Answering the call:
Exploring Vocations
Spring 2014
Xavier MOMENT
The Knights distinguished themselves on the field at the 2013 Turkey Bowl.
TURKEY BOWL TRIUMPH Congratulations to the varsity football Knights! The Knights shut out the Fordham Prep Rams 33–0 in the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl, keeping the trophy at 16th Street for the second consecutive year. The game was held at Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn. “I’m really proud of the kids’ resilience,” said Head Football Coach Christopher Stevens ’83. “For them to lose three games and then jump back and win the last two like they did is huge.” A first-quarter interception by senior Robert Irimescu ’14 started the momentum for Xavier, after which senior William “Tre” Solomon ’14 ran for a whopping 222 yards on 32 carries that included four touchdowns. This star feat earned him the Presidents’ Trophy, presented to the Turkey Bowl’s Most Valuable Player, for the second year in a row. Tre’s final touchdown marked his 100th touchdown as a varsity Knight.
Xavier’s Mission
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ounded 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. XAVIER MAGAZINE
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From the PRESIDENT Dear Sons and Friends of Xavier, This Xavier Magazine is an invitation—in many ways, the longest and most important invitation you will ever receive from Xavier. For it asks you to consider, in deliberate ways, how God is calling you. It asks you to enter into contemplation and prayer in the midst of your very busy life; to think about who you are and who you want to be, however young or old, accomplished or not, you may be; to encounter God in your hopes, dreams and desires, and to live fully in those hopes, dreams and desires. It is an invitation to become more fully human, to be your best self, and, in doing so, to draw closer to God and to live the life—the vocation—that God calls you to live. It is an invitation to make choices each and every day that are life-giving and loving. It is, quite simply, an invitation to make the choices for ourselves that God makes for us each day. In the wrong hands, vocation discussions can be recruiting pitches for one state of life or another. Years ago, “Have you ever thought about a vocation?” meant, “Do you want to be a priest, brother or sister?” If the answer was “no,” the discussion was over. As important as our priests, brothers and sisters are, the work and spirit of the Second Vatican Council, and a growing understanding of our lives as people of God, has widened and deepened that discussion. As you read this magazine, I hope it will touch you as it did me. Throughout each of the vocation stories, we encounter evidence of God’s call—an invitation to depth and deliberateness, love and mercy, kindness and peace—in our relationships and the work we do. And we see the generous response of God’s people to that invitation as married couples, single men and women, Jesuits and parish priests. We are reminded that God’s “It is an invitation to become call does not happen once, but continuously. It is a call to live life in its fullness, and to draw closer to the God who creates and sustains us by more fully human, to be your doing so. And just as God’s call is continuous, so is our response. Xavier best self, and, in doing so, to has it greatest success when all her Sons and those touched by her work draw closer to God and to live embrace God’s constant call—and respond enthusiastically, lovingly and generously.
the life—the vocation—that God calls you to live.”
I am grateful to all who shared their stories, their journeys with God, to make this magazine possible, and to those who so capably wrote these stories. Be it in News from 16th Street or our Class Notes, or a story about a walk along the Camino, the work of John Courtney Murray ’20 or the inspiration of Francis, Bishop of Rome, everything you encounter in this edition touches on our vocation to live lives that are authentically human with a God who loves us and invites the best from us. We began Lent with the words of the prophet Joel, inviting us to return to God with all our being. As we enter into the joy of Easter, we do so certain of God’s constant invitation and love. Be assured, as well, of my prayers.
God’s blessings,
John R. Raslowsky President
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In this issue
Spring 2014
Spring 2014, Volume 17 Number 1 Xavier High School John R. Raslowsky President Michael LiVigni Headmaster Rev. John Replogle, S.J. ’51 Assistant to the President Joseph F. Gorski Vice President for Advancement Thomas Nugent ’09 Xavier Alumni Volunteer for Alumni Relations and Communications Editorial & Design Services Erbach Communications Group
16. 8. 22. 8.
THE XAVIER ROUNDTABLE: EXPLORING VOCATIONS The call to vocation is unique to each of us. Xavier Magazine explores the broad spectrum of vocation choices.
How to Reach Us Xavier Magazine Xavier High School 30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6302 e-mail: nugentt@xavierhs.org To submit a Class Note, e-mail classnotes@xavierhs.org
16. THE JESUIT WAY Fifty years apart, two Jesuits make Vatican history. 18. MAKING ROOM FOR GOD Meet members of the Xavier community who have come to an understanding of faith and Ignatian spirituality in their daily lives.
DEPARTMENTS 1. 2. 4. 24. 28. 30. 36.
Xavier Moment From the President News from 16th Street Advancing Xavier Maroon and Blue Class Notes Back Story
22. A JOURNEY OF THE SPIRIT: On the Camino de Santiago with Mike Fernandez ’72 and Jack Raslowsky.
On the cover: The call to vocation is unique to each of us. The Xavier roundtable explores the broad spectrum of choices.
24. A COMMITMENT TO XAVIER’S FUTURE The Larkin Legacy Society nears its goal of 25 new members.
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News from 16th Street
News from 16th Street
Meet the New Xavier Trustees The Xavier High School Board of Trustees welcomed five new members in 2013. While each brings a unique and valuable perspective, all share the same passion for lifelong learning and service to others.
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James Morgan, M.D. ’82, P’12 began a lifelong conversation about faith while still a student at Xavier. “The experience of Xavier is not a block of four years,” he said. “It’s part of a process and an ongoing relationship.” He views his trustee role as a new opportunity to continue that conversation. “Like any conversation, it’s two-sided. There’s opportunity for debate, for growth — both for me and, I hope, for Xavier, as I present unique perspectives.” Finding unique perspectives has never been a problem for Dr. Morgan. In 2006, he co-founded Lamp for Haiti, a medical clinic located in Cité Soleil, one of the most impoverished sections of Port au Prince. “We started, literally, with a backpack in an alleyway. Now we have a health center providing free medical care to 50 to 80 patients a day,” he said. Dr. Morgan completed his undergraduate and medical studies at Creighton University. He worked at St. Vincent’s Hospital during the 9/11 crisis, and has a thriving internal medicine practice in New Jersey. “I have a dichotomous career, half of which I like very much, is quite fulfilling and happens to bring in some money — the other half of which I love and is very fulfilling.”
At 35 years of age, and with 10 years as an educator under his belt, Rev. Peter Folan, S.J., still has the open mind and heart of a student. “I have a great opportunity as a Jesuit to learn from my lay colleagues on the Xavier board what it means to be a Jesuit,” he said. “It’s not just something that’s passed down from Jesuit to Jesuit. And I’d like to learn how to be a good trustee!” A Massapequa Park, N.Y., native and Chaminade High School alumnus, Fr. Folan attended Notre Dame, served for a year with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, earned a Master of Divinity and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Boston College, was ordained in 2013, and now serves as an associate pastor at Holy Trinity Church in Washington, D.C. He has taught sixth grade at Holy Trinity School, high school at Bishop McNamara in Forestville, Md., and philosophy at the University of Scranton. “Teaching helps me keep a foot in the young person’s world, which is something I hope to be able to bring to the board,” said Fr. Folan. “I’m excited to be joining the Xavier family,” he added. “I’ve long been an admirer of the school, but from a distance. I’m happy that distance has now been bridged.”
Author and educator Joan Countryman is one of the nation’s preeminent education advocates. She applies her expertise and passion in service to schools from Atlanta to South Africa. Raised in Philadelphia, Ms. Countryman was the first AfricanAmerican graduate of Germantown Friends School, where she later taught mathematics for 23 years. She received a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and a master’s from Yale University and studied at the London School of Economics as a Fulbright Scholar. She served as Head of Lincoln School in Providence, R.I., for 12 years until her retirement in 2005. Since her retirement, Ms. Countryman has been a consultant and Interim Head of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Meyerton, South Africa, led the Atlanta Girls’ School in Atlanta, Ga., and served as president of the Corporation and member of the Board of Managers for Haverford College. Her publications include Writing to Learn Mathematics (1992), “Is Gender an Issue in Math?” in Math and Science for Girls (1993) and Black Images in American Literature (1977).
Rev. Gregory C. Chisholm, S.J., was born in New York City and attended Catholic schools here. In fact, he competed against Xavier both in track and on the forensics team. Following a religious and educational journey that took him to London, Los Angeles, Detroit and Nairobi, he returned to New York in 2011 to serve as the 13th pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church. “When I returned to New York and visited Xavier,” he said, “I saw that an enormous change had taken place at the school; Xavier had emerged as one of the strongest Catholic high schools for boys in New York.” Fr. Chisholm has a vested interest in the success of Catholic high schools. “As Chairperson of the Manhattan Regional School Board for the Archdiocese of New York, I oversee 15 elementary schools. Frankly, I’m interested in getting my boys into Xavier!” Fr. Chisholm has a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from M.I.T. as well as a B.A. in philosophy and theology from the University of London and a licentiate in sacred theology from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology.
Michael O’Rourke ’91 freely admits that Xavier High School was all his parents’ idea. Now that he is Managing Director and Chief Market Strategist for JonesTrading, he sees the wisdom of the investment. “Going to Xavier was one of the most beneficial events of my life. My time there was extremely impactful in developing me into the man I am today,” he said. Mr. O’Rourke was so influenced by the Jesuit experience that he pursued his B.S. at the University of Scranton and his M.B.A. at Saint Joseph’s University. Since 2005, he has put the financial expertise he gained at firms including Goldman Sachs, the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, BTIG and Marshall Wace to work for his alma mater by serving on the Xavier Finance Committee. “When asked to serve, I do it willingly, enthusiastically,” he said. “I believe in Xavier.” Mr. O’Rourke sees his trustee role as a chance “to protect the tradition of Jesuit education for future generations, while moving the school forward.” Excited about the new construction at the school, he noted, “It’s rare that a school gets to expand its footprint in New York City. Future students will be very lucky.” Mr. O’Rourke is married with three sons — all destined to attend Jesuit schools.
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News FROM 16TH STREET
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GIVING BACK
Tom Nugent ’09
Steve Sanchez ’09
Xavier Magazine has always been for and, to an extent, by Sons of Xavier. Now, thanks to the Xavier Alumni Volunteers Program, this issue includes the personal touch of a very recent alumnus, Tom Nugent ’09, who coordinated interviews, meetings and photography. Mr. Nugent, along with classmates Steve Sanchez ’09 and Jose Miranda ’09, is spending a year in service to his alma mater while gaining valuable professional experience. A recent graduate of SUNY Geneseo, Mr. Nugent majored in communication with a minor in English. Since August, he has put that expertise to work for the Alumni Relations and Communications departments of the Advancement Office. The position, which calls for writing and photography, seems tailor-made to fit his skill set. “I did a lot of photography this year, especially for the Xavier E-News, and I did that also for my college newspaper.”
Jose Miranda ’09
The photography Mr. Nugent has been doing for Xavier sports may be the start of a freelance portfolio. “I’d rather do something I enjoy and not make a lot of money than do something I don’t have a lot of interest in,” he said. He offered advice to his juniors. “Always be willing to take on a new responsibility,” said Mr. Nugent, “even if it seems intimidating or time-consuming. As you start actually doing the work, you’ll get more proficient. You’ll get into your element with it.” Mr. Sanchez sees the divergence between his studies for a degree in criminal justice from the University of Delaware, and his responsibilities at Xavier in the Advancement Office as a benefit. “It’s important, in these economic times, to get as much experience in as many areas as possible,” he said. Mr. Sanchez played football throughout his Xavier career, and
now shares what he learned on the gridiron as a junior varsity football coach. He also coaches rugby and is in charge of Senior Giving. “I’m grateful to Xavier because the school makes you feel so comfortable,” he said. “This experience is providing a great transition into the actual world.” After graduating from the Macaulay Honors College of CUNY, where he enjoyed a fouryear scholarship, Jose Miranda chose to volunteer at Xavier for a year because, “I felt that, while I was here, my talents and skills were nurtured.” Now, as an admissions counselor, Mr. Miranda has a direct opportunity to help other young men discover the nurturing environment of Xavier. “I worked in retail through college,” he said, “and I think that salesmanship is also of use here. Part of my job is to relate my personal experience at Xavier, and tie that in to the mission of Xavier.” He also helps coach indoor and outdoor track. In his limited free time, Mr. Miranda is applying to law school. “I wasn’t sure what to do between college and law school,” he says. “This is a great place to be when you’re figuring things out.”
