December 11

I am the LORD, your God, who grasps your right hand; It is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13 

As Formation Director for XBSS, I support all 13 schools in our network as we build on the mission and charism Theodore James Ryken started. Visiting school communities, the foundational tenet of “enduring personal relationships” permeates my experience, from administrators to faculty and staff to students. While our world today is marked by divisions, violence, hatred, and ignorance, the Xaverian Brothers give us a charism that promotes love, acceptance, peace, integrity, and deep spiritual reflection.  

Since I attended Mount Saint Joseph High School, this charism has become a centerpiece of my life. Not only has my Xaverian education provided me with a vocation, it also brought me my wife, a former teacher at MSJ. Before we married, I struggled to trust in the Lord’s plan for me and for us, trying to make our long-distance relationship work, while fulfilling my ministerial role at Saint John’s High School. That community lifted me through difficult times without me needing to ask for help. After marriage, Mary and I struggled to conceive, losing three babies in the process. Trusting in God’s plan was at an all-time low, but through prayer, love, and support and yet another Xaverian community, Good Counsel High School, we weathered the storm.  

We welcomed our daughter, Eliora Sol Abdo (“Sol,” short for her being born on the summer solstice) on June 20, 2025. Everyday I am both thankful and humbled by this miraculous, beautiful gift we’ve been given. Despite my lack of trust and my fear of the unknown, God does have a plan. It may not be the easiest one, but often the difficult paths lead us back to God. Ryken and his Band of Brothers experienced this, as do our school communities, and the individuals who make them the most “unique expression of God’s love.” 

Come Lord Jesus. 

Come into our waiting.  

Come into our world. 

Come into our hearts.  

Kevin Abdo