Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-07-04
xAvERIANS
Founded Here First American
Teaching House of Their
Order.
st. Francis Xavier's College ~
Monument of Educational
Zeal.
Two Hundred Brothers Firmly
Established I'm American
Cities.
INVITED BY BISHOP SPALDING
INVITED BY BISHOP SPALDING
BY James A. Rooney.

When Brother Francis Xavier
| Theodore James Ryker), the
founder of the Xaverian Brothers,
arrived in the United States in July.
1854, to found at Louisville the first
house of his teaching order In
America, he was fifty-seven years
old and that was his third visit. His
first was made in 1881, when he re-
NAMED three years travelling
through the country and making
close observations of Catholic
schools as they then existed. He
found that the Christian Brothers
had not yet gained a foothold and
the general demand among the
Bishops and clergy for Catholic
male teachers convinced him that a
project he had in mind of founding
such an order would bear fruit here.
He returned to Europe to perfect
his plans and enlist co-laborers. and
on his second visit to this country
in 1887 he had his plans so well
perfected and the scope of his pro-
posed institute so clearly outlined in
his mind that he received letters ap-
proving his project from seven
American Bishops.
Elated with his success he again
returned to Europe and submitted
his project to Monsignor Boussans,
Bishop of Bruges. and told him of
the encouragement he had received
from the American Bishops. Mon
signor Boussans added his approval,
but advised him to prepare himself
for such an important undertaking
n ~
demptorists at st. Trond. This he
did and then he made a pilgrimage
to Rome, where he had an interview
with Gregory XVI, after which he
set to work in earnest to organize
his institute. He met with many
ANNOUNCEMENTS in the beginning
and by 1910 he had only secured
three candidates who shared his zeal
and his poverty. But God sent TO
him some friends with the means to
promote his undertaking, and he was
soon enabled to purchase a property
in Bruges known as Het Walletje.
and there the Brothers opened
boys sodality and primary school.
The progressive character of the
teaching soon commanded attention
and not long after grammar schools
were opened that proved successful.
Later the Brothers were called to
England, where more successful
schools were opened. But Brother
Francis Xavier never forgot the cor
diality of his reception in America,
and In 1854 he accepted Bishop
Spalding's invitation to found a
house in his episcopal city of Louis
vile, and with band of his Broth
ers he undertook the direction of
their first school in this country.
They prospered from the beginning
ana st. Francis Xavier's College Is
still one of The monuments of tier
educational zeal. When BishoD
Spalding succeeded Archbishop Ken
rick as Archbishop of Baltimore nc
invited the Brothers to conduct
there st. Mary's Industrial school for
boys, and 1t was then that the
Brothers decided to transfer the
center of their activities to Balti-
more. They purchased property
near the city and in 1876 they
opened their novitiate and founded
st. Joseph's College. Now the dis
ciples of Brother Francis Xavier
number about 200 in the United
States. conducting colleges, acad-
emies, parochial and Industrial
schools and homes for boys, and
they are established In many Ameri-
can cities.
The founder. Brother Francis
Xavier. was born in Holland, August
80, 1897, of devout Catholic parents,
who early left him an orphan and
he was educated by an uncle. He
was a born teacher. At nineteen he
was a catechist and he nearly lost
his life from cholera at Groningen,
contracted while nursing the
stricken. He entered Trappist
monastery, where he found that his
vocation was teaching and his after
career proved the wisdom of the
confessor who guided him. He died
at Bruges in 1871, aged seventy-four
years, after seeing his Xaverians
firmly established at home, in Eng
land and in Acknowledgements.