REPORTING FOR DUTY Two exceptional JROTC cadets have taken prominent leadership positions at Xavier. From left, Regimental Commander CDT/COL Benjamin Heni ’14 and CDT/1LT Nnamdi Nwaokorie ’14, who is also Student Council President.
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SPEECH AND DEBATE GROWING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS Xavier’s Speech and Debate Team is currently in the midst of an outstanding season. The team saw a 50 percent increase in its numbers since last year, going from about 20 students to just over 30 this year. The team’s season spans much of the school year, and the strongest focus this season has been congressional debate. Team Coach Edward Walsh looks forward to growth in other areas as well. “One of my goals this year was to increase the interpretive categories, and we have many more students competing in dramatic performance and oral interpretation,” he said. The team’s growth in numbers has been accompanied by greater commitment on the part of the students. Walsh said, “Every year, the students on the team are more and more dedicated.” He noted that parents and alumni often participate by judging at competitions. “Their help is always appreciated,” he said. The team looks forward to sending students to both State and National championships later this spring.
Welcome, Class of 2018! 280 Expected to Enroll in September 2014 16th Street was flooded with future Sons of Xavier on March 5 for the official registration for the class of 2018. “The registration process went particularly well, and the dedication of our faculty and parent volunteers was a primary reason for the success of the event,” said Jonathan Cambras, Director of Admissions.
Class of 2018 by the numbers:
1,276: Total applications 280: Enrolled for September 2014 50: Ignatian Scholars 62.8%: from Catholic grammar schools
HEAD Xavier’s Speech and Debate Team at the Sr. Raimonde Service Tournament, hosted by Xavier on October 26, 2013. Members pictured: Joseph DuCongé ’15, James Raleigh ’14, Joseph Papeo ’16, Soheb Sheikh ’15, Nicholas Cabrera ’15, Jean-Alfred Frederic ’16, Hansen Han ’15, Liam Coles ’15, James Gallagher ’14, Joel Rodriguez ’15, Max Hendricks ’17, Jose Vila ’14, Liam Jeffries ’17, Gianluca Milea ’15, Connor Mulvena ’16, coach Edward Walsh, Bill Gallagher ’95, Jeremy Norris ’98, Don Hooper ’97 and John Fernandez ’95.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE Right: The 253rd St. Patrick’s Day Parade saw Xavier President Jack Raslowsky and Headmaster Michael LiVigni sporting beautiful sashes donated by Xavier regents Frank Comerford ’73, Grand Marshall of the parade in 2012, and Kevin McLaughlin ’74, in memory of his parents. Bottom: Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, enjoys a display of fitness by the Raiders.
Where do they come from? 5.48% from the Bronx; 28.77% from Brooklyn; 3.42% from Long Island; 23.97% from Manhattan; 5.48% from New Jersey; 24.32% from Queens; 6.16% from Staten Island; 2.4% from Westchester. XAVIER MAGAZINE
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Cover STORY
Exploring Vo Xavier Roundtable (L to R): Joseph Petriello, Ph.D., Margaret Murphy, Rev. Charles Frederico, S.J., Steven Noga and Luciano Lovallo.
The concept of vocation, so central to Catholic faith, is also very personal. When and how we hear a call to vocation is unique to each of us, as is our response. Xavier Magazine sat five educators down for a roundtable discussion on the broad spectrum of vocations — from the priesthood to living life in its fullness — and how Xavier plays a role in preparing young men to hear the call. 8.
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Xavier Magazine: Today we’re looking not just at religious vocation, but vocation in the larger sense. How has the notion changed over the last 10 or 20 years? Fr. Frederico: As a Jesuit I think that part of our mission has always been to help foster a vocation…to help men and women live up to the gifts that they have been given by God. We’ve become more explicit about helping young people get to the interior light of what it is that God is calling them to do and living from that. That’s really come out of the change in the way the Society of Jesus looks at The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. We educate from the premise of getting in touch with what God has created. If that includes a religious vocation or some other vocation, the key is getting in touch with who God has called each person to be, the best of who he or she is. Mr. Noga: The question about being called to a certain state in life — married, religious — it’s impossible if you don’t start with the question, “What are you finding out about what God really truly desires for you and what does the world need?”
“We educate from the premise of getting in touch with what God has created.”
cations
Dr. Petriello: We could look at vocations as that literal calling and then responding to God’s call. Where are you most fully alive and where are you able to reveal God’s love most fully to those whom you’re called to love? How does that ripple out into the needs of the world? It’s not just “What is my vocation?” but “What is my vocation for?” It always has to be outwardly directed in the service of others, in ways that we reveal Christ to one another. Mr. Lovallo: We use the term “calling” with vocations; you can’t receive that call unless you’re listening. Maybe that’s
OUR ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS: Rev. Charles Frederico, S.J. — Director of Vocations for the Maryland, New England and New York Provinces of the Society of Jesus. Luciano Lovallo — Dean of Academics, Mr. Lovallo has been with Xavier a total of seven years. Margaret Murphy — Director of Annual Giving and the Alumni Volunteer Program, Ms. Murphy has been at Xavier for three years. Steven Noga — A freshman religion teacher, Mr. Noga has been at Xavier for 12 years. Joseph Petriello, Ph.D. — Chair of the Religion Department, Dr. Petriello has been at Xavier for 12 years.
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Exploring VOCATIONS
Rev. Charles Frederico, S.J.
how it has changed: this emphasis on pausing, reflecting, discerning and listening to the people that God has placed in your lives. Ms. Murphy: We help our students to hear that invitation to vocation. In Theology of Ministry they asked us, “Do you consider the work that you do to be a vocation?” And I said, “Sure.” I was going to be a banker — nothing wrong with that — but I was miserable. And I was finding all this joy coming into the Nativity Mission Center. Luckily, I had people in my life who asked me, “What is that telling you?” My parents were the first to say, “If you don’t want to do this, don’t do it. Are you praying about it?” But changing careers is scary. They said, “That’s okay.” I’m working with students that don’t necessarily have the kind of support my parents gave me. I think that’s our role: letting people know it’s okay to be scared with an invitation to vocation. Dr. Petriello: Joy is a key point. Where are you most joyful? Because that’s the place where God’s desires and your desires meet. Our responsibility as Ignatian educators and as people working with young men and women is to create the time and space for them to listen to where God’s calling them. Fr. Frederico: Ignatian spirituality requires stepping back and being able to listen to input from people we love, people who are important to us, like our teachers and 10.
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Luciano Lovallo
our coaches. I describe it all the time as the “listening heart.” How are we hearing where God is speaking to our heart and how is God calling us to live from our heart for others?
“I think you have to be authentic with students. Not just in the listening, but in what we share about our lives and how we speak.” Xavier: How do you help students discern what God is saying to them? Dr. Petriello: I think you have to be authentic with students. Not just in the listening, but in what we share about our lives and how we speak. That happens when I’m in a classroom teaching seniors in the social justice course or the Ignatian spirituality course; it happens when I help as a retreat director or if I’m working with them in Tennessee or Mexico on a service trip. Fr. Frederico: I am convinced that the best thing that we can do at any one of our institutions is to help teach the Examen. It’s the five-step prayer of Saint Ignatius that really helps someone get in touch with how God is present in his or her life on a day-to-day basis. It’s essentially an inventory where one looks at their life from
Cover STORY
RITE OF PASSAGE
Margaret Murphy
an objective standpoint within their personal relationship with God — where have I turned toward God and where have I turned away from Him? Mr. Lovallo: I would add that I think it really is important for the students to experience the passion that we have for our work. Just seeing people that are happy where they are in life and experiencing joy. Xavier: Has anyone had an experience in which you could almost feel the light bulb go on? Fr. Frederico: When I was teaching at Scranton Prep, it became very clear very quickly that when you show the students respect and that they matter — not just in the classroom, but at their sporting events or on their retreats — it shows that you’re taking an interest in their well-being. You become a bridge builder between them and their parents. It was bigger than the algebra I was teaching. Mr. Lovallo: I think this is a profession where there isn’t much instant gratification, but the real joy happens when you’ve been at it for awhile; you’re at the alumni event and those kids come back. It’s a joy watching some of those guys that I taught 12 years ago, seeing where they are now and the pride that they have. Dr. Petriello: All of a sudden I’ll get a Facebook message from a student from seven years ago who says, “I know
Kairos retreat shapes futures Translated from Greek, Kairos means “God’s time.” It is also the name of the voluntary junior year retreat which, in the course of two decades, has emerged as a rite of passage for many Xavier High School students. “There’s a kind of culture of Kairos that gets passed down to students,” said Xavier Chaplain Rev. Ralph Rivera, S.J., after he returned from a recent four-day retreat, which is held several times throughout the academic year. He said that although participants can go for the wrong reasons (who doesn’t want to miss four days of classes?), ultimately they are transformed by the experience, “If they are free enough to enter into the retreat.” A number of significant things happen during Kairos. After cell phones, watches and outside distractions are put away, small group prayer, conversation, group activities and a few surprises demonstrate to students the many ways God is active in their lives. Close bonds form among the 30 participants, as students share personal experiences and discover common questions, doubts and hopes. “It basically works because it allows the kids to learn from each other how God is working in their lives,” said Fr. Rivera. That process of self-discovery, which is facilitated by five senior student leaders and five adult leaders who provide a support role, can also be a powerful turning point for students. “Kairos is, in many ways, a story about coming of age in a Catholic Jesuit high school where students begin to see that God is not an abstraction,” Fr. Rivera continued. “It opens them up, and that’s important to vocation. Vocation is all about what God is calling you to.” Participants may not have all the answers after Kairos, but greater self-awareness is an important step in identifying a vocation. “Students will certainly be able to make more informed choices based on a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationship with God,” said Fr. Rivera. “It helps them come to terms with, ‘What do I want?’”
Xavier Chaplain Rev. Ralph Rivera, S.J. XAVIER MAGAZINE
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Exploring VOCATIONS
Steven Noga
Joe Petriello, Ph.D.
I was a real pain in class.” I won’t remember any of that, but then he tells me how he buckled up in college and now he’s working and getting engaged next month and just wants to thank me for being a positive influence on his life. If we’re talking about recognizing our gifts and responding to God’s call, we should always respond with gratitude, and when our guys share some of that gratitude with us we can encourage them to continue to share that gratitude with God.
Mr. Noga: It’s rarely, if ever, just a single event, and it’s such a slow process. Part of the challenge of being an educator is to set them free to have that realization when it’s appropriate for them.
“They are loved in this place; they are literally called by name as they walk in the door.” Ms. Murphy: It is certainly the same with my Cristo Rey kids. I will get emails from them and I think the most important thing we gave them was love. That’s not to minimize their families’ love; Mom and Grandma and five aunts were working two jobs to send them there for $60 a month. While not all of our Xavier guys are socioeconomically disadvantaged, there are a lot of disadvantages and challenges going on at home for some. I feel confident saying for the majority of them, this is a safe space. They are loved in this place; they are literally called by name as they walk in the door. 12.
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Xavier: What role does love play in finding your vocation? Fr. Frederico: I come from a very close-knit Italian Catholic family. My family taught me how to pray, taught me what it means to be loved. There comes a point where we begin to search for our happiness and sometimes parents or family members look and say, “Well, that’s not what we intended.” I’ll never forget my dad’s turning point. Thirty-five kids came to my first vows in Syracuse, N.Y. These were freshmen that I taught. They got their families to arrange to get them up to Syracuse. My dad went up to them and said, “Are you here for Chuck? Well, I’m big Chuck and I’m damn happy you’re here.” And my dad bawled his eyes out when I professed my vows because that was the moment when he saw that this was actually living in me and out of me. This is what God wanted me to do. Dr. Petriello: When I reflect on the connection between vocations and love, it’s hard not to think about my wife and my four kids. With my oldest, Sophia, I recall the nurse saying, “Are you ready to feed your daughter?” and I’m saying, “No, but give me the bottle because I
Right Cover Side STORY HEADLINE have no choice,” and watching them grow and watching what gives them life and the privilege of sitting on their beds and teaching them how to pray the Our Father, how to pray the Hail Mary. Mr. Lovallo: The battle is freedom vs. responsibility. If you can find the right combination it’s tremendously fulfilling. Vocation: hearing that call, your life is so fulfilled, so rich, there’s no emptiness there. Dr. Petriello: Someone shared a story of how a veteran faculty member at a Jesuit school had a message taped above his mirror. It simply said, “Today was a good day in the service of God’s people.” That was what he started his day with, that’s what he ended his day with. As we look at vocation in the broad sense, whatever we do, we do so joyfully and in the service of God’s people.
