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Xavier at 175
Xavier
After nearly two years of pandemic-imposed social restrictions, another chapter in Xavier’s long, resilient history came to a close. Just on time, another more celebratory chapter opened—Xavier’s
at
n the morning of December 3, 2021—the Feast of St.
OFrancis Xavier, in Xavier’s 175th academic year—more than 1,000 students embarked on a pilgrimage unique to their city. Led by their teachers, Xavier’s youngest Sons fanned out in staggered departures on the F, M, and 6 trains, traveling from 16th to 50th Street to celebrate Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the heart of the Catholic Church in New York. To celebrate 175 years of Xavier’s service to the church, to the city, and to the nation.
“Our school has been around longer than even this grand cathedral,” Headmaster Kim Smith remarked as she welcomed the students, parents, alumni, and friends in attendance. “When Xavier High School began, there was farmland on this spot. And now, look at this beautiful testament to God’s enduring presence that stands here.”
The grandness of the occasion served as a testament to Xavier’s enduring presence, too. Timothy Cardinal Dolan served as principal celebrant, greeting and congratulating members of the faculty and staff as they entered the Cathedral in academic regalia. Joining him on the altar during Mass were 20 concelebrants, including Bishop Edmund Whalen and former Presidents Jim Keenan, S.J. and Daniel Gatti, S.J. ’59. Deacon Francis Orlando ’67 read the Gospel.
During the Mass, Student Leadership Council President Lenny Mannino ’22 and Cadet Colonel Giuseppe Quatela ’22 delivered the first reading and the prayers of the faithful, respectively. Colin DeMatteo ’22 served as cantor.
“Leading the congregation in song at St. Patrick’s Cathedral was such an incredibly special opportunity. First of all, singing in a space like that is really any singer’s dream. I remember being so incredibly excited, but I was also really nervous,” DeMatteo said. “I felt so lucky to have been chosen to cantor for such a special occasion at such a special place, so I would be lying if I said I wasn’t super intimidated, but once I started singing, I was
“How appropriate that you would come here to the mother church of the Archdiocese of New York, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, because Xavier has had a towering impact on the work of God’s church in these acres of the Lord’s vineyard.” — Timothy Cardinal Dolan
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Opposite page: Students sing the entrance hymn at the opening Mass of the 175th anniversary year. Above: 1. Cardinal Dolan waves to the congregation. 2. Cadet Colonel Giuseppe Quatela ’22 reads the prayers of the faithful. 3. Faculty and staff members process into St. Patrick’s Cathedral. 4. Dennis Baker, S.J. leads the assembled crowd in prayer at the New York Athletic Club after Mass. 5. Mike Puglisi ’68, center, at NYAC.
just overwhelmed by the joy of it all. It really felt like a once-in-alifetime opportunity, and I will always be so grateful I got to do it.”
Students had the rest of the day off after Mass, heightening the festive occasion. The celebrations reached a fever pitch when, during his closing remarks, Cardinal Dolan declared a Cardinal’s Holiday for students at a date to be determined in the spring.
“Students have always been at the heart of the work. That’s why we exist. That’s why John Larkin opened the doors,” President Jack Raslowsky reflected later. “A lot of anniversary events for organizations, and even for us, can be alumni events, so it was important for me to begin our celebration with the students. Students who were here during the 125th anniversary remember, ‘I was there when Fr. Arrupe was there.’ They remember that, and it’s an anchor for them. We want students to look back one day and say, ‘Remember when we had Mass with the Cardinal at St. Patrick’s? And we got the day off, and he gave us another day off?’”
s students departed for each of the five boroughs and
Afar beyond after Mass, members of the faculty and staff made their way to Central Park South, where they were fêted at the New York Athletic Club during a celebratory luncheon attended by trustees, regents, major benefactors, and friends.
Speakers included Board chair Paul Enright ’91, Jack Raslowsky, University of Scranton president Joseph Marina, S.J. (a former Xavier trustee and the one-time pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier), and Joseph Parkes, S.J., a former Xavier trustee who now serves as provincial assistant for pre-secondary and secondary education for the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus.
During his turn at the lectern, Fr. Parkes called Xavier “a true gem among the 829 Jesuit high schools around the world” as he traced our history and highlighted the achievements of alumni across generations.
