Page 10: The Sponsorship Model: Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools

Mark 1: Inspired by a Supernatural Vision

The Sponsorship Model: Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools

By Sal Ferrera

Theodore James Ryken founded the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier on June 15, 1839, in a small house in Bruges, Belgium. Brother Ryken’s vision, as it is captured in the Xaverian Brothers’ mission statement, was to “form a community of laymen who as religious brothers would participate in the Church’s mission of evangelization through a life of gospel service lived in solidarity and availability among the people.” [1] Although the early years of the community were marked by a doubt borne of few recruits and extreme poverty, today there are thirteen schools run by the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier, eleven of which are here in the United States.

In the face of a decline in the number of Religious in their community, the Xaverian Brothers have adopted a unique model for preserving the supernatural mission of Theodore Ryken and Saint Francis Xavier in schools now run largely by lay men and women. This model, commonly referred to as the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School (XBSS), offers a useful paradigm for other communities of consecrated Religious battling to preserve the Catholic identity of their schools in an increasingly secular culture.

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In 1984, the Xaverian Brothers held a forum to explore ways to perpetuate the Xaverian educational charism despite the obvious diminishing presence of the Brothers actively involved in the day-to-day conduct of their schools. At this gathering, the Brothers decided that the most effective avenues of influence available to them were at the governance and leadership levels within the particular academic institutions. Based on these discussions, the Xaverian Brothers designed the XBSS program to keep Xaverian schools open and positioned for a future of growth by inviting dedicated and committed lay people to participate in the Xaverian educational charism, while playing a careful role in the professional and spiritual formation of the faculty and staff. At the heart of the XBSS program is the involvement by the Brothers of lay colleagues as collaborators at every level of the school’s governance and leadership, while the Brothers themselves take an active leadership role only at the Board of Trustees level in each school.

More than a decade later, in 1995, the Xaverian Brothers sought to solidify the XBSS institution. Out of their 24th General Chapter came a call “to stewardship for the Church’s mission and ministry of education in the tradition and spirit of the Xaverian charism.” [2] In response to this call, the Brothers formulated rigorous vetting and formation criteria for lay men and women who seek to serve in leadership positions within XBSS schools. Such criteria provides significant assurance of that the supernatural vision of the Xaverian community’s founder, Theodore Ryken, will be preserved within each distinct institution.

[1] Xaverian Brothers, 1988, p.7
[2] Under Calls, Goals and Criteria in “Foundational Documents” on the website for the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools at http://www.xbss.org/html/foundationaldocuments.html. Last accessed 2/25/07.