“The battle is freedom vs. responsibility. If you can find the right combination it’s tremendously fulfilling.” Fr. Frederico: I worked in the cancer wing at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, Calif. I asked a sister I worked with, “How do you do this?” She said, “Chuck, every day I walk out of that hospital and I say, ‘Alright, God, they’re in your hands. I’ve done what I can do for you and for them, help me be the best that I can be.’” When I meet with a guy to consider the Society of Jesus, my number one priority is to help him find freedom. I want to help the guy understand how it is that God is speaking to his heart and how it is that He’s asking him to serve. You can’t do it without freedom. You can’t do it without handing it over and letting God work in and through and around you. It’s a privilege to be in the position to say to the Provincial, “Yeah, I think this guy should be a Jesuit.” That’s sacred and I don’t take it lightly. Mr. Noga: The heroic leader who inspired me most was not a teacher. He was a burn surgeon for whom my mom worked for. To see someone so committed to a team approach to care — not curing, but caring. He helps people heal in mind, body and spirit. He’s 85 years old, he still goes in and does his weekly checkups with people. That is incredibly inspirational to me and, for him, it emerged out of a desire to serve the poor that came out of his Catholic faith.
THE MARRIAGE COURSE John P. Foley P’77 ’79 ’81 ’84 ’86 is a very patient man. Now semi-retired, Mr. Foley taught religion and the seminal “Marriage, The Family and Christianity” course at Xavier for nearly 30 years. He understands that important lessons about love and relationships are best learned over time. “I am a teacher, and any teacher knows that what he or she teaches is not necessarily learned in the time period allotted,” said the father of five. Over the years, however, generations of Xavier men (and their wives) have expressed appreciation for the senior-year course that is better known on 16th Street as “the marriage course.” “I know that ‘something stuck’ when I meet former students much later and they thank me for helping them to become faithful husbands and caring fathers,” said Mr. Foley. The Xavier Hall of Fame member continues to teach philosophy at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City. “Marriages are not made in heaven but in the here and now,” he said. While some aspects of “the marriage course” remained constant over the years — the covenant with God remains the model for all human relationships — the course had evolved to examine the nature of the sacrament and explore marriage as a vocation. Mr. Foley pointed out that relationships are ongoing experiences, and marriage, “is a calling to a relationship, freely made in the face of unknown future situations. They are answering each other’s call to ‘follow me!’” Many Sons of Xavier remember, and continue to use, the “Four Great No’s in Life” from Mr. Foley’s class, inspired by Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?, which explains that more often than not, the obstacle to love isn’t hate, but fear of self-revelation. Mr. Foley often addressed this using the “Four Great No’s:”
FOUR GREAT NO’S No one makes you learn…but there will be those who invite you to grow in knowledge. No one makes you forgive…but there will be those who need your forgiveness and those from whom you need to ask forgiveness. No one makes you believe…but there will be those who call you to commit yourself to the God who freely created you to care for others. No one makes you love…but there will be those who need your love and those who will offer you their love. XAVIER MAGAZINE
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Exploring VOCATIONS
Embracing Slowness and Silence Alex Lavy’s Encounter with The Spiritual Exercises Alex Lavy takes being an Ignatian educator seriously. He had gone on some eight-day retreats over the past few years, but last summer he decided to make the 30day retreat of The Spiritual Exercises that is central to Jesuit formation and Ignatian spirituality. That is not to say he was always comfortable with a month-long retreat. On the train from the airport to El Retiro San Inigo, the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos, Calif., he wondered, “Can I just get out of this now?” “At first I thought there was no way I could possibly do this for a month,” said Mr. Lavy, a physics teacher at Xavier for 10 years. “I approached it with a lot of fear. But I knew it was the right time for it.” The Spiritual Exercises are a four-part series of meditations, prayers and contemplative practices developed by Saint Ignatius Loyola to help people deepen their relationship with God. For centuries the Exercises were most commonly given as a “long retreat” of about 30 days in solitude and silence. In recent years, there has been a renewed emphasis on The Spiritual Exercises as a program for laypeople. “So many different characters that I have known — and characters is not an overstatement — had such
Mr. Lavy with students in physics class
positive things to say about the retreat,” said Mr. Lavy. “People who are different in every way that humans can be different said universally that they had experienced an intimacy that they had never, never expected.” For Mr. Lavy, two aspects of the retreat stood out: slowness and silence.“The slowness is real, and it’s infectious. There was a point where I noticed I was walking slower than a New Yorker does. I wasn’t in a hurry. That was something that it took time to reconcile
Vocations resources: exploring God’s call and our response In print Awakening Vocation: A Theology of Christian Call by Edward P. Hahnenberg — Inspired by the vision of Vatican II, the book traces the history of Catholic reflection on vocation and offers a constructive proposal for the present. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker J. Palmer — The book’s title is a time-honored Quaker admonition, usually taken to mean “Let the highest truths and values guide everything you do.” Palmer reinterprets those words. “Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it,” he writes, “listen for what it intends to do with you...” Operating from a different tradition and with 14.
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somewhat different language, Palmer explores issues of discernment and call in our lives. The great spiritual writers of our times — Rev. Tony de Mello, S.J., Rev. Jim Martin, S.J. and Thomas Merton — all provide new insight into God’s call and our response. On the web www.ignatianspirituality.com — A project of Loyola Press, with very fine information on Ignatian prayer, the Examen and the spiritual life. Many of the resources on the site can be adapted for family use. http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/ CollaborativeMinistry/online.html — The online ministries program of Creighton University with online
Cover STORY myself to, that there was nothing to accomplish. I wasn’t being graded or judged. If I sat down to pray and I felt centered and had a wonderful encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, great. And if not, just as great. “And then there was the silence, an interior silence. I find that silence is something that I can carry with me even when I am not being silent or praying.” Saint Ignatius writes that just as walking and running are exercises for the body, so this series of prayers and meditations are exercises for the soul. Mr. Lavy said he felt the results. “Every week my spiritual director asked me to look back in my journal,” he recalled. “The first week I thought, ‘This is amazing, I can’t imagine this getting any better,’ and really being worried. Then, at the end of the second week, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, there’s such an abundance.’” Mr. Lavy said slowing down in silence led him to accept each moment of life as a gift. “You become aware that everything about you is a gift. Either you give the gift or you bury it. Everything is a gift. So my very life becomes a living out of God’s grace to me.” The retreat is full of surprises, said Mr. Lavy. He had a poignant and powerful encounter one day praying in the chapel. “It was something that I could not have made up: the sense of peace and the realness of it. It was one of the five or six times in my prayer life that I started crying. When people ask me about the retreat, the best way I can say it is, ‘It was real.’ And maybe that was the biggest surprise. It struck me in a deeper place than I’d ever noticed before.”
retreats, prayer and resources for deepening spiritual life.
XAVIER ALUMNUS ORDAINED EPISCOPAL BISHOP On May 4, 2013, Rev. Canon William H. Stokes ’75 was elected 12th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey from a field of nine nominees. “I am grateful to the people of the diocese for their confidence, support and prayers. I am grateful, above all, to God in Christ who has called me and walked with me throughout my journey,” Bishop Stokes said. He also expressed gratitude that he passed through Xavier High School on his journey to Trenton’s Trinity Cathedral. The son of actively Episcopalian parents, young Chip Stokes’s dreams of a military career drew him to Xavier and its well-respected JROTC program. “That’s how I got in and why I went,” said Bishop Stokes. “I am still thankful for the JROTC program. I got a great education, for which I am deeply thankful.” After Xavier, Bishop Stokes attended Manhattan College — twice. He dropped out in his junior year to pursue a career in the restaurant industry and returned to the Christian Brothers institution in 1986 to complete his bachelor of arts with a 4.0 average in his final year, majoring in English and world literature. In 1987, he matriculated to the General Theological Seminary and earned his Master of Divinity in 1990. Even so many years removed from Xavier, Bishop Stokes credits his Jesuit education for helping him fulfill his educational goals. “First of all, the critical thinking that is part of the ethos at Xavier High School has been a great gift to me. I wasn’t a great student to begin with, but Xavier taught me how to be a student,” he said. Bishop Stokes was officially ordained and consecrated Bishop of New Jersey on November 2, 2013. He and his wife, Susan, have four children.
www.sacredspace.ie/— A project of the Irish Jesuits with daily prayer and retreat resources. In conversation Conversation about our spiritual lives can help to deepen our faith, better understand God’s call and respond more readily to that call. Xavier stands ready to assist in such conversations, with Jesuits and lay faculty who are open to initial conversations and who can refer you to others for spiritual direction, conversation or information. Your local parish is happy to do the same. At Xavier, please contact Xavier President Jack Raslowsky, Rev. Jack Replogle, S.J. ’51 or Rev. Ralph Rivera, S.J. for assistance.
The Rt. Rev. Bishop William H. Stokes ’75 XAVIER MAGAZINE
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The Jesuit WAY
50 Years Apart, Two Jesuits Make The Son of Xavier who helped change the course of the Church — and the world Fifty years ago, Roman Catholic priests turned around and began facing their congregations at Mass and started conducting the liturgy in the languages of their parishioners. Laity became partners in ministry and the sweeping reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) opened the Catholic Church to the modern age. Here on 16th Street, the anniversary of Vatican II holds special significance, since one eminent Son of Xavier, Rev. John Courtney Murray, S.J. ’20 was the theologian chiefly responsible for the “Declaration on Religious Liberty” (1965), a seminal document that affirmed religious liberty as a right found in the dignity of each person and declared that no one should be forced to act against their beliefs. Georgetown University Theology Professor Rev. John W. O’Malley, S.J., said the decree represented a major turning point for Church-state relations. Standard teaching remained suppressive because it was mired in 19th century political volatility of Catholic nations in Europe and Latin America. In What Happened at Vatican II, Fr. O’Malley wrote that the “Declaration on Religious Liberty” not only took a more liberal view
to reflect contemporary realities, but also reached back in time. “The decree jumped over the 19th century for two perennial truths,” he told Xavier Magazine. “One, the primacy of conscience, and two, the act of faith must be free, it cannot be coerced.” Fr. Murray was born in 1904, three blocks from Xavier High School. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1920, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston College and was ordained to the priesthood in 1933. After completing a doctorate in theology, he joined the faculty of the Jesuit seminary Woodstock College. He wrote and lectured extensively on issues of religion in a pluralistic society and, by the mid 1950s, his progressive views had established him as an important, but controversial, thinker. Censored for a period by his superiors, Fr. Murray’s writings found a broader audience with the publication of We Hold These Truths: Reflections on the American Proposition (1960), a collection of essays that The New York Times called, “The most significant Roman Catholic statement on American Democracy ever published.” John F. Kennedy’s Catholic faith was a central issue in the presidential race of 1960 and, weeks after Kennedy
was elected, Fr. Murray landed on the cover of TIME magazine. “At that point, Murray starts to emerge as a hero,” Fr. O’Malley said. “When the bishops came to the Council they were hot on getting a statement [on religious liberty] more on what Murray had outlined.” Excluded from the first session of Vatican II, Fr. Murray was asked to serve as peritus (expert) at the following three sessions, where his influence was pivotal in both the drafting and the Council’s ultimate endorsement of Dignitatis Humanae, the fundamental right to religious liberty, which profoundly changed the Church’s understanding of itself, its mission and its relations with other faith communities. Theologians, including Fr. O’Malley, agree that Fr. Murray’s contributions at Vatican II led to a Catholic Church that is more engaged with social justice issues and the promotion of human rights. “It’s extremely important,” Fr. O’Malley said. “The decree on religious liberty along with two decrees on humanism and nonChristian religions gave the Church a new job description.” Fr. Murray died of a heart attack in 1967 and was enshrined into the Xavier Hall of Fame in 1972.
Suggested Reading We Hold These Truths: Reflections on the American Proposition (Sheed & Ward Classic, reprinted 2005) by John Courtney Murray, S.J. 16.
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(New edition features an introduction by Peter Lawler, Dana Professor of Government at Berry College).
