“I thought before that I knew a good deal about the Xaverian Brothers’ charism, but this course allowed me to learn a lot more,” said Michael Shippie, World Language Teacher at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, MA.
Michael was one of many who took advantage of the ‘Mission and Spirituality: A Xaverian Journey’ course offered by STM Online: Crossroads at Boston College, last Fall. The six-week online program provided a new opportunity for mission and spiritual formation for Xaverian partners in mission and was designed specifically for those within the Xaverian Brothers communities and ministries.
“The opportunity to dialogue and interact with other members of the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School network made the experience all the richer and made me feel pretty fortunate to be a member of our edifying community,” Michael added.
The $60 course explored Xaverian history, charism, values and calls through weekly readings, videos by Xaverian Brothers and XBSS leaders, and asynchronous online conversations with course participants.
Designed by Dr. Carolyn Herman, Ph.D., Director of Staff Formation at Xaverian Brothers High School, and veteran facilitator for Boston College Crossroads, in conjunction with Ben Horgan, XBSS Formation Director, the course was featured last Fall and this Winter as an easy and affordable option to deepen Xaverian formation.
“As much as I enjoyed the course, I can only imagine how beneficial this would have been to my formation as a Xaverian educator earlier in my career,” stated James Conley, Director of Campus Ministry at Xaverian Brothers High School. After taking the course, Joseph MacKinnon, a ’84 graduate and Social Studies Department Chairperson at XBHS shared his gratitude to the Brothers and lay people who worked for many years beside them.
Participants read from the ‘Fundamental Principles’ and Partners in Mission documents and watched video reflections from both Brothers and Lay Partners in Mission from across the network. Developed and facilitated by Xaverian educators to support participant formation, the course provided an opportunity to connect and network with colleagues from across XBSS, the Xaverian Brothers Congregation, and Xaverian Associations.
Back by popular demand, a second offering of the course was held from January 5 through February 15, 2022. Stay tuned for more opportunities as they become available.