Serve With Humility, Pray With Trust

Liturgical selections for a prayer service. Sign-up sheets for Big X, Little x. Bins of clothes and personal necessities for CHiPS Women’s Shelter. And a sea of Clippers rotating throughout the day to come together and reflect, pray, and plan even more outreach in the local community.

For the Campus Ministry Department at Xaverian, that list doesn’t even cover half of the initiatives and events taken on in a day, let alone an entire school calendar. This year, Co-Campus Ministers John Dormer and Sal Tinervia ’97 set out to do what they do every year – strive for growth and learning marked by enduring personal relationships, stewardship for God’s creation, and foster environments where today’s Clippers can establish their character and moral development. Taking this on is no easy feat, with Xaverian’s enrollment higher than ever before, with a total number of students in grades 6-12 surpassing the 1,600 mark.

With the addition of two additional Campus Ministers this year, Mr. Pat Drexler ’07 and Ms. Martina Di Palma P ’19 ’22 ’27, the Campus Ministry Department has set out to continue Xaverian’s extensive retreat program and build upon the successes of previous service projects to reach even more people in need.

Live the Fourth

Perhaps one of the most popular retreats Xaverian has to offer is the Kairos Retreat. Kairos – Greek for “God’s time” is a student-facilitated weekend spiritual retreat that allows for purposeful reflection on relationships with God, self, and others. Called transformative by not just the students, but the faculty members who attend, Kairos has become a huge piece of the culture of Xaverian. Senior Cara Anderson ’23 recalls, “I actually didn’t have expectations because it’s important that you don’t know what’s going to happen, which is good because it allows you to shape your own experience. It really is incredibly spiritual and personal. I don’t think it would have had such an impact on me if I had known the program beforehand. What I got out of it, though, was more than I could’ve ever imagined. You come back with a family you may not have known that well before. It’s a bond that cannot be compared elsewhere.”

From Xaverian’s first Kairos in 2014, the Clippers have sent over 1,200 students to the retreat grounds at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, NY for a total of 24 retreats. All come back reenergized, and ready to “Live the Fourth.” The mantra, which undoubtedly has become