Dear Xavier Students, Parents, Guardians, and Alumni,

Those who have visited me at Xavier know my office can be kindly described as a mess. I have been working of late to organize that mess a bit better and recently moved my 2012 varsity football championship plaque to the wall above my computer. Today I was drawn to the dedication on the plaque. It reads:

"Dedicated to the eleven varsity (football) players driven from their homes by
      Hurricane Sandy and to the Red Hammer Brigade that helped the Xavier nation rebuild."

As we mark the second anniversary of Sandy, and the devastation it visited on the Xavier community and the entire region, the dedication is a reminder of great loss and the care that helped us overcome that loss.

Two years later, much has been done. Many homes have been rebuilt and signs of recovery abound, yet the story of Sandy is far from over. For many, there are still home repairs to complete, jobs to be found, and finances to be strengthened. Please continue to keep all those affected by Sandy in your prayers. And to those in our community still wrestling with the aftermath of the storm, please reach out to me, Mike LiVigni, our headmaster, or your son’s counselor, if we can be of any assistance.

I have returned often in recent days to a prayer by John Morris, S.J., God Bless the World. It is a wonderful tribute to God’s goodness made real to us in people and places, and all of creation. Sandy wrought devastation: the days since have provided constant reminders of God’s blessings in the lives of families and friends caring for one another. This happened in the hours and days after the storm, and it happens still two years later. I am happy to share God Bless the World. May it be our inspiration and prayer today.

God Bless the World

      Mighty God, Father of all,
      Compassionate God, mother of all,
      bless every person I have met,
      every face I have seen,
      every voice I have heard,
      especially those most dear;
      bless every city, town, and
      street I have known,
      bless every sight I have seen,
      every sound I have heard,
      every object I have touched.
      In some mysterious way these
      have all fashioned my life;
      all that I am,
      I have received.
      Great God, bless the world.


Be assured of my prayers.


Jack Raslowsky
President
212.337.7538