GOLDEN JUBILEE

A Golden Time for Renewal
Fr. Ismael Zuloaga, SJ

Warm greetings from your old School Director!

Next year is a very special time in Xavier School's history – our 50 th anniversary milestone since our founding in 1956!    But next year is made even more meaningful for all of us in the Xavier Community because we also celebrate the 450 th anniversary of the death of the founder of the Society of Jesus, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and, more significantly, the 500 th anniversary of the birth of St. Francis Xavier, our patron saint.

Next year has been designated by the Fr. General as a special Jubilee Year for all Jesuits worldwide   -- the Year of First Companions; and he has asked the entire Jesuit Society to make this a year of renewal .

It is in this same spirit of renewal that we celebrate Xavier School's golden jubilee. We take this occasion to refresh our awareness and practice of the essential elements of the Ignatian spirituality and missionary spirit of Xavier which has been our guiding light since this school was established.

As part of this renewal, we are making stronger efforts in fostering a more connected, integrated and vigorous Alumni association, a collaboration between the XSAA and the recently established Office of Alumni Relations which I now currently head.

Allow me to summarize the reasons why the Jesuits are eager to cultivate strong alumni associations not only for each school, but networked together with other local associations into a National Alumni association and linked up with other national associations from overseas through regular international worldwide meetings:

• Your mutual enrichment…getting together with your schoolmates regularly naturally leads to a remembrance and rekindling of the school spirit and ideals, bringing these to your mature years with even more relevance.  

• Mutual help in many different ways.   There is no one who will not need friendly help some time in his life and who better to help than our schoolmates with whom we shared our growing years?

• Together you can become a strong group with similar ideals capable of contributing much to society – the “men for others” made stronger by unity.

• If you are connected, Xavier School can benefit much to better serve others.   Financial help is never unappreciated, but your personal support, involvement and service is very much welcome.   In fact, some alumni are now serving the school, benefiting much from the experience, competence and dedication of these mature Xaverians.   This makes a real difference for the good.

We hope all alumni of the past 50 years will come together in the spirit of renewal on this auspicious occasion.   Celebrate with us and reignite the passion to live the Xavier Spirit of service and excellence.   Let our light shine!

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