Religious Liberty: Catholic Struggles with Pluralism ( John Knox Press, 1993) by John Courtney Murray, S.J., edited by J. Leon Hooper, S.J.
Right Side HEADLINE
Vatican History Pope Francis makes his mark When white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney on March 13, 2013, few expected that the election to the papacy of a Jesuit from the Southern Hemisphere would eventually be considered the least of the surprises in store from the Vatican. In fact, in just 10 months, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, S.J., now known as Pope Francis, had made such a powerful impression on the international stage that TIME magazine named him Person of the Year. In August 2013, a candid 12,000-word interview with the pontiff in America magazine addressed topics including the role of women in the Church, Vatican hierarchy, homosexuality, abortion and ecumenism. Amidst the sea of opinion and interpretation that followed, one piece of advice surfaced again and again: Read the article yourself. Then sit with it. Pray about it. Read it again.
Bridging the Sacred and Secular: Selected Writings of John Courtney Murray (Georgetown University Press, 1995) edited by J. Leon Hooper, S.J.
We have asked a number of Xavier students and faculty to read and reflect on the interview, then solicited their thoughts on this excerpt: “I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.” Kaija DeWitt, Director of Campus Ministry, responded, “The Pope is saying, ‘I’m a sinner, who lives in God’s grace and limitless mercy.’ Is there a better way to approach a teenage boy, who lives in a jumble of all kinds of feelings of sinfulness or guilt? “It offers a solid, practical approach both in the classroom and personally, saying to them, ‘You’re loved, immensely.’ We talk about some pretty dicey things in ethics class, and to have the Pope say, ‘We’re all sinners’ enables us to start the discussion with the inherent dignity of people who are loved by God.” “Hearing words of such humility and compassion from the man who represents the Catholic Church reaffirms the Jesuit ideals we are being taught at Xavier,” said Jimmie Raleigh ’14. “He truly comprehends the significance of human dignity, something that the students and faculty of Xavier High School immensely value.” “When the Pope identified himself as a sinner, he meant it,” said What Happened at Vatican II (Harvard University Press, 2008) by John W. O’Malley, S.J. “The Legacy of Vatican II,” marking the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican
The selfie that blew up Twitter: Pope Francis poses with young visitors to the Vatican, August 29, 2013.
Rev. James Croghan, S.J., rector of the Xavier Jesuit Community. “It was not a rhetorical device. I think Pope Francis echoed very clearly what the Jesuit 32nd General Congregation reminded all Jesuits of in 1975: ‘What is it to be a Jesuit? It is to know that one is a sinner, yet called to be a companion of Jesus as Ignatius was.’ “Pope Francis is not afraid to look at the reality of sin in his own life and history and in the life and history of the world in which we live, and he speaks a clear Gospel message of God’s mercy in response to our sin.” America’s interview with the pope is available at http://americamagazine. org/pope-interview, and as A Big Heart Open to God: A Conversation with Pope Francis, wherever books are sold. Council and the 150th anniversary of Boston College, features David Hollenbach, S.J., on “John Courtney Murray, S.J., at Vatican II — and after.” The taped symposium can be viewed online at bc.edu. XAVIER MAGAZINE
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Feature STORY
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Making Room
for God They have demanding jobs, heavy course loads and plenty of responsibilities. Meet three Xavier alumni and one graduate parent who came to a deeper understanding of faith and Ignatian spirituality by making prayer, service and reflection a daily part of their lives.
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A Practical Way to Pray Tom Wierzbowski ’00 has a commute most would envy. Just a 10-minute car ride from the Brooklyn public high school where he teaches 10th grade English, Mr. Wierzbowski furthers his personal prayer life on the morning drive by using the app Pray As You Go. The mobile software, produced by Jesuit Media Initiatives, combines music, scripture and questions for reflection that Mr. Wierzbowski describes as “a nice and manageable way to explore faith on a deeper level.”
Sharing Faith The days can be long for Michael Powis ’11, a full-time student at Saint Joseph’s University with a part-time job managing a local Pinkberry frozen dessert restaurant. Yet faith remains an integral part of college life, whether he is serving as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist for weekly Mass, helping at-risk kids with homework at the Northern Home for Children or facilitating Koinonia, a weekly group that meets for faith-sharing, prayer and discussion of significant life issues. Serving as a Koinonia group leader is especially gratifying for Mr. Powis, who attended and then led Kairos retreats while a student at Xavier. “We grew very close on Kairos,” he recalled. “I think it showed that each and every one of us had problems in our own lives and that no one was going through the stress of high school or the college process alone.”
“One of the best ways to live out your faith is coming together in community to talk to one another.” Lauriann and Tom Wierzbowski ’00.
Finding practical ways to grow in faith has been a priority for some time. “I went to Catholic school my whole life,” Mr. Wierzbowski explained. “We’re indoctrinated with the teachings of the Church and that’s one level of faith. I’m interested in taking all that doctrine and seeing what it means in real life.” He began with a book of daily meditations when he was director of admissions at Xavier and moved on to Catholic apps like Laudate and Pray As You Go.
“I’m interested in taking all that doctrine and seeing what it means in real life.” Last summer, the Xavier alumnus completed a fourweek take-home retreat based on The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola. He and his wife, Lauriann, have a baby on the way, so “A little bit each day,” is his credo for fostering a closer relationship with God. “If I wanted to be a Catholic, then I wanted to go all in and explore it more deeply,” he said. “I know I have to work at it.”
God, he believes, can be found by forming meaningful connections with one another. “One of the best ways to live out your faith is coming together in community to talk to one another,” said Mr. Powis, who traces his involvement with campus and faith ministry today to his time on 16th Street. “If not for Xavier, I wouldn’t have gone to Mass by myself at St. Joe’s or done any of these activities,” he added. “It was Ms. Kittany showing me how to be an extraordinary minister. It was Fr. Rivera talking to us every day about accepting others and living out our lives as examples. It’s specific people at Xavier that live their faith every day, so that when I got to St. Joe’s, I was able to ask, ‘How can I get involved?’”
Michael Powis ’11 performing service on a global community retreat. XAVIER MAGAZINE
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Feature STORY Stepping Forward The Church could use more people like Robert Hauck P’05 ’07. This father of four and owner of a Brooklynbased plumbing business has consistently stepped forward to further the mission of parishes, schools and youth programs in the Diocese of Brooklyn. “I see the area where I can offer strength, and that’s where I get involved and contribute,” said Mr. Hauck, a former collegiate swimmer and director of the St. Anselm Youth Activities swim program in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for more than 15 years. It’s a role he’s committed to, even as his sons, Michael ’05 and David ’07, and two daughters aged out of the program. “It’s the people who show up, share and give, that’s what makes a school, a parish and a community great,” he added.
“I see the area where I can offer strength, and that’s where I get involved and contribute.” In addition to the recreational programs, Mr. Hauck served two terms on the parish Pastoral Council at St. Anselm, is a lector at St. Anselm and Blessed Trinity parishes and a trustee at Bishop Kearney High School in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He has also provided a vast number of pro bono plumbing services over the years
to St. Anselm, Bishop Kearney and other schools and parishes in the diocese. Recent knee surgery and the destruction of his Breezy Point, Queens, home by Hurricane Sandy last year has compelled him to step back from some commitments, but certainly not away. Mr. Hauck continues to draw inspiration from the religious he encounters whether at Mass or through service. “I’m a lay person,” he noted. “I’m looking at the nuns, priests and brothers and their vocations. They are so deeply committed, what I do pales in comparison.” Discerning His Vocation Kieran Halloran ’10 has certainly made the most of his Jesuit education. A senior in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, he is a member of the Catholic Student Association, a Knight of Columbus and a campus ministry retreat leader. In 2011, his personal and powerful essay, “Men and Women for Others: A Lifelong Journey,” garnered national recognition after being named Grand Prize winner in President Obama’s Interfaith and Community Service Challenge. Last spring he studied in Tanzania and then spent the summer volunteering with Nyumbani Village, an orphanage in rural Kenya for HIV/AIDS affected children.
Robert Hauck P’05 ’07 (center) with his children including Michael Hauck ’05 (left) and David Hauck ’07 (right) and his two daughters. 20.
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Kieran Halloran ’10 at Nyumbani Village, Kenya
“Georgetown is very good at providing opportunities to be involved and I’ve taken advantage of that,” said Mr. Halloran. And although this Xavier alumnus is extremely busy doing and achieving, he also makes time for inner reflection. “That’s really tough, but completely rewarding. I can come up with 1,000 other things I could be working, but taking that time out of the day has so much return on it.”
“The most important thing is to keep praying, keep exploring and keep discerning my vocation.” Retreats in high school and college have been particularly significant in helping Mr. Halloran come to a deeper understanding of his purpose in life. A religious vocation was something he considered while at Xavier, but he had still not come to a definite decision after a senior-year retreat. Gradually, he began informal steps toward considering life as a Jesuit. Following a five-day silent retreat this fall, Mr. Halloran knew he wanted to take the next step toward religious life. “The decision just seemed right for me,” he said. “It was a very affirming experience.” After an intensive discernment period, Mr. Halloran is in the application process to the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus. For now, he noted, “The most important thing is to keep praying, keep exploring and keep discerning my vocation.”
Eighty Words Periodically, Xavier Magazine invites a member of the Board of Trustees to reflect on an aspect of the 80-word Xavier High School Mission. In this issue, William P. Kelly ’91 reflects on how Xavier has deepened his relationship with God. “Most of my friends and classmates made tremendous sacrifices to attend Xavier and I am happy to say they have truly paid off. I see lessons learned and our Jesuit roots, being men for others who work for the greater glory of God, reflected in my everyday life. In good times and in celebration, my Xavier brothers are right there: my oldest child’s godfather, the classmate who introduced me to my wife, the surgeon who saved my daughter’s life, all are Xavier men. “More important, in times of crisis and tragedy like 9/11, Hurricane Sandy and, more recently, the loss of a dear classmate and the wife of another, I am proud to see Xavier men standing side by side to help strangers and be there for one another. These principles become contagious the minute you walk through the doors on 16th Street. I am grateful they have brought me closer to God and will be with me for the rest of my life.”
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Alumni FEATURE
Santiago de Compostela
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port León
A Journey of the Spirit:
ON THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO WITH MIKE FERNANDEZ ’72 AND JACK RASLOWSKY
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Were not our hearts on fire as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us? They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions who said to them, ‘The Lord has indeed risen and appeared to Simon.’ Then they told them the story of what had happened on the road and how they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. Luke 24: 32-35 So ends Luke’s story of Cleopas and his companion walking the road to Emmaus. There is no more apt metaphor for my journey on the Camino this fall with Mike Fernandez ’72 than the Emmaus story. In conversations on the road, quiet moments in my room, or breaking bread with Mike, I encountered the spirit of the Risen Lord—God’s goodness and God’s love—that same spirit that Cleopas encountered in his journey on the road. I joined Mike in León, Spain, weeks into his pilgrimage this fall. In May 2013, Mike walked the Camino with his daughter, Michelle, from Sarria to the Cathedral in Santiago. In the fall, Mike set out from the Pyrenees to walk the entire Camino, a pilgrimage inspired in part to raise awareness and support of Miami Children’s Hospital. His invitation for me to join him was a generous surprise. From our first conversation walking the grounds of the Hostal San Marcos—once a hospital for pilgrims and then a prison during the Spanish Civil War—it was clear God was with us. It was a conversation filled with gratitude for God’s gifts, with holy desires and with the gritty reality of everyday life. These were themes that would continue throughout our time together. Much of the week, it was just Mike and me walking for hours on a trail trod by millions before us since the ninth century. It was the most time I spent with just a single person since my honeymoon more than 20 years ago. For more than 60 hours that week, on the road and at table, it was Mike and me. (I am amazed he has not since blocked my calls and emails.) The time together was a great gift: a gift of stories about New York and Cuba, Hoboken and Miami; about our mothers and fathers; about children and family; about Jesuits and the Church; about work and leisure, faith and doubt, lessons learned, gifts and talents. Opposte page: Xavier President Jack Raslowsky and Mike Fernandez ’72 and some of the sites they visited travelling along El Camino de Santiago, The Way of St. James.
