Christian Service

Students in maroon uniforms sit at desks in a classroom with a teacher presenting at a smartboard in the background.

Xavier is committed to forming young men who are beginning to take responsibility for their own growth, seeking opportunities to stretch their minds, imaginations, feelings, and religious consciousness.

Pedro Arrupe, former Superior General of the Society of Jesus, spoke of the graduate of a Jesuit high school as a "man for others"—one who lives not only for himself; who has begun to move beyond self-interest and self-centeredness; who can value the unique mystery of other people; who is committed to making life better for everyone.

The Christian Service Program is intended to foster a student's growth into this kind of person. The program seeks to prepare the student to exercise Christian attitudes in today's world; to transcend himself; to commit himself to causes and persons greater than his individual ego; and to work for the common good.

The program is not aimed at career exploration or job training. Rather, it is Xavier's hope that through direct personal contact with people in need, our students will come to realize their potential and talents as persons and to recognize their responsibility to serve others.

Love consists in sharing what one has and what one is with those one loves.

Love ought to show itself in deeds more than in words.

St. Ignatius Loyola

Philosophy and Goals

The Christian Service Program provides Sons of Xavier with experiences and means to stimulate personal growth. Through personal reflection, relationship building, and habit building, students will learn valuable skills to carry with them well beyond their years on 16th Street.

Sophomore Year

Jesuit education believes an essential step in learning is to create practical applications of what we study in the classroom. The Sophomore Christian Service Program offers you an opportunity to experience one dimension of being committed to live Jesus’ message: “as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” In sharing our vision of what it means to be a disciple and in the spirit of the Jesuit ideal of being a person for and with others, we expect each sophomore to locate opportunities for service work—whether it be for the student's parish or community programs, such as soup kitchens, meals-on-wheels, or assisting the elderly.

Your service project must be supervised, involve direct work with others, and involve your personal commitment to at least two service days and a minimum of 10 hours of your time. It will also begin to help you begin to prepare for the service in which you will engage as a senior, when you will complete 72 hours of service during the second semester.

More Information

Requirements

Requirements

Have your service projects pre-approved by your teacher. The work must involve a minimum of ten hours, at least two service days, and you must work directly with people. Note that three signatures (supervisor, parent, and student) are required on your registration form. Failure to complete this step before the end of the second quarter will result in an incomplete for the quarter.
Complete a service project in the third quarter. Failure to complete your service project will result in an incomplete grade for the quarter.
Have your supervisor evaluate your work and certify your service dates and hours completed. You should neatly print your name and the supervisor’s name and contact information. You should keep your own record of the dates you worked and time spent and be ready to supply that information to the supervisor if asked.
Submit a service reflection paper and your evaluation form. Instructions for the reflection paper will be provided after Christmas break. It will count towards 10% of your fourth-quarter grade.
Adhere to the dates for all approvals and reports. Sufficient time is available to complete them. Being late has consequences. Being early is encouraged.

Junior Year

Jesuit education believes an essential step in learning is to experience and practically apply what we study in the classrooms to our everyday lives. The Junior Christian Service Program offers you an opportunity to connect our course to your everyday life by challenging you to deepen your understanding of the human search for meaning, to explore the value of all human life, and to further develop the virtue of justice. You can do almost any type of service work in which you are interested—including soup kitchens, meals-on-wheels, assisting the elderly, or working with people with special needs. However, it must follow the requirements listed below. You will also be asked to reflect on this experience and connect it to our coursework in a reflection essay that will be collected in the third quarter.

Grading

Requirements

You must have your service project pre-approved by your parent/guardian and teacher before you commit to the work.
You must complete and submit the materials on the day they are due.
You must complete a minimum of 15 hours of service split over at least two days.
Your service must involve direct contact with people in need.
Your service placement must have a supervisor to evaluate and coordinate your service work.
Remember that in every interaction you have with people in setting up and doing your service, you represent Xavier High School and are expected to act appropriately and maturely.

Senior Year

The Christian Service Program aims at providing the experiences and means of reflection that will stimulate growth in the following areas:

The student will be aided in establishing his identity, learning to accept himself with both his talents and limitations.
The student will begin to appreciate the satisfaction of giving himself to other people, thereby finding his life enriched. He will begin to realize the gifts he receives from those he serves.
The student will begin to develop the ability to relate to others who are different from him—becoming more flexible and open in his relationships.
The student will begin to grasp the complexity of many social issues and the need to reflect on them and be informed about them. He will begin to open himself to broader adult issues.
The student will be exposed to the needs of disadvantaged people in his community and begin to be able to sympathize with them and appreciate their needs.
The student will be aided in understanding the relationship between faith in Jesus Christ and being a "man for others."
The student will be aided in developing a habit of reflection.

More Information

Graduation Requirement
Reflection Process

Graduation Requirement

Successful completion of the Christian Service Program is a requirement for graduation from Xavier. To complete the program successfully, a student must work at least 72 required hours, with a complete attendance record from his agency, and receive a favorable evaluation from his agency supervisor for attendance and job performance. He must also receive a favorable evaluation from his faculty reflection group leader for participation in the reflection group as well as turning in his reflection papers.

The Christian Service Program is treated as a class in terms of criteria for graduation. Students who miss entire days of service without notifying the school and their service agency will be considered truant from school, and the penalties for a full day of cut classes will be imposed.

If poor performance requires a student to leave his agency in the course of the program, he must start over again at a new agency and complete a full 72 hours there. Repeat days for credit lost must be made up on the student's own time—not on school time. If a student is removed from an agency by the program director for reasons not of his own making (e.g., agency is closing, etc.), he will not be required to repeat the days already worked.

Reflection Process

There is a difference between "doing" and "learning by doing," between being involved in an activity and being fully engaged in experiences that lead to personal growth and development. The difference comes from careful and conscious attention to what is going on—observing, asking questions, comparing and contrasting with others' experiences, getting advice, forming generalizations, and trying to apply these to new experiences. From this process, which we call "reflection," real learning and development can occur.

Students will participate in reflection groups during the spring semester, with a faculty reflection leader, to process their experiences. Attendance at all five meetings is a requirement of this program.

Students will be required to complete the reflection assignments, following the directives distributed at the start of the reflection process in January. Completion of the reflection assignments is a requirement for graduation and part of your religion grade. Reflection papers are to be submitted to the student’s religion teacher.

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Christian Service