Xavier House is a place for young Catholic men to live in Christian community and discern God’s call in their
lives through prayer, brotherhood and service.
Xavier House promotes community life through daily common prayer and regularly scheduled community nights,
including shared meals, fellowship and faith sharing. In addition to scheduled interaction, residents seek to foster
community living, service and fellowship on a regular basis.
Xavier House is a place of outreach for non-residents seeking Christian fellowship, discipleship and help in
vocational discernment. Discernment groups, prayer and study groups, and fellowship will be offered to nonresidents,
especially those who may be discerning God’s call in their lives. Such gatherings are meant to supplement,
not replace, campus or parish ministry offerings.
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St. Francis Xavier is the patron of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, and of the parish which provides the building for this House of
Discernment. St. Francis Xavier was a companion of St. Ignatius Loyola, and among the initial leaders of the Society of Jesus. He served as a
missionary to India, Japan and China, where he died in 1552. Fr. Claude Allouez celebrated the first Catholic Mass in what is now the Diocese
of Green Bay on December 3, 1669, on the Feast of St. Francis Xavier. The site of the first Mass, Oconto, was established as the first Catholic
mission, and named St. Francis Xavier. After several years, this mission was moved to present day De Pere before it was burned in 1687. The
city of De Pere is named after these early priest missionaries. The Ignatian sense of mission and spirituality, as exemplified by St. Francis
Xavier, provides a good basis for men discerning a call to diocesan priesthood. |
