Spiritual Formation

List of 6 items.

• Awareness Day

  The campus ministry team works in collaboration with the Office of Student Life to develop grade-based and schoolwide programing throughout the course of the year that focuses on social issues in light of Gospel values. While some of these presentations repeat annually, many are planned with the unique needs of the community in mind during a particular year or given a current relevant topic. All awareness day topics are subsequently debriefed by teachers in class, providing an additional forum to reflect upon the relevant issues facing students and the school community. Campus ministers and school counselors are also available to follow up with any students who may be impacted by the subject matter.

• Big Hawks

  Each young man entering his freshman year is assigned a junior or senior who serves as a mentor (a Big Hawk) and helps welcome him into the Xaverian community. Starting with Freshman Day of Awareness and continuing throughout the year, each freshman is provided an opportunity to meet with his Big Hawk formally and informally. Not only does this significantly lower anxiety and time spent learning the community, it has also led to great friendships. All Big Hawks go through extensive training and are selected through an application process.

• Liturgy

  Liturgy is at the heart of the life of the Church, and therefore also at the heart of the Xaverian community. There are schoolwide liturgies and prayer services throughout the year to celebrate important moments within the community. In addition, Holy Mass is offered every Friday morning before school in the Josephine M. Noble Chapel. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to actively participate throughout the year in various roles, including altar serving, lectoring, and serving as extraordinary ministers of holy communion.

• Pastoral Counseling

  In collaboration with School Counseling, the campus ministry team meets the needs of the students of Xaverian Brothers High School. We make ourselves available to students as empathic listeners. We work with students to empower them to cope with psycho-social and spiritual development issues as they arise.
  
  

  As a Catholic school, Xaverian Brothers High School is committed to educating the whole person. We reach out to those in need by developing appropriate pastoral relationships with those students we serve. In each instance that a campus minister is involved in counseling students, the campus minister works closely with the student’s school counselor, who is the primary “case manager” in all academic and psycho-social issues the student confronts during his time at Xaverian Brothers High School.
  
  

  In addition to our “ministry of presence,” we have developed a program of pastoral interviews. Each year, students will meet with their assigned campus minister during a scheduled time period. Through this interview, the student and the campus minister are given an opportunity to speak about a wide range of issues in a one-on-one conversation. The interview is informal in that it has no bearing on a student’s academic progress at Xaverian Brothers High School. It is an opportunity to enable the student to reflect on his Xaverian experience and to recognize the means by which he has made a difference.

• Peer Ministry

  Many of the retreats and other activities sponsored by the campus ministry team use upperclassmen as peer ministers. These peer ministers have reflected on their gifts and talents, as well as their relationship with God, and responded to the call of Christian servant leadership. Through training workshops and ongoing formation, these student leaders are challenged to grow and are given the tools and skills necessary for their ministry. All peer ministers are given ongoing support and supervision by members of the campus ministry team

• SpiritHawk

  This weekly faith sharing meeting is a student-facilitated program, sponsored and overseen by the campus ministry team. SpiritHawk provides students in all grade levels an opportunity for discussion on the meaning of faith in their lives. SpiritHawk attracts around 120 or more participants each week, for pizza, prayer, and reflection.
  
  

  Christian fellowship is a key element of this community building program. Students meet for dinner prior to the SpiritHawk meeting to form a sense of community, in order to facilitate faith sharing and to provide support for living out the Gospel in daily life.
  
  

  Biannual SpiritHawk Retreats have become an indispensible part of the program. A weekend away at Craigville Conference Center provides group members with a more focused opportunity to grow in their relationship with God, while further developing relationships with other members of the group.