We spoke, too, about Miami Children’s Hospital and the children Mike had met there. He carried a set of cards with the pictures, names and backgrounds of dozens of sick children with him along the Camino. He would pray for particular children each day. And while he carried those cards in his backpack, he carried the kids in his heart. When we left those cards at the Iron Cross, we commended those kids to the prayers of all the pilgrims who came before and would come after. Saint Ignatius reminds us of God’s presence in our deepest desires. Mike’s desires for those children—desires for wholeness and healing, desires for life lived in abundance—were indeed holy desires. There are as many reasons to walk the Camino as there are pilgrims. And as I often said to Mike, there are many ways to do the Camino as well. I began the journey not knowing what to expect. I was excited to get to know Mike better, to be on pilgrimage, to walk the road with other pilgrims. I was a bit wistful about once again leaving Sarah and the kids. I was concerned about blisters, fitness and my mastering un poquito Español. What I experienced was a gift. And like all gifts of the spirit, I will always carry it with me. We met many along the way: local villagers with great stories, even tall tales; people with terminal illnesses, others suffering great loss. We met the autistic, the fit and those seemingly out of shape. We met those racing to the next town, out of sync, I thought, with the whole idea of pilgrimage. And we met those who were soaking in every possible moment. We met sheep and shepherds, and even some lost dogs and hungry cats. We met people of great faith and people with great doubts. Walter Brueggemann describes good fellowship as “serious conversation leading to blessed communion.” At the risk of sounding too weighty, my time on the Camino with Mike Fernandez was time of serious conversation— great laughter, important topics, smiles and fun: serious conversation that led to blessed communion. In the walking, questioning and eating together, my heart was on fire. Like Cleopas who encountered the living God on the walk to Emmaus, we encountered Him on the walk to Santiago de Compostela. And in our stepping away, I was reminded that God walks with us not only on the Camino, but wherever the journey takes us. It is a gift for which I am deeply grateful. – Jack Raslowsky
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Advancing XAVIER
A Commitment to Xavier’s Future The Larkin Legacy Society nears its goal of adding 25 new members by June 2014
Brian Sullivan ’70
For Fiscal Year 2014, the Larkin Legacy Society, Xavier’s planned giving society, is looking to add 25 new members by the end of June. To date, 23 alumni and friends have already answered the call to include Xavier in their plans. Though their stories vary, they share an underlying dedication to Xavier and a great sense of gratitude for the Xavier mission and the ways that it has touched their lives. Year after year, they never fail to remember Xavier and its students and have committed themselves in a special way to ensuring that Xavier’s future remains bright. For 32 years and counting — since the inception of the Annual Fund — Martin J. Sheehy, M.D. ’58 has given a gift to Xavier. A scholarship recipient hailing from Ridgewood, Queens, Dr. Sheehy notes, “My mother loved the idea of me in a uniform. It was a great honor and I was touched that Xavier thought me worthy of a scholarship. I feel very fondly about Xavier — even though I only graduated as a private 24.
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in the Regiment. I learned a lot of lessons from the discipline I received there.” Dr. Sheehy, who went on to a successful career in medicine, recently informed the Advancement Office that he provided for Xavier in his future plans some time ago. “Life was Martin Sheehy, M.D. ’58 good to me,” he continued, “in no small part due to my training at Xavier. We learned at Xavier to give back for the rewards that we have in life and I want to see that Xavier continues in its mission.” Peter Schwimer, LCSW ’63 P’94 recently revised his estate plans for the second time in a decade to once again include a bequest to Xavier. As Chair for last year’s record-breaking 50th Reunion Class, he has consistently made a gift to Xavier every year for more than two decades. “My life began at Xavier,” Mr. Schwimer noted. “I met some fantastic people and attained some great ideas. I am very grateful to Xavier and happy to do my part.” A long-time phonathon volunteer who not only calls his own Class of ’63 but other classes in need Peter Schwimer, LCSW of calling as well, Mr. Schwimer ’63 P’94 continued, “I firmly believe that my contributions to Xavier need to go beyond just time and talent, to include our treasure. My wife, Pat [P’94], and I are in a good place financially and it is important to us to give back and support the institutions that have made us who we are. Certainly Xavier is foremost among them for me.” After graduating from Xavier, Brian Sullivan ’70 continued his Jesuit education at Marquette University, majoring in anthropology and then earning an M.B.A. in financial accounting at the University of Wisconsin. What followed was a successful career in finance for various firms across the country and a commitment to contributing to the Xavier Annual Fund every year that has lasted well over a decade. “More than college,”
Mr. Sullivan noted, “Xavier provided the personal and academic discipline I needed to succeed in life. It not only provided me a solid, formative education, but more importantly, all that I needed to do well for life. After taking care of my family, making a bequest to Xavier is very important for me and my hope is that my gift will one day provide financial aid for students whose families do not have the means to pay tuition. I like knowing that I will help future Sons of Xavier benefit from a Jesuit education.” Joanne Maughan and her husband, Gerry, believe strongly in Catholic education. The daughter of the late John J. Heintz ’46, Joanne is committed to remembering her father by contributing Gerry and Joanne Maughan every year to Xavier in his memory. Recently she and Gerry — himself a Brooklyn Prep alum, Class of 1970, also informed Xavier that they have made arrangements in their estate for a gift to Xavier. “My father always told his five daughters that Xavier made him who he was,” Mrs. Maughan noted. “He had a great devotion to his faith that was rooted in his Xavier formation.” Following service in the United States Navy and 20 years as an officer in the NYPD, Mr. Heintz went on to earn his college degree at the age of 46 — graduating the same year as his oldest daughter — and then pursued a second, successful career as a registered nurse. “My father always said that Xavier put him on the right path in life; it instilled in him the ambition to pursue two successful careers. Gerry and I want to do our part to ensure that the Xavier tradition of excellence continues.” Dr. Sheehy, Mr. Schwimer, Mr. Sullivan and Mr. and Mrs. Maughan have made a special commitment to Xavier in their plans and Xavier is grateful that they are helping to secure the future. The drive to increase membership in The Larkin Legacy Society continues and we hope that more loyal Sons, parents and friends will join the effort. If you are thinking about a planned gift to Xavier or have already made such provisions, please let Xavier know by contacting Director of Development Mark Mongelluzzo at (212) 901-5151.
Larkin’s Legacy In October 1847, Rev. John Larkin, S.J., welcomed the very first students to what we now know as Xavier High School. They arrived from Manhattan, Brooklyn and Jersey City to attend class in the basement of the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus on Walker Street. Just months earlier, Fr. Larkin was sent down from Fordham — then St. John’s College — with the task of founding both a parish and a college. Though he had just forty-five cents in his pocket, he had a boundless faith in his mission and succeeded in founding the school. Only three months later, on a Saturday night in January 1848, a faulty furnace set fire to the church and the classroom underneath it — destroying everything, including, many thought, the hope of ever educating young men in the Jesuit tradition here in Manhattan. Fr. Larkin’s determination and resolve was unmatched, however, and by the following Tuesday morning the students were assembled again for class in a different location. Classes have continued ever since. It is fitting that Xavier’s legacy society, comprised of those alumni, parents and friends of Xavier who have committed to remember Xavier in their future plans, bears the name of Xavier’s founder, Rev. John Larkin, S.J. Following in Fr. Larkin’s footsteps, the generosity and commitment of the members of the Larkin Legacy Society help to ensure that the mission of Xavier will live on for generations.
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The 2014 Annual Fund is going strong. We have reached over 70% of our goal of $2,150,000. To contribute, go to www.xavierhs.org/af2014. The Annual Fund provides the resources that bring the Xavier mission to life. Your support is critical to all that we do.
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Coming Home to
Newly renovated residence for the Jesuit community On January 11, 2014, after several years of planning and seven months of construction, it took just moments for the Jesuit community to feel right at home in their newly renovated residence at Xavier High School. “There was this natural contentment at the dinner table that night,” said Rev. Louis Garaventa, S.J., a history teacher for eight years at Xavier. “Everyone is very comfortable here.” Previously, members of the Jesuit community went back and forth between two buildings, Kane and the Old Stone building. Now, the dining room, living area, recreation room, chapel and bedrooms are all located in a single, light-filled space inside Kane. “It’s marvelous,” said Fr. Garaventa. “They turned a utilitarian space into a warm and comfortable environment that really works.” The $5.8 million renovation, which was jointly funded by the New York Province of the Society of Jesus and Xavier 26.
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High School, represents more than a capital improvement. “It’s a real sign of commitment to this particular place,” said Rev. James Croghan, S.J., rector of the Jesuit community at Xavier. Currently, one-third of the Jesuits in the community work at Xavier and others help to meet the sacramental needs of the school. Chairman of the Board of Trustees Richard T. Nolan, Jr., Esq. ’83 said Xavier was eager to preserve a home for the Society of Jesus at 16th Street. “It was not a difficult decision for the Xavier Board to support the Province and the Xavier Jesuit community in maintaining its residence on 16th Street. I see it as a valuable investment in our mission, in our Jesuit identity and in Xavier’s broader works of the Society — within New York City and beyond. We are very happy that Xavier will be home to a large community of Jesuits for many years to come.” The Jesuit community at Xavier numbers 13, with
Right Side XAVIER Advancing HEADLINE
16th Street
capacity for 18 in the newly renovated residence. Unifying the Jesuit residence will also create additional space for Xavier High School. “The re-allocation of space to the school is certainly an exciting opportunity,” said Mr. Nolan. “Some planning will be required to evaluate the best permanent programmatic use for such space and how such use will fit within our current master plan for our facilities. So, when alumni return to visit Xavier, they now will be able to visit sections of the school that they never saw while students. And these are some of the oldest and most attractive areas of our buildings.” During the renovation, the Jesuits relocated temporarily to America House and other communities in New York City. The fact that the community was dispersed for seven months made the homecoming all the sweeter. “It’s almost like a new beginning for us,” Fr. Garaventa said. “Everyone was very happy to come back home.”
DESIGNING THE FUTURE Final blueprints for Xavier addition
Three years ago, Xavier High School announced an innovative arrangement with Alchemy Properties, Inc. that involved sale of the school’s air rights in exchange for six stories — 30,000-plus square feet of space — within 35XV, a high rise on 15th Street adjacent to the Xavier campus. Now that the design specification phase of the $25 million capital project is complete, that arrangement is one step closer to fruition. Final plans for the Xavier addition include new classrooms, dedicated space for the school’s thriving music program, a large double-height multi-purpose space, teacher/student commons and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) lab. “From the get-go there was a great deal of complexity to the project,” said Xavier President Jack Raslowsky. This included everything from identifying a partner for the project (Alchemy Properties), to hiring an architect (Beyer, Blinder, Belle Architects & Planners, LLP) and approving sale of the air rights (which required the financial blessing of the Vatican) to designing the space for optimum utility and coordinating it within a much larger structure. Construction documents and budget for the capital project will be finalized in the coming months and Xavier officials project that the buildout of the new space will begin next fall, with completion expected in fall 2015. Mr. Raslowsky noted, “It’s going to be a fabulous space that will allow us to do a host of things we couldn’t accommodate before. On so many levels, this will be a home run for Xavier.” XAVIER MAGAZINE
27.
Maroon AND BLUE
Turkey Talk
“For most of the parents, this was the last football game, so it’s sentimental.”
The family, friends and supporters of the Xavier Football program create a community that is much more than just the players.
A
n annual Thanksgiving tradition for Xavier students and parents alike, this year’s Turkey Bowl was a victory on many levels. Yvonne Fuentes P’10 ’14, pictured in the top left photo, in the bottom row, fourth from left, is the mother of Jonathan Fuentes ’14. A Turkey Bowl veteran (this was her last of eight seasons with Xavier), Ms. Fuentes said she starts every Turkey Bowl fully outfitted in her Xavier gear, charged camera in hand and an “unattended” turkey in the oven at home. “Between watching the game and worrying about the turkey in the oven, I don’t know which is more stressful,” she said. 28.
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Dina Vazquez P’14, pictured in the top row, third from left, is the mother of Joseph Vazquez ’14. She described the day’s start as a tailgate party for all the parents, complete with a well-organized spread of bagels, doughnuts, coffee, juice and other essentials. She commented on how quickly the time has passed for this group of parents. “For most of the parents, this was the last football game, so it’s sentimental,” Ms. Vazquez said. Ms. Fuentes agreed. “I am going to miss the school and the football program immensely,” she said. “The Fordham versus Xavier rivalry is quite serious and the Turkey Bowl is a meaningful tradition. It was great to end the season with the Turkey Bowl victory. It will be a wonderful lasting memory for my family and me.”
HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR CROSS COUNTRY Consistency and a great work ethic within the team defined the cross-country team’s fall season. “We had about 80 kids run cross-country, which makes us one of the largest teams in the state,” said cross-country Coach (and recent Bene Merenti recipient) Patrick Dormer. “It’s phenomenal because it becomes not just about who is the fastest, it becomes about who works the hardest. And that whole attitude is what really made this season successful,” Coach Dormer continued. The team set a host of school records, from its fiveman average to individuals. John Rice ’15 became the first Xavier runner to break 13 minutes for two-and-ahalf miles. “Rice now holds every school record on every cross country course we’ve ever run,” Coach Dormer said. Captains Eliot Kaufmann ’14, Jordan Berka ’14 and James Galasso ’14 provided inner leadership, as did seniors Matt Benson ’14 and Nick Peragine ’14. “For me, it was a very easy coaching job, because I had all these guys who were very, very dedicated and set the tone,” said Coach Dormer.
FRESHMAN SWIMMERS MAKE A SPLASH Xavier’s freshman swim team wrapped up its season with four wins, two losses and some impressive new records on the books. Head Swimming Coach Dennis Murphy said, “The freshmen had a good year.” Conor Mullin ’17 set two records: a freshman record for Xavier in the 50-yard freestyle (23:15) and a freshman record for Xavier with the 50-yard butterfly (24:52). Mullin’s butterfly record is also a league record — Xavier’s only league record at any level. Another freshman record for Xavier came with the 200-yard freestyle relay, set by Dylan Carey ’17, John Asis ’17, Mullin and Jonathan Wang ’17, who completed the event in 1:45.04. When the season wrapped, nine freshmen advanced to the varsity team. XAVIER MAGAZINE
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Sons of Xavier 1944
2014
Tom Draper retired as Medical Director of the Community Health Center of Greater Danbury, Conn., on Nov. 1, 2013. He is in touch with other members of the class of 1944 including Frank Dwyer, Jack McCrane and Charles Westoff.
1945
HALL OF FAME
DINNER
6.
1946 Anthony Earley ’41, Richard Wolpert ’44, Edward Heiskill and Gerald Craugh ’50 regularly dine together at the Amsterdam Retirement Center in Port Washington, N.Y.
1.
William Fitzpatrick would love to hear from any classmate. E-mail him at irisbil@aol.com 7.
1947 Laurence Reilly writes, “The news is that I am still around.”
Friday, November 7, 2014 Pier Sixty • New York, N.Y.
1948 Thomas O’Connor speaks regularly with Dr. James Doyle ’47, Jack Hetherington ’47, Bill Darmody ’47 and Ed Heiskill ’46. They all attend the reunion annually.
2.
Please join us as we induct 11 new members into the Xavier Hall of Fame. These 11 men are distinctly dedicated to serving their community, their Church and their nation. They are people of the highest character who have a deep commitment to the values of Xavier High School.
For more information, please contact Helene Strong at strongh@xavierhs.org or (212) 901-5152.
Dick Lohr is 85 and heading for 100. He hopes to see his fourth grandchild graduate from Notre Dame University.
8.
1950 Joe Mettalia has taught history at Delaware Valley College for the past 13 years. Msgr. Olaf Waring bumped into Nevio Murljacic ’77 at the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement Sharing Hope Celebration Dinner at the Pierre Hotel on Oct. 11, 2013.
3.
1951 1. E. Peter Corcoran ’46 2. Brig Gen Ruben A. Cubero, USAF (Ret.) ’57 3. Rev. Daniel J. Gatti, S.J. ’59 4. Richard J. O’Reilly, M.D. ’60 5. Patrick J. Stokes ’60 6. Michael Wlach ’71 7. Rev. D. Michael Flynn, S.J. † 8. LTG Dennis P. McAuliffe, USA (Ret.) ’41 † 9. SSG Michael Rand, USA † 10. Rev. Joseph C. McKenna, S.J. ’35 † 11. Hon. Thomas N. Lyons ’67 †
† Denotes deceased 30.
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9.
John Powers is attending class at the Art Students League. John Maher, M.D., officially retired on his 80th birthday after 53 years as a physician and teacher.
4.
10.
Bob Kramer and Kevin Mehling, track team members, raised a glass together in memory of the late Rev. Don Devine, S.J., who was also on the mile relay anchored by Bob that won the Manhattan Championship. All three went on to Saint Peter’s to run, and Kevin became team captain!
1952 Joseph Pallecchia, M.D., retired in December 2012 from the Department of Veterans Affairs after 35 years of service. He was Chief of Staff at the VA Medical Center in Huntington, W.V. (1991–2010) and Lexington, Ky. (2010–2012).
5.
11.
Frank Notaro is still making Newburgh, N.Y., a better place to live, one house at a time, through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh.
Class NOTES 1954
1958
1963
Kenneth Kramer has survived three major lung cancer surgeries due to the grace of God and his surgeon, Raja Flores, M.D. ’84.
Charles Crawford and his wife traveled from their Cape Cod home to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary back in New York City with their four children, six grandchildren and many friends.
Ernest DeWald was the recipient of the Tennessee Board of Regents Philanthropist Award for financial gifts to establish programs in dental assisting and office personnel.
1959
Having retired from private practice, Thomas Nipper, M.D., now works as an expert witness in orthopedic surgery in New York City.
Edward Shalhoub writes that he and his wife, Nancy, are enjoying retirement at the beautiful Jersey Shore. Michael Leyden is a deacon in the Rockville Centre, N.Y., diocese, ordained in June 1979. Richard Caine’s son, Rev. James Caine, S.J., is on a four-year assignment in Beijing, China.
1955 Jim O’Connell and his wife, Paulina, moved from their home in Williamsburg, Va., to Patriots Colony at Williamsburg in February 2013. William Murphy meets yearly for lunch with Hank Woeling, Phil Rail and George Negron. Joseph DeRose and Tom Powderly had dinner together with their wives — “the Gold Dust Twins.” Every four months Fred Mink has dinner with Hank Woeling, Larry Pesce and Vincent Petti. E.J. Handler is now the head of Pharma Company, The Bronx Project, Inc. See TheBronxProject.com.
1956 John McDermott is retired in Vista, Calif. Charles Ellison is a happy grandfather of 10 and is living in Virginia.
1957
John Hackett, M.D., writes, “Xavier High School was the best education I ever had.” Albert Rosa and his wife, Kathleen Ann, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on Dec. 28, 2013. Anthony Dente is expecting a visit from his seventh- and eighth-grade grandchildren in 2014, which is much lower than his golf handicap.
1960 Sal Scarpato is Commodore of the Westlake Yacht Club in Westlake Village, Calif. Stop by on Friday evenings at 6pm. Bob Scavullo and wife traveled in September 2013 to Istanbul, visiting Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque, among other sites. John O’Brien, M.D., retired from orthopedic practice on Jan. 30, 2013, and was honored by hospital medical staff as Distinguished Physician for 2013. Joseph King is Professor Emeritus at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, and served the university for 39 years as professor of history and chair of the Economics Department. Andrew Donnelly is living in Charleston, S.C., and is still working as a consultant in mergers and acquisitions.
J. Patrick Hickey gathered with 30 grads in the Village in late August for dinner, reconnecting with Xavier grads he had not seen since July 1962.
1961
Jerry Nee’s granddaughter, Shannon Nee, was an All-American Lacrosse player at the University of Connecticut last year as a freshman.
Joe Franlin had lunch with 11 classmates in New York. It was a wonderful time that reinforces why Xavier shapes people’s lives and memories.
Kevin Patrick Flood received the American Bar Association Legal Assistance Distinguished Service Award, an award for military personnel who have contributed years of outstanding service and legal assistance to men and women in the armed forces. Hon. Alberto del Rosario met with Steve Battle, son of Brendan Battle, who was in the Philippines in May 2013 with his wife and two young sons to visit his wife’s family. Alberto is currently Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Philippines.
Harry Risseto is currently serving as Chair of the Board of the American Horticultural Society.
1962 Rocco Iacovone was recently a feature composer in Jazz Inside magazine. He is also starting a new composers workshop series for improvisational composition at Pianos in the Lower East Side. Joe Castoro has been in Oklahoma City for 26 years. Both he and his wife, Anny, are retired and spend time travelling to both coasts to visit their grandchildren. They celebrated their 50th last year.
Max Toch’s two sons attend Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. Both will graduate this spring. One is on the crew team; the other, rugby. He has mixed emotions when Xavier and Gonzaga play each other.
1966 Joe Fiore and his wife, Agnes, have retired to Davidson, N.C.
1967 Jack Bernardo published Fundamentals of the US Federal Republic (Kendall Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa) and was appointed to special project faculty to coordinate the County College of Morris, N.J., Public Administration degree program.
1968 Fred Koechley was re-elected to the board of directors of the San Antonio State Hospital Volunteers Services Council. Wesley Van Wallendale is retired and splitting his time between New York and Florida.
1969 Bill Miller writes that he is alive and well. John Flood is retiring after 32 years at FINRA, Inc., and relocating to Bradenton, Fla. Will Yozaites and his wife, Terry, celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in June and last year welcomed their first grandchild, Madison Grace, born to
Join the ever-growing network of Xavier class chairs! Class chairs help ensure that Xavier remains a world-class Jesuit college preparatory school by giving back and reconnecting with their classmates. Chairs are especially needed for the classes of ’51, ’56, ’61, ’79 and ’84, but volunteers for all years are most welcome. Want to get more involved with your alma mater? Contact Shane Lavin ’03 at (212) 337-7611 or lavins@xavierhs.org for more information. XAVIER MAGAZINE
31.
Sons of XAVIER
Beefsteak 2014
Anniversary Dinner Celebration of The Suffolk County Human Rights Commission on May 16, 2013. The award reads: “In recognition of your commitment to human rights and the innovative programs you implemented to encourage an inclusive learning environment.”
1973 Bill Scorza, M.D., is chief of obstetrics at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, Pa.
The 2014 Xavier Beefsteak was held on Friday, January 17 in Xavier’s Larkin Hall and the school gymnasium. Spirit, camaraderie and lots of laughs were had by all! See you at Beefsteak 2015, which will be held on January 16, 2015. daughter Marissa and her husband, Kevin. They also recently celebrated daughter Stephanie’s marriage to husband Justin.
1970 Charlie Brown and his wife, Alison, have moved to Deerfield Beach, Fla., where he has a new job as the Director of Learning Development: Implementation for Automation.
1971 Robert “Doc” Hynes was the oldest player in the Fairfield University Rugby Alumni game in October. He completed his sixth New York City Marathon in November 2013. Miguel Garcia has assumed the title of President and CEO of National Urban Fellows, Inc., effective Jan. 15, 2013. Robert Berard was named Westchester Magazine’s Top Wealth Manager five years running.
1972 Carmine Musumeci was elected the New York State Deputy of the Knights of Columbus, which means he is the overall leader of all Knights of Columbus Councils in the state of New York. Franklin N. Caesar, Ed.D., was presented The Human Rights Award For Making a Difference in Education at the 50th 32.
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Christopher Roman has been appointed President and CEO of Mundo Fox Spanish TV stations KMCC, Las Vegas, Nev., and KYVV, San Antonio, Texas, after an 11-year run with Entravision Communications, Univision Stations.
Peter’s Hospital in Albany, focusing on the treatment of advanced heart failure. Nevio Murljacic bumped into Msgr. Olaf Waring ’50 at the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement Sharing Hope Celebration Dinner at the Pierre Hotel on Oct. 11, 2013.
1979 James Shea was named Jersey City’s new public safety director.
1980 Former Xavier rugger and gridironman Kevin Deegan has been elected to the New York Police Department Football Hall of Fame and was inducted at the Hall of Fame Dinner on Feb. 21, 2014.
Marc Sarrazin’s oldest son, Eric, joined the family business in July 2013.
James Zerilli has achieved accreditation as a certified Information Security Manager.
1974
Stephen Oliver and his wife, Laurie, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on May 4, 2013.
Henry Smith moved to Lake Norris, Tenn. in the summer of 2012. He invites anyone to stop on by. Gregory Byrnes was a minority owner of a rescue race horse, Notinrwildestdremz. ESPN did a feature on it that won the Eclipse award for best documentary of the year from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). The horse was trained by Bill Turner, trainer of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.
