obituary, written by Hudson Dew ’26, ran in The Xavier Review in November.
Sirens and smoke were constants in Patrick Brady’s life, but for the people who knew him, it wasn’t the chaos of the job that defined him. It was the steady, unshakable sense of duty he carried everywhere he went. Brady, a 2001 Xavier graduate and firefighter with FDNY Ladder Company 120, died on November 8, 2025, while responding to a call on Kings Highway in Brooklyn. His passing left a gap that stretched far beyond the firehouse on Watkins Street and back through the classrooms and locker rooms where he first learned what service truly meant.
As a student, Brady had a way of pulling people in without ever trying. “Pat was a true man for others; he didn’t allow people to hang out on the fringe,” said Billy Maloney ’01, now a teacher at Xavier and one of Brady’s closest friends. “He wanted everyone together and feeling like they were part of something bigger.”
That instinct wasn’t for show. Brady crossed boundaries most high school kids never even see. “He was loved by all the social groups— the jocks, the academics, the artists, the band guys, the JROTC lads, the 2:40 club, the JUG boys,” Maloney said. “If we had a Prom King,
Pat would’ve given anyone a run for their money.”
And when people were struggling, he noticed. Maloney still remembers senior year, when family stress hit him hard. “He checked on me—and kept checking,” Maloney said. “It was the first time someone my age asked me about my feelings, and he meant it. That was Pat. He cared deeply.”
Chris Stevens ’83, who coached Brady on the JV football team, remembered the same thing—a tough player with a bigger heart. “He’d do anything to help his teammates or the team,” Stevens said. Off the field, Brady was the guy who made the room warmer just by walking in. After Xavier wins at Aviator Field, staff members often ended the night at The Harbor Light in Rockaway Beach, where Brady bartended. “Pat always took care of his fellow Xavier men,” Stevens said.
News of Brady’s death reached the Xavier coaches at that same bar as they celebrated a playoff win. It made the moment feel heavier, almost poetic. “It makes complete sense he passed trying to save others,” Stevens said. “That was who he was.”
At Ladder 120 in Brownsville—one of the busiest and tightest firehouses in the city— Brady found another brotherhood. Several Xavier alumni served alongside him, including Patrick O’Grady ’11 and Ryan Wunder ’07.
Battalion Chief Scott Coyne put words to what so many felt. “It is a position that touches everyone, and that is just what Pat did—that night, and with his life,” he said. “Nothing steered him. Nothing held him up. Patrick made his position, and Patrick touched everyone. He knew that everyone was relying on him.”
His loved ones saw the same thing. They described Brady as someone who lit up a room, a jokester with a larger-than-life presence, a man who gave more than he got and loved deeply— especially his parents and his wife, Kara. “It’s safe to say Pat was the apex Brady,” cousin Peter Brady said. “He had the unique ability to be the most popular, coolest guy with absolutely none of the ego.”
Family friend Bernadette Heeran didn’t mince words: “Pat was a man of his word, and if you
needed somebody to bail you out of jail, Pat was definitely at the top of your list.”
“Patrick’s heart will never stop,” Coyne said. “His love for life, happiness, laughter, and making this world a better place—that will be timeless.”
That truth showed in the days that followed. Hundreds of mourners lined Quentin Road outside Marine Park Funeral Home at his wake. Inside, Kara thanked them through heartbreak. “The 16 years we shared together were the best of my life,” she said. “Every story shared, every hug, and every kind word is helping us navigate the pain of losing my husband, my best friend, my rock, Patrick.”
Brady is survived by his parents, Dennis and Susan Brady; his wife, Kara; and his brothers, James—a Xavier graduate from the class of 1996—and Brian, both of whom serve courageously as FDNY firefighters. After his death, black and purple bunting was draped across Ladder 120 and Engine 231. “Pat Brady was one of our best,” FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said. “And we mourn the loss.”
During the funeral, FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker posthumously promoted Brady to Lieutenant. He spoke less like an official and more like a man changed by the stories he’d heard. “Some of you had Pat your whole lives. Others, like me, just got the gift in his passing,” Tucker said. “He has given me the keenest inside look at friendship, family, pain, loyalty—and most of all, what it means to be a member of the FDNY family.”
New York City First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro put it plainly: “When firefighters rush into burning buildings, they don’t ask who’s inside. They only care about saving lives. That is the definition of a hero. Patrick Brady was a hero.”
Brady’s story isn’t defined by how he died, but by how he lived—steady, fearless, rooted in service to others. From Rockaway to Brownsville, from Xavier’s fields to New York’s burning rooftops, he never stopped showing up when people needed him.
His legacy isn’t measured in years. It’s measured in the lives he lifted, the communities he strengthened, and the countless moments when he stepped forward without hesitation. Patrick Brady lived the words “man for others” throughout his life, and in spite of the fading sirens, that is what remains.
