On August 1st, 1854, the Xaverian Brothers arrived in the U.S. By August 11th, they had reached Louisville. They had one goal: to follow their congregation’s charism of furthering Catholic education. Within ten years of arriving, they opened a new school on 4th Street. They named it St. Xavier’s Institute. Brother Paul Van Gerwen served as its first principal.
The Brothers continued their journey by buying the Newcomb estate that extended from Broadway to Jacob Street and moved there in 1891. During their time at Broadway, a notable brother was Brother Thomas More page CFX. This brother taught from 1940-1950 and then served as principal from 1953-1960.
Think of his time at our school. He saw WWII, the Cold War, the threat of nuclear-armed U.S.S.R, five recessions, the Korean Conflict, the Communist takeover of Cuba, independence movements across the globe, the civil rights movement in the United States, and at the end of his time at our school- the move of St. X from Broadway to Poplar Level Road. Through all those events, he remained committed to helping students navigate their way through those decades.
The Brothers moved to Poplar Level Road (our current location) in 1961 beginning a new era for our school. Though it was a new location, the same values were brought with the Brothers. One notable Brother at our location was Brother Dan Conaghan C.F.X. He was the last Brother at our school retiring in 2020.
He was initially from Brooklyn, NY. He became a Xaverian Brother in 1957. He taught mathematics at Flaget and came to St. X as a teacher in 1974 after Flaget closed. After five years at St. X, he went overseas to work, first in Bolivia as a missionary and later in Kenya as a teacher. He then returned to St. X where he retired.
The Brothers were the kind of people that found no interest in possessions or wealth. They instead found interest in the education of future generations. They devoted their lives to thousands of students so that they may succeed in life. As the Brothers slowly fade from the physical world, they will not be forgotten by those they taught.
Their memories will be passed down for many generations and it is up to us to continue that. We must listen to our teachers and their stories, and never forget what these amazing men sacrificed.
When service events pop up to put wreaths on their cemetery, do it. When service events pop up to clean the headstones and put candles on them, do it. When service events pop up to help the Brothers at Treyton Oak Towers, do it. When the Brothers are on campus, say hi to them, and talk to them. We must cherish these remaining years with them and continue recognizing the endless time and effort they poured into us. Because once they have departed this world, only our shared memories and recognition can keep them alive.
Here is a portion of a poem that T.J. Nelson, Class of 2001, wrote that I feel brings light to our school and what the Brothers created: “If these halls could talk; what would they say? They would speak of men and legends who have come along the way. They would tell the tales of triumph and of wonder. They would talk to us about leadership. They would talk to us about fear. They would talk to us about champions. They would talk to us about tears. They would bring us news of conquest and of failure. If only these halls could talk.”
