Xavier Knoll, Franklin, Wisconsin
Xaverian Missionaries – Midwest Mission Center
4500 Xavier Drive – Franklin, WI 53132
(414) 421-0831
Office: 8 am-4 pm (Mon-Fri)
franklin@xaverianmissionaries.org
Community Superior and Vocation Director: Fr. Alex Rodriguez SX fralex@xaverianmissionaries.org
Lay Xaverian Missionaries: The Call of Mission in All Lifestyles and Ministries
For some years we have been toying with the idea of developing a Lay Xaverian Missionary group with people who want to learn more about the Xaverian Spirituality and the Xaverian Style of Mission. Finally, we were able to offer two sessions on “Missionary Disciples: The Xaverian Way.” During the first session, I shared the basics of who is and what a Lay Xaverian does, while during the second session, Don and Sharon shared how the Xaverian charism has guided them through their lives.
It has been a fruitful experience, and we hope, with the grace of God, to continue to explore the legacy of Saint Guido Confroti, the founder of the Xaverian Missionaries.
We will gather again for a session on Monday, April 29, 2024, at 8:15 am at Xavier Knoll.
Medical Mission in El Salvador
Some months ago, I was invited to participate in a Medical Mission. I was not sure if I would have the time to do it, but after managing dates and seeing possibilities, I accepted the invitation. I am glad I was able to participate in it; just to see the energy and dedication of those 48 people who were my companions was incredible. They worked long hours and dedicated the best of their skills to helping people. Of course, I guess that for most of us, the experience of being with people enriched us, we gained far more of what we could offer. This is not to diminish the effort and the work, but I guess all of us got transformed by the simplicity of life and faith of those whom we were serving.
The cherry on the top of the cake was to have the opportunity to visit the tomb of Saint Oscar Romero. Like by many and despised by many others, I guess we must go beyond our world. He, by the grace of God, gave his life as a testimony of his faith and transformation. Remember, being a martyr is a vocation that not all of us are willing to take on. Therefore, for me, it was a great opportunity to see the tomb of someone that I learned as a kid, to be executed because of his faith. It is always great to be in the presence of martyrs!
View a video and more pictures on Fr. Alex’s Facebook page.
Young Adult Retreats
Last November four of us gathered together to answer the question: “How could we help the Hispanic Young Adults of the Milwaukee Archdiocese?” This question came after we shared time with the office of the Hispanic Ministry. Pondering about it and thinking about what we could do, we came up with a proposal in conjunction with the Archdioceses of Milwaukee Office for Hispanic Ministry, we could kick off an effort to help the development of Young Adults with a retreat.
After much planning, finally, the retreat took place on March 22-23 at Saint Patrick, Racine. I was a pilot retreat that hopefully will be replicated in other parts of the archdiocese, helping us to recruit young adults who in turn will become the ministers for their peers with the help and formation from the Arch.
It was a great experience. The young men and women who took part in it were so open to sharing their faith that they made this opportunity a pleasant celebration of faith.