PATRICK BRADY ’01
In Memoriam
Alumni
Paul Higgins ’46, 11/1/25
William Michels, Jr. ’50, 4/16/25
Ralph Wuest ’50 P’75 ’77 ’79, father of Gregory Wuest ’75, Stephen Wuest ’77, and Christopher Wuest ’79, 12/31/24
Robert Hartig ’51, 4/5/25
Dr. James Walsh ’51, 9/6/25
Dr. George Shea ’52, 7/3/25
William Sink ’52, 9/25/22
Richard Cleary ’53, brother of James Cleary ’57† and Thomas Cleary ’57, 11/20/25
Otto Obermaier ’53, 9/26/25
Frederick Kreusch ’54, 8/5/25
Roger Haight, S.J. ’54, 6/19/25
Dr. Andrew Franzone ’54, 7/1/25
Dr. Alexander Aimette ’55, 1/19/23
Nicholas Burriesci ’56, 9/4/25
Arthur Fricke ’56, 5/7/25
Dr. Frank Cappelli ’57, 10/25/25
Nicholas Pinto ’57, 10/27/25
Dr. Joseph Coady ’58, 10/13/25
Thomas Hanlon ’58, 9/13/25
Malcolm Raimondo ’58, 2/7/22
Dr. Robert Scacheri ’58, 5/5/25
John Severino ’58, 11/3/25
Dr. William Duffy ’59, 8/19/25
Dr. Joseph Giordano ’59, 6/24/25
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Fitzpatrick, USAF (Ret.) ’59, 4/9/25
John Lloyd ’60, 7/1/24
Fred Piderit III ’60, 6/23/25
Robert Flynn ’61, 12/21/23
John DiGennaro ’62 P’93, father of Christian DiGennaro ’93, 9/4/25
Edwin Donnelly ’62, 7/6/25
Captain Peter Gaskin II, USN (Ret.) ’62, 7/12/25
Robert Karlovits ’62, 5/25/25
Dr. Myron Pawliw ’63, 4/17/25
John O’Connor ’64, 8/20/24
Paul Doersam ’65, 5/1/25
Dr. Michael Fanizzi ’65, 5/16/25
Gerald Slattery, Jr. ’65, 10/16/25
Paul Fenerty ’68, 2/19/23
Thomas Gleason ’68, 6/9/25
Robert Darin ’69, 10/2/25
Dale Hartophilis ’69, 9/18/25
Charles Guardia, Jr. ’71, 10/21/24
John Landers ’73, 6/22/25
Mark Brenneis ’77, 6/15/25
Thomas McCourt III ’82, 2/28/25
David Meehan ’84, brother of James Meehan, Jr. ’79, 8/7/25
Douglas Daudelin ’85, brother of Quentin Daudelin ’84 and Bart Daudelin ’87 P’20 and uncle of John Daudelin ’20, Thomas Daudelin ’20, and Isaac Daudelin ’20, 9/19/25
Gilbert Bien-Aime ’86, 8/5/22
Tyrone Powell ’86, 4/26/25
Michael Nolan ’87, brother of Robert Nolan ’84 and Brian Nolan ’90 and brother-in-law of Daniel Toner ’87, 11/12/25
William Battista ’88, brother of Brian Battista ’90, 9/13/25
Calogero Armandini ’00, father of Giulio Armandini ’00, 8/2/25
Patrick Brady ’01, brother of James Brady ’96, 11/8/25
Patrick Ngo ’03, 4/7/23
Parents
Florence Conetta P’68 ’71, mother of Ronald Conetta ’68 and Carl Conetta ’71†, 11/18/25
Michael Howley P’71 ’74, father of Michael Howley ’71 and Robert Howley ’74, 10/3/25
Anthony Donini P’79, father of Stephen Donini ’79, 6/13/25
Mary Wood P’81, mother of John Wood ’81, 7/14/25
Joseph Bardwil P’82 ’83, father of James Bardwil ’82 and David Bardwil ’83, 5/1/19
Ervin Salmo P’87 ’88, father of Elmer Salmo ’87 and Ervin Salmo, Jr. ’88, 7/10/25
James Benson P’88, father of James Benson, Jr. ’88, 9/6/25
Eileen Connelly P’88, mother of John Connelly ’88, 8/14/25
Connie DeNave P’88, mother of Christopher DeNave ’88, 5/5/25
James Riches P’89 ’91 ’00 ’03, father of James Riches ’89†, Timothy Riches ’91, Daniel Riches ’00, and Thomas Riches ’03, 11/27/25
Evangelina Cordova P’96 ’98 ’99 ’03, mother of Edgar Cordova ’96 P’25, Alejandro Cordova ’98, Ariel Cordova ’99, and Samuel Cordova ’03 and grandmother of Edgar Cordova ’25, 8/19/25
Rose Tully P’96, mother of Joseph Tully ’96, 11/5/25
James Edgell P’06 ’11, father of James Edgell ’06 and Christopher Edgell ’11, 1/7/25
David Campbell P’07, father of Seamus Campbell ’07, 1/25/25
Edward Powers P’08, father of Andrew Powers ’08, 5/11/25
Robert Nixon P’09 ’13, father of Robert Nixon ’09 and Gregory Nixon ’13, 5/26/25
Spouses
Dr. Kathleen Bruno, widow of Victor Bruno ’70† and sister of Thomas Murphy ’75 and Sean Murphy ’78, 11/19/25
Veronica McCarthy, widow of Daniel McCarthy ’71†, 7/25/25
Ann O’Dwyer, wife of Dr. Terry O’Dwyer ’54, 9/14/24
Ellen Wry, wife of Brann Wry ’59, 9/10/24
Faculty
Ann Barres, mother of faculty member Katherine Barres, 10/6/25
Glenn Petriello, father of former faculty member Dr. Joseph Petriello, 10/18/25
Br. Francis Turnbull, S.J., former faculty member, 7/15/25
“We
Are Pressing On”
BY CALLUM STREBIN ’26
I recently represented Xavier at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C., along with 11 of my peers. This annual gathering commemorates the lives of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador, who advocated for the poor and marginalized before being murdered alongside their housekeeper and her daughter in 1989. The 2,000+ student participants at the Teach-In were united in their hopes to create a better world— to open their hearts, listen, and learn.
