Posted on May 1, 2015 by The Editor - Community
From its origin, a hallmark of the Orangeburg mission of the Xaverian Brothers was hospitality. That hospitality occurred on many levels. As the previous reflections have stated, especially those shared by the Brothers who were members of the Orangeburg community, that hospitality was exercised to the neighbors of the Brothers on Amelia Street ─ Catholic…[read more]
Posted on April 24, 2015 by The Editor - Community
In his Apostolic Letter to those in Religious Life, Pope Francis, in speaking about “living the present with passion,” writes: Recalling our origins (“grateful remembrance for the past”) sheds light on yet another aspect of consecrated life. Our founders and foundresses were attracted by the unity of the Apostles with Christ and by the fellowship…[read more]
Posted on April 17, 2015 by The Editor - Community
During this Year for Consecrated Life, we are asked to gratefully remember the past, especially the history of the Congregation since Vatican II. In this reflection, we consider the opening of the mission of the St. Joseph Province (American Northeast Province) in Orangeburg, SC in 1984. In later reflections the establishment of other missions will…[read more]
Posted on April 10, 2015 by The Editor - Community
Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake. Henry David Thoreau Brothers Paul van Gerwen, Augustine, Polycarp, and Sebastian left us a rich spiritual legacy. The legacy is not only about the foundation of Saint Mary’s, but also about the shaping of our Xaverian spirituality. These men formed a small band of…[read more]
Posted on April 3, 2015 by The Editor - Community
Read the first reflection in this series: St. Mary’s Industrial Home | Grateful Look at the Past Saint Mary’s Industrial Home for Boys, Working Boys’ Home, Don Bosco Home and many of the other child care ministries are memories. They no longer exist. How then can we talk about living the present with passion? It…[read more]
Posted on March 27, 2015 by The Editor - Community
The spirit of a school is difficult to describe. The closure of a school makes it even harder. Saint Mary’s Industrial Home for Boys has been closed for sixty-five years, yet its spirit remains with many Xaverian Brothers and boys who benefitted from its program. The spirit of this school goes beyond nostalgia, to something…[read more]
Posted on March 19, 2015 by The Editor - Community
Read the first and second reflection in this series: Harold Boyle | A Grateful Look at the Past & Harold Boyle | Living the Present with Passion Human memory is not mere nostalgia for, or sentimentality about, the past. It is a vibrant and creative source of formation. It is one of the incarnational sources…[read more]
Posted on March 13, 2015 by The Editor - Community
Read the first post of this series: Harold Boyle | A Grateful Look at the Past Just several weeks before his death on January 13, 1993, his 77th birthday, Brother Harold’s community at Xaverian House, Danvers gathered to celebrate his 60th anniversary as a Xaverian Brother. After communion Harold offered a very brief but significant…[read more]
Posted on March 6, 2015 by The Editor - Community
On September 16, 1932 at the age of 16 years, Harold Boyle entered the Xaverian Congregation and some months later entered the novitiate, taking the name of Brother Climacus. His patron thus became 7th century monk and spiritual teacher John Climacus. In his great ascetical work, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, John wrote: Those…[read more]
Posted on February 27, 2015 by The Editor - Community
Read the earlier installments of this reflection: “A Grateful Look at the Past,” and “Living the Present with Passion.” The last two weeks have been a wonderful reflection on the spirit of the Congregation in Congo in the past, the present, and now into the future. Here are the thoughts of some Brothers who are…[read more]
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