1975 Andrew Laurence has founded a Fair Trade micro-enterprise for Ethiopian women who weave and sew men’s neckties. If you are interested, the website is www. tibebties.com. The Rt. Rev. William “Chip” Stokes was consecrated Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey on Nov. 2, 2013.
1976
1984 Andrew Corrigan is in his 25th year as a financial advisor and has a practice in Flushing, Queens.
1986 Thomas Fletcher is now a 20-year veteran of the Albany Police Department and4. is now detailed to the Research and Development team. Michael Bongiorno is the Principal of Design Group, a 40-person architecture and design firm in Columbus, Ohio. Current projects include the Columbus Museum of Art, City of Columbus, addition to Columbus School for Girls, Columbus Metropolitan Library and new Municipal Campus. Andrew Dell’Olio is now executive agency counsel at the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Tom Diffley has retired from Avaya, Inc., after 34 years of service and will be consulting correspondent on business development.
1988
Frank Rohr is a computer analyst for the Georgia Department of Revenue. His daughter, Cassandra, is a model in New York; his son, Michael, works as a researcher.
1989
Peter Sciabarra has been at Vistage International for five years and is currently the vice president for operations.
1977 Reid Muller, M.D., is working at Saint
Andy Pearson is a Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), Information Technology candidate at Harvard University. Christopher Spataro is a partner in the law firm of Faegre Baker Daniels, practicing with the firm’s business litigation group. Peter Mazurczyk and his wife, Joanne, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.
1991 Peter Garcia has returned from his mission in Afghanistan.
RightClass Side NOTES HEADLINE
Mileposts Engagements Joseph Guster ’03 is engaged to Melissa Drobenare. The wedding is scheduled for May 4, 2014. Patrick Herbert ’03 became engaged to Lauren Balinski on Dec. 10, 2013. John P. Murillo ’97 was engaged to Jillian L. Drucker on Aug. 30, 2013. They are planning a January 2015 wedding at St. Francis Xavier Church.
Marriages Mike Walter ’84 married Kathy O’Neil on March 30, 2013. Mark Murphy ’89 married Jessica Schoenholtz on Sept. 29, 2013 at the Richmond County Country Club in Staten Island. Jonathan Chiacchere ’98, married Colleen Keller on April 19, 2012. John Dwyer ’99 married Sarah Garvin on April 4, 2012. James Magee ’99 married Elisabeth Prael of Jackson Heights, Queens. The Mass was officiated by Rev. Kenneth Boller, S.J. Xavier classmates Matthew Strong ’99, Christopher Smith ’99 and Colin Carrihill ’99 were in attendance. John Militano ’99 married Rebecca Frissel. Former Headmaster and current Provincial Rev. David Ciancimino, S.J.,’77 officiated the ceremony. Vincent Fedders ’01 married Sofia Karikas on July 6, 2013. Jason Christopher ’02 married Jennifer Modrich on Oct. 7, 2012. James Caufield ’03 married Jenna Volpe on Sept. 21, 2013. John Czaplinski ’03 married Magdalena Rybakiewicz on June 15, 2011. Brian Lorenzen ’03 married Meredith Alcarese on July 5, 2013. Claude Vella ’03 married Christine Capetillo on July 6, 2013. TJ Gundala ’04 married Shruti Mittal on Aug. 24, 2013. Jabian Gutierrez ’04 married Julia Crowley on Aug. 17, 2013 in Worcester, Mass. James Kraft ’04 married Elizabeth Grobel on Oct. 5, 2013.
FROM SCHOOL BELLS TO WEDDING BELLS Michael Leopoldi ’04 married Erin Anderson in July 2013. Thomas Leopoldi ’12 was best man; Nick Valentino ’04, Fidel Santiago ’04 and Vincent Margiotta ’04, were groomsmen. Peter Puglisi ’04 married Lauren Tighe on Sept. 7, 2013. 2LT Carlos Galletti, USA ’08 married 2LT Vanessa Acosta, USA on May 24, 2013. LTC Roy Campbell, USA (Ret.) was in attendance.
Births Eugene Bozzo ’55 welcomed a grandson, Preston Matthew Gant. Nicholas Del Bueno ’69 and his wife, Marianne, the proud parents of Nicholas II, are now the proud grandparents of Sofia, born on July 4, 2012. Jeffrey Sciscilo ’73 and his wife, Colette, welcomed their first grandchild, Dominic, in April 2013. John Atlas, DDS ’87, and his wife, Deena, welcomed Grayson Michael on May 7, 2013. Peter M. Heidt ’87 and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed their third child, Mack Daniel Heidt, on Feb. 8, 2014. Matthew Schwimer ’94 and his wife, Jeri Ann, welcomed Lee Patrick on Sept. 4, 2013. Lee Patrick is grandson of Peter Schwimer ’63 and his wife, Patricia. Joseph Librizzi ’95 and wife Melissa welcomed a daughter in April. She is also the granddaughter of Joseph Librizzi ’62. Alexander Anastasiades ’97 welcomed Chrystalla on Aug. 24, 2012. Curtis Borgstede ’00 welcomed Caesar Anthony on May 27, 2013. Michael Petri ’02 and his wife, Lauren, welcomed Evangeline Taylor Petri on Dec. 14, 2013. Ralph Marucci ’03 and his wife, Jessica, welcomed the birth of their son, Nicholas Ralph Marucci on Aug. 24, 2013.
When Joseph A. Petriello, Ph.D., began his career at Xavier High School in 2002, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change, personally as well as professionally. At his first student orientation, he met Loredana Altamura, who was starting her third year teaching Italian at Xavier. “Slowly, over the course of my first year at the school, we became really good friends,” Dr. Petriello said. And while some close friends were aware of the budding relationship between Dr. Petriello and Ms. Altamura, it flew under the radar for the majority of their colleagues. Dr. Petriello, chair of the Religion Department, recalled the “aha” moment, shortly after the couple became engaged. “When we got back to school in September 2004, Rev. Jack Replogle, S.J. ’51 was doing the opening prayer during our faculty meeting. He was talking about all the wonderful things that had happened over the summer — this family had a new baby, someone got married. One of the last announcements was, ‘And Joe Petriello and Loredana Altamura got engaged,’ and it was like, ‘Oh, how wonderful, great!’ And he said, ‘To each other.’ And you kind of heard a gasp through the chapel, because a lot of people didn’t know that we were seeing each other.” The two were married in 2005, and now have four children — three girls and one boy. Loredana Petriello left Xavier in 2007, but she and the family remain an integral part of the Xavier community.
Kevin Pohlman ’03 and his wife, Jessica, welcomed the birth of their first child, Kaitlyn Grace on May 3, 2013. Jonathan DeCastro ’05 and his wife, Janice, welcomed their first child, Xavier Theroen Luca, on Nov. 11, 2013. The Petriello family XAVIER MAGAZINE
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Sons of XAVIER LTC John Giordano, USA has returned to Maryland after serving a year in Kuwait and had a great reunion with his family.
2006
1992 Thomas Lee was named Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2013.
Michael DeSarnoo will receive his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law on May 16, 2014.
1995
Karol Kurzatkowski passed the New York State Bar exam.
Adam Madonia lives in New Hampshire and works for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital as a physical therapist. He and his wife, Erin, have two sons, Charlie and Sam. Louis Maione is training to become a New York City Parks enforcement officer.
1997 B. Gregory Onza and his longtime sweetheart, Leah Morelewski, completed the Sierra Nevada Marathon in September 2013.
1998 Salvatore J. Russo defended his doctoral dissertation in Political Science, “TV Casualties: The Negative Impact of Political Messages in Non-News Programs” on May 21, 2013 at the University of Mississippi. This fall he began working as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at California State University-Dominguez Hills.
2000 Tim Williamson was promoted to Associate Director of Athletics at Harvard University in November 2013.
2008 Robert Shalhoub is a technical consultant at BAE Systems.
2009 Peter Kouretsos graduated cum laude from Loyola University, Md., with a B.A. in history. He is looking forward to renewing ties with Xavier now that he is back in New York. Patrick P. Cortes graduated cum laude from Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems of Pace University New York City on May 15, 2013. Matthew Pellerzi graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in electrical engineering. Stephen Oliver graduated from Mount Saint Vincent College with a degree in business in May 2013.
2010
Joseph Guster is Sports Information Director at SUNY Maritime College.
Andrew Whiteaker was the 2013 recipient of the O’Herron Scholarship for Catholic American Studies at Fordham University. He is the Executive Vice President of the Residence Housing Authority and new student orientation captain.
2004
2011
2003
After completing a two-year presidential management fellowship in Washington, D.C., Matthew Salber is a refugee officer for the Department of Homeland Security. He spent several weeks in Africa with people applying for refugee status and served a sixmonth rotation at the State Department as a foreign affairs officer for African Nations. P.J. Marshall graduated from New York Law School on May 19, 2013. Liam O’Hara was elected captain of NYPD Rugby.
Joe Wolfer and Jim Wolfer ’13 are both attending St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and are both starting on A side rugby. Jim represented the United States as an All American in Argentina for U19 and is on the list for U20 in 2014 to represent the U.S. in Hong Kong. Chris Chavez is a junior at Marquette. This summer he will be interning at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn., writing for ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine.
Stephen Winter was named Vice President of Commercial Leasing for the Related Companies.
Michael Scala was named to the dean’s list in the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business for outstanding scholarship during the Spring 2013 semester.
2005
2012
William Lembo writes to wish all peace and a prosperous year. Carl Muraco passed the New York State Bar exam. 34.
Alfred Ragone is a producer for Sirius XM radio.
XAVIER MAGAZINE
Vincent Martello was chosen as Orientation Leader, Summer 2013, and will travel to Kenya in January 2014 on a service trip with fellow students from the College of the Holy Cross.