“Xavier and Sons of Xavier have always led,” he said. “Your cherished alma mater has been a model of Jesuit education and has inspired countless other Jesuit high schools around the world to be true to the Ignatian vision of education—personal formation of students (religiously and socially) and a rigorous liberal arts and sciences education.”
Richie Battaglino ’67 P’96 attended the Mass and the luncheon that followed. He noted the long arc of Xavier’s history as he sat with Xavier’s first female headmaster, Kim Smith, at the New York Athletic Club nearly 60 years after he first set foot on 16th Street.
en days later, Xavier continued its anniversary
Tcelebration by kicking off the 175th Anniversary Conversation and Lecture Series, an effort to engage with topics of importance in our lives as citizens and people of faith. In his last weeks as Police Commissioner, after shepherding the New York Police Department through two of the most tumultuous years in its history, Dermot Shea ’86 visited Xavier to open the series.
In front of hundreds of students in Keenan Commons (with the rest of the student body watching from their homerooms due to COVID-19 precautions), Shea and Raslowsky engaged in a thoughtful discussion about leadership, law enforcement, police accountability, and the future of New York City.
“It was really nice to be back with the Xavier family, in a spot that didn’t exist when I was at Xavier. It was a great way to cap December and my career with the NYPD,” Shea reflected later. “I hope it helped students realize that conversations like this can happen—honest conversations where we hear each other and listen to each other. The last two years have been difficult times for the police department and for the city. It wasn’t just abstract things happening in faraway lands—these are real problems that we have to confront. In this case it was me leading, and one day it will be them.”
Since December, other series events have included virtual conversations with author and America editor-atlarge Jim Martin, S.J., Homeboy Industries founder Greg Boyle, S.J., and Lamp for Haiti founder Dr. James Morgan ’82 P’12. In April, former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr visited campus to speak with students about his career in law and government. This fall, speakers will include Bryan Massingale, S.J., the James and Nancy Buckman Chair in Applied Christian Ethics at Fordham University; businessman Mike Fernandez ’72, founder of the Immigration Partnership and Coalition (IMPAC) Fund; and other notables.
The 175th Anniversary Conversation and Lecture Series is part of an ambitious slate of anniversary events that will celebrate many areas of Xavier life. In honor of
— Joseph Parkes, S.J.
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Opposite page: The Mass concelebrants. Above: 1. Former New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea ’86 with Xavier students. 2. President Jack Raslowsky in virtual conversation with Homeboy Industries founder Greg Boyle, S.J. 3. Raslowsky in conversation with former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr.
the historically diverse geographical backgrounds of Xavier students, the 175th Anniversary New York Tour will travel to multiple destinations, beginning with Harlem, Brooklyn, and Yonkers. A July event at the New York Common Pantry will bring members of the Xavier community together in service to the city. In early September, Xavier will unveil an exhibition of archival items, many of which were donated by alumni over the past year; and in November, an event celebrating the Regiment and Xavier’s service to the nation will mark those important aspects of our school’s history.
Xavier is also partnering with America Media on several pilgrimages throughout our anniversary celebration. Jack Raslowsky traveled to Spain to walk in the footsteps of St. Ignatius in late April. Alumni are invited to participate in additional pilgrimages to Lourdes and Ignatian Paris in September and to the Holy Land next March.
The 175th anniversary celebration will reach its summit on December 3, 2022, when the entire community is invited to attend the 175th Anniversary Gala at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers. (For a complete list of anniversary events that have been scheduled, see page 49.)
For all of the anniversary festivities, it’s not an overstatement to say that for many—especially at a school at the heart of New York City in 2022— the biggest celebration is simply being together.
“I think the thing I will remember most about this 175th anniversary year is how special of a year it was, because the Xavier community was finally able to reunite. We’d spent two years in virtual and hybrid settings, and it felt so good to return to the Xavier I knew from my freshman and sophomore years,” DeMatteo said. “I’ve really felt doubly grateful for all the time I’ve gotten to spend at Xavier this year, because not only was it the end of virtual/hybrid learning, it was also my last year as a senior. This has truly felt like such a joyous year and such a good note on which to end my Xavier journey.”