For me, attending the Teach-In felt like a natural extension of the calling we share as Sons of Xavier shaped by Jesuit values. We are encouraged to go out and set the world on fire, and I saw this gathering as a chance to move beyond classroom discussions and hear directly from people whose lives are shaped by the issues we study. I wanted to understand these challenges more fully so I could return to Xavier better equipped to listen, lead, and work for justice.
The Teach-In was incredibly impactful for participants because it catered to so many areas of discussion. We heard from experts on human dignity, climate change, and immigration. Breakout sessions addressed a variety of social justice topics. I began by immersing myself in the stories of Homeboy Industries, an organization that gives opportunities to former gang members. I listened as members described the life-altering
guidance they received from Homeboy’s founder, Greg Boyle, S.J. Later, I supported fellow Sons of Xavier as they shared what they uncovered through the Holocaust Studies Program. My final session offered a sobering look at Alfred “Dewayne” Brown’s long fight for exoneration from Texas death row. Each session furthered the Teach-In’s overarching theme: “We are pressing on.” Fr. Boyle’s “homies,” Holocaust survivors, and people like Alfred Brown are individuals who were fortunate enough to escape a cycle of injustice. However, countless others who came before and after them were not so fortunate. We press on not only to help individuals gain the opportunity to better themselves. Rather, we press on to create a better future for all, press on to create a world that is peaceful and united, press on for the sake of doing what is right. The Teach-In fostered civil conversations about divisive topics with the overarching goal of achieving the common good.
The final day of the Teach-In is known as Advocacy Day, when participants bring what they’ve learned to the United States Congress. Xavier students worked with peers from across New York State to present our priorities in Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office. Our ideas about climate change and immigration reform aligned well with the senator’s, and her staffers were open and receptive to what we had to say. I came away from this opportunity understanding that change is possible, and that working for it starts with showing up. I will carry forward a clearer sense of responsibility to use my voice, my education, and my presence for the sake of those who are unheard.
I will carry forward a clearer sense of responsibility to use my voice, my education, and my presence for the sake of those who are unheard.”
Fr. Boyle put it best in his keynote speech when he said that our compassion doesn’t lie in the service we do, but in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with others. For me, the Teach-In was more than learning about issues of social justice that require attention; it was about the importance of a unified front composed of individuals with a strong bias for change. Issues like climate change and immigration are about more than fossil fuels or the asylum process; they’re about the people at the center who are most affected. The Teach-In was about listening, asking questions, and, on the most basic level, being willing— willing to hear what people need, willing to be as stubborn as hope, and willing to be stronger than the forces that repel justice. In short, willing to press on.
In the wake of the 1980 publication of the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation, Jesuit schools searched for tangible ways to help students embody its five pillars— to be open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice.
In 1982, seven faculty members formed a committee to consider two questions: What Xavier program would best foster opportunities for meaningful service to help students live out the Grad at Grad? And what program would be least disruptive to faculty and students while achieving those objectives?
The result was Xavier’s Christian Service Program, which was formally adopted during the 1982-83 academic year and continues to flourish today. For nearly 45 years, seniors have devoted their Mondays to service to the wider community and then reflected on that service during weekly discussion groups— one of Xavier’s most lasting traditions.
“It is Xavier’s hope that through direct personal contact with people in need, each senior will come to realize his potential and talents as a person as well as recognize his responsibility to serve others,” the committee’s proposal, pictured here, noted. “We agree with educators at the University of Vermont who feel that in a culture that is growing excessively obsessed with the self, young people today need to transcend themselves in achieving their identities, to commit themselves to causes and persons greater than their individual egos.”
1982
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