In Memoriam Mr. Francis X. Poster ’29 5/30/2013 Mr. John M. Trapp ’32 12/29/2009 Mr. Thomas A. Walsh ’32 11/24/1981 COL Terence J. McNamara, USA (Ret) ’33 1/25/2007 Mr. Salvatore J. Ragone ’33 8/19/2009 Dominic J. Barilla, C.W.S. ’34 7/12/2013 COL Edward R. Cleary, USA (Ret) ’35 8/15/2009 Mr. Joseph C. Schneider ’35 12/9/2007 John M. Drucker, M.D. ’36 12/2/2013 Mr. Matthew J. Stacom ’37 1/25/2014 Edmund D. Pellegrino, M.D. ’37 6/13/2013 CAPT Bernard Jensen, USN (Ret) ’37 12/22/2012 James T. Buckley Jr., Esq. ’38 6/27/2013 Mr. Raymond V. Brady ’39 7/8/2013 Ralph R. Ilaria, Esq. ’40 5/7/2013 Mr. Francis X. Leahy ’41 12/24/2013 Mr. Thomas J. Lynch ’41 12/19/2012 John J. Kennelly, Esq. ’41 6/25/2011 John J. Litz, M.D. ’41 3/25/2010 Mr. Robert K. Kelly ’41 2/16/2009 Mr. Joseph A. Lazzara ’41 4/10/2011 Mr. Thomas F. Roemer ’41 9/4/2009 Mr. Donald C. Dawkins ’42 12/10/2012 Francis J. Cashin, P.E. ’42 5/22/2013 Mr. Donald J. Sawtelle ’42 7/9/2013 Mr. Edward T. Caswell ’43 1/24/2014 Mr. Ferdinand A. Mandato ’43 11/16/2012 Raymond G. Watral ’43 11/25/2013 Mr. John J. McCarthy ’44 6/20/2012 Mr. Robert C. Canale ’44 6/2/2012 Mr. Thomas A. Gannon ’44 9/21/2009 Mr. Donald C. Herrmann ’44 5/15/2011 Mr. Thomas J. O’Reilly ’44 2/20/2013 John Dondero Jr. ’45 3/4/2013 Mr. Robert F. Klein ’45 1/10/2013 Peter J. McNamara, M.D. ’45 4/22/2013 James S. Cramer, Esq. ’46 11/28/2013 Mr. John M. McConney ’46 7/13/2013 Mr. Thomas Bonanno, Jr. ’46 12/21/2013 Mr. Hugh F. Connolly ’46 12/27/2010 Rev. Richard M. Nardone ’46 3/27/2011 Philip J. Hoblin, Jr., Esq. ’46 P’84 1/15/2013 Mr. Raymond F. Munday ’47 12/9/2011 Mr. Joseph F. Mulligan ’47 2/27/2013 Mr. Karl J. Faeth ’48 8/18/2013 Mr. Mario F. Rolla ’48 P’75 12/16/2013 Rev. Joseph A. Cavanagh, S.J. ’49 9/15/2013 Mr. Richard Potter ’49 6/20/2013 Mr. William T. Clarke ’49 7/4/2013 Mr. Donald R. Matthews ’50 6/7/2013 Mr. Joseph T. McNulty, Jr. ’50 12/23/2013 Mr. Constantine N. Vagionis ’50 12/19/2013 Mr. Charles K. Rourke ’50 5/24/2013 Mr. Francis J. Mauro ’50 3/12/2012 Gerald P. Pindar, Esq. ’50 7/8/2013 Rev. Donald G. Devine, S.J. ’51 12/26/2013 Mr. James T. Veit ’51 7/8/2013 Mr. Bernard E. Riley ’51 8/17/2013 Mr. Terence E. McLinskey ’51 11/29/2013 Mr. George S. Meleski ’51 9/11/2011 Mr. Charles E. Haight Jr. ’51 2/20/2014
Class NOTES
COL Charles J. Garvey, USA (Ret) ’52 4/4/2013 Richard A. Jannuzzi, Esq. ’52 5/20/2012 Mr. Kenneth F. Happe ’52 6/24/2013 COL Richard Coulter, USAF (Ret) ’52 12/17/2012 George I. Salerno, M.D. ’53 11/3/2013 Mr. William J. Flahive ’53 7/29/2013 Mr. John G. Knops ’53 4/29/2013 Mr. John J. O’Connell ’54 9/16/2013 Mr. James J. Gallagher ’54 2/1/2014 Mr. Paul B. Morgan ’54 4/20/2013 Joseph S. Moore, Jr., Esq. ’54 3/27/2013 Mr. John H. Murphy ’56 6/6/2012 Mr. James D. Rogan ’56 5/13/2013 Mr. Richard A. Zeccola ’57 2/20/2013 Mr. William Frederick ’57 6/25/2013 Robert K. Adikes, Esq. ’57 11/13/2013 Mr. Richard J. Yezek ’57 2/14/2013 Mr. Raphael P. McCaffrey ’59 9/18/2013 Roy W. Durig, P.E. ’59 8/8/2013 Mr. Daniel J. Velkovich ’60 11/14/2011 Paul J. Madden, Esq. ’60 11/19/2012 Mr. Gerald F. Murphy ’60 5/9/2013 LTC Robert F. Cartwright USA (Ret.)’63 12/18/2013 Mr. Steven R. Guma ’63 2/27/2012 COL John A. Calabro, USA (Ret) ’63 7/9/2013 Mr. Joseph I. Franco, Jr. ’63 1985 Mr. Theophil R. Wasielewski ’64 1/9/2014 Frank A. Morisano, Ed.D. ’64 5/26/2012 William S. Feiler, Esq. ’64 3/22/2013 Mr. Richard M. Turner ’65 3/18/2013 Mr. Walter J. Drozd ’67 3/3/2014 Mr. Brian T. Lenihan ’68 9/27/2012 James J. Berny, M.D. ’71 11/19/2013 Ralph D. Del Colle, Ph.D. ’72 7/29/2012 Mr. Michael J. Lawlor ’74 10/9/2011 Mr. Carl L. Capezza ’74 10/10/2013 Mr. Eugene Valentino ’74 12/4/2012 Mr. Robert Bealin ’78 11/28/2010 Mr. Matthew Mooney ’84 8/20/2013 Mr. Michael Jennings ’89 11/27/2013 Mr. Lawrence J. McMahon ’97 1/23/2014 Mr. Dylan P. Smith ’07 12/24/2012 P03 Nicholas J. Barrett, USN ’08 12/27/2012 Parents Mr. Henry F. Woehling P’55, father of Henry Woehling ’55 6/4/2013 Mrs. Mary Ambrosini P’62, mother of Philip J. Ambrosini ’62 4/9/2013 Mrs. Rosalie Valentino P’66 ’69 ’74, wife of Generoso ’42+, mother of Vincent ’66, John ’69, Eugene ’74+ 2/20/2014 Hon. Adolph C. Orlando P’67, father of Francis ’67 11/16/2013 Mr. Louis Biagi P’67, father of Rev. Vincent L. Biagi, S.J. ’67 8/11/2013 Mr. Raymond V. O’Connor P’69, father of Raymond ’69 10/8/2013 Mrs. Joan Moran P’69, mother of Frank Moran, ’69 11/13/12 Mrs. Olga Kulesza P’70 ’72 ’75, mother of Edward ’70+, William ’72, Robert ’75+, 1/18/2014
Mrs. Fay Conticchio P’71, mother of Gerard ’71 10/4/2013 Mrs. Irene Sullivan P’71 2/20/2014, mother of Daniel ’71 Mrs. Frances Maniscalco P’72, mother of Peter ’72 10/28/2013 Mrs. Violette Giaimo Herrmann P’74, mother of Bruce J. Giaimo ’74 12/3/2013 Mrs. Mary T. Haskins P’74 ’77, mother of Edward ’74, Robert ’77 1/27/2014 Mrs. Helen Wenz P’75, mother of Christopher ’75 10/29/2013 Dr. Gerardo Machado P’76, father of Gerard ’76 8/26/2013 Mrs. Helen Gorynski P’76 ’73, mother of Peter ’73, Leo ’76 7/14/2013 Mrs. Mary Ann Beattie P’76 ’79, mother of J. G. ’76, Peter ’79 1/6/2014 Mr. Albert Ciancimino P’77, father of Rev. David Ciancimino, S.J. ’77 2/2/2014 Mr. Anthony Fable P’79 ’84 ’88, father of Mark ’79, Anthony ’84, Paul ’88 12/9/2013 Mrs. Sara Musho P’82 ’83, mother of Ted ’82, Paul ’83 8/7/2013 Mr. Richard R. Schilling P’82 ’84, father of Richard ’82, Andrew ’84 4/7/2013 Mrs. Mary Falzon P’83, mother of Francis ’83 6/4/2013 Mr. Henry Hagevik P’84, father of Daniel ’84 3/26/2013 Mr. R. Bruce McLane, Jr. P’85, father of Bruce ’85 6/16/2013 Mr. William Frederick, Jr. P’89, father of Douglas ’89 9/27/2013 Mrs. Concetta Sarracco P’93, mother of Randall ’93 6/29/2013 Mr. Robert J. Liberatore P’94, father of Peter ’94 2/4/2013 Mrs. Susan Gallagher P’97 ’05, mother of Keith ’97, Shane ’05 6/19/2013 Mrs. Rosanna Maurer P’10, mother of Eric ’10 4/21/2013 Mr. Michael Wildes P’14, father of Bryan ’14 8/4/2013 Dr. Ellen Dominguez P’15, mother of Benjamin ’15 12/30/2012 Spouses Mrs. Evelyn Fitzpatrick, wife of William Fitzpatrick ’46 9/4/2012 Mrs. Theodora A. Devereux, wife of William Devereux ’40+ 12/2/2012 Mrs. Judith Magrath, wife of Adrian Magrath ’43 3/5/2013 Mrs. Renee Scheil, wife of Thomas Scheil ’57 6/22/2013 Mrs. Susan Costello, wife of James Costello ’61 10/16/2012 Mrs. Katherine Stevens, wife of Richard Stevens ’64 9/23/2013
REMEMBRANCES Man of Many Languages Rev. Anthony S. Aracich, S.J., first arrived at Xavier as a scholastic in 1962. Over the years he taught Spanish, Latin, Italian and French and introduced the first classes in Russian at Xavier. He was fluent in Croatian, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, and Polish. Fr. Aracich passed to eternal life on September 12, 2013 in the Saint Peter’s University Jesuit Community in Jersey City. He was 77 years old, and had been a member of the Society of Jesus for 58 years and a priest for 46. In recent years he was very active in Hispanic ministry in a number of Jersey City parishes. A graduate of Regis High School, Fr. Aracich pursued his doctoral studies at New York University. In addition to Xavier High School, he taught languages at Saint Peter’s University, Saint Peter’s Prep, Regis High School and the Loyola School in Manhattan. He served as pastor at Nativity Parish on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and as associate pastor and coordinator of Hispanic activities at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Brooklyn and Assumption/All Saints parish in Jersey City.
Correction
Xavier wishes to acknowledge with gratitude a gift to the Sandy Relief Fund from the LMU Jesuit Community. In the 2013 Annual Report, the gift was attributed incorrectly. We apologize for the error. XAVIER MAGAZINE
35.
Back STORY
Called to be where you’re meant to be Profile of a Parish Priest
F
or Rev. Patrick F. Buckley ’82, Pastor of the Church of St. Christopher in Red Hook, Brooklyn, Smokey Robinson’s advice, “You’d better shop around,” applies just as well to vocations as it does to marriages. Before choosing to become a parish priest in the Archdiocese of New York, Fr. Buckley experienced Jesuit and Dominican education, diocesan ministry and the rewards of a 10-year Wall Street career. A grade-school alumnus of Saint Ignatius Loyola, Fr. Buckley credits the Sisters of Charity and the Jesuits with steering him toward the priesthood. When the Jesuits invited young students into the gym after school for basketball, boxing and floor hockey, “it got us off the streets,” he said. “It was like Boys Town. That’s when it occurred to me, ‘These Jesuits are good men. This wouldn’t be a bad life.’” “My Xavier education was four of the best years,” he continued. “They didn’t care where we came from. We were all Xavier men. And they prepared us, not just to be successful, but to be faithful men who will do good in the world. The Jesuits really excel at that.” After Xavier, the young scholar-athlete majored in business at Providence College, where he met the Dominican friars. “I went from Saint Ignatius to Thomas Aquinas.” After graduation, while shouting trades on the foreign exchange floor, he still heard the calling to the priesthood. Yet even after two spiritually fulfilling months teaching with Jesuits in the Marshall Islands, a mission of the New York Province, the choice of what kind of priest to become still eluded him. “Mom had Parkinson’s,” he said, “and I didn’t want to leave her alone. I thought about the Dominicans. They are great men and brothers. But I didn’t feel the call to be in an order.” Finally, his uncle showed him a pull-out section in Catholic New York on “second vocations” — men with
careers interested in the priesthood. He attended a discernment weekend at St. Joseph’s Seminary and found his calling. The diocesan model suited Fr. Buckley’s personal needs and professional skill set. “A parish priest is more aligned to his bishop and doing pastoral work,” he said. “Part of our job is paying the bills, living in a rectory, doing the work of God.” Fr. Buckley jokes about his discernment, “I prayed to Saint Ignatius, to Saint Dominic. They said ‘We don’t want this knucklehead.’ I tell the ordered priests that they follow the rule of Saint Ignatius, but we follow the order of Saint Peter.” Fr. Buckley feels confident that God has called him to the Church of St. Christopher. “It’s a joy,” he said. “I have never been happier. To be a parish priest is a special calling. The most important thing is to be happy and prayerful. You are where you’re meant to be.”
Fr. Patrick Buckley ’82, Pastor of the Church of St. Christopher in Red Hook, pictured here at his ordination to the diaconate in 2003. 36.
XAVIER MAGAZINE
How are you being called to serve?
For information about the vocation of Jesuit Priests and Brothers contact:
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www.JesuitVocation.org
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Save the Date
Golf Outing 2014 June 19, 2014
REUNION 2014 May 2 and 3, 2014
Register online at www.xavierhs.org/reunion2014 YEARS 2004, 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1979, 1974, 1969, 1964 and all 50+ Golden Knights. School tours, a special Mass, special faculty guests and more...
Alumni Event Calendar Boston Reception
April 24, 2014
Reunion Weekend
May 2-3, 2014
College Alumni BBQ
May 20, 2014
Alumni Arts Gathering
May 31, 2014
Baccalaureate Mass & Senior Dinner
June 7, 2014
Graduation
June 12, 2014
30th Annual Golf Outing
June 19, 2014
Xavier at the Cyclones
June 26, 2014
To register or for more information contact Shane Lavin ’03 at lavins@xavierhs.org or (212) 924-7900, ext. 1611 or go to www.xavierhsalumni.org/events.