Liturgies and Prayer

Students at mass

All-School Liturgies

Eucharists for the entire community are celebrated throughout the liturgical year: Mass of the Holy Spirit (a tradition to open the school year); the Feast of All Saints; the Feast of St. Francis Xavier; Feast of the Immaculate Conception; Ash Wednesday Mass; and the Mass of Commissioning in May. All students are required to attend these liturgies. Masses for Holy Days of Obligation (other than those listed above) are offered for those who cannot attend Mass in their parishes.

Daily Examen

Every day, during homeroom, students are led in a 3 minute version of the Ignatian Examination of Consciousness (Examen), a prayer form where one reflects on how God is acting in his/her life during the past day and what one’s response should be to that divine intervention. On Thursdays, the entire school community stops for the “Finding God in All Things Meditation”—which is a 10 minute guided meditation conducted through the P.A. and led by a student or faculty member. Furthermore, it is most common that each class bell is begun with a prayer by the attending teacher; faculty will often use the first few minutes of class to invite prayers of petition, lead a short meditation or offer a moment of silence and contemplation.

Examen Card side 1
Examen Card side 2
Examen button

 

Daily Eucharists

Masses are celebrated each school day at 7:30 AM, providing a chance for students and faculty to share in a more intimate eucharistic celebration as friends on a common journey.

Class Masses

Twice during the year (once each semester), students are invited to mass with their class: each of the four grade levels gathers in the Chapel to celebrate the eucharist together as a class.

Reconciliation

Twice each year, once during Advent and once during Lent, all students attend a service with the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There is a special opportunity to share in the sacrament on the Kairos retreat as well. Also, arrangements can be made for the sacrament anytime during the year through the Campus Ministry Office.

PRAYER EXPERIENCES

Students have opportunities to learn about and experience various forms of prayer throughout the year. These include Ignatian contemplative prayer, the Stations of the Cross, Adoration, prayer labyrinth walks, and more.

Prayer

The St. Xavier community roots its prayer life in the person of Jesus Christ within the Catholic tradition as shared through the charism of St. Ignatius Loyola and the Society of Jesus. It is crucial to our mission to take time to recognize and celebrate what God is doing among this community of believers in light of the Paschal Mystery. Students of all faiths are invited to actively participate in our worship.

Student praying