Xaverian Brothers USA Inc (Brothers of St. Francis Xavier)

Last year, Jessica Murr and I teamed up to raise money for the Xaverian Brothers in Kenya. The generosity of the donors involved in that campaign resulted in 17 young men in Turkana County, Kenya being able to finish and attend school. The impact of your dollars is felt so deeply in the Kenyan schools run by the Xaverian Brothers - it allows them to feed the students properly, to ensure they have proper school materials and that they aren't sent away for lack of funds. In Kenya, education, along with basic life necessities are not guaranteed. The mission of the Brothers in Kenya is to educate young men at the highest level while ensuring they are walking a faith-based journey. In this way, the Brothers are fulfilling the same mission as the esteemed faculty at St. Xavier High School in Louisville and across the XBSS network. Your support during this campaign can change a child's life in Kenya - and that is just what we intend to do. Read on to understand more about the mission, why it is important to me, and how you can help.

In Kenya, the Xaverian Brothers run two schools: St. James Minor Seminary and St. Xavier High School (Bungoma). St. James Minor Seminary is providing a Xaverian Brothers secondary education to students from poverty backgrounds to great success. Over 70% of graduates are receiving university opportunities in a region faced with overwhelming obstacles. St. Xavier Bungoma is a growing school having been founded in 2018. While located in a different part of Kenya near Lake Victoria and Ugandan border, St. X Bungoma works everyday to educate young men in the Catholic tradition and giving them a chance to compete in a 21st century economy. These communities in Kenya have become my family over the past two years after volunteering in both environments.

St. James Minor Seminary in Turkana County, Kenya

St. Xavier High School - Bungoma County, Kenya

In Kenya, education is not a guarantee. Parents are required to provide funding for their children to attend school, which is something that is reserved for the fortunate, not the masses. Whether private or public, secondary school in Kenya is not free, so there are many promising students that do not attend. For over forty years, the Xaverian Brothers have operated out of Kenya expanding educational opportunities to as many young men as possible. The work of the Brothers mirrors how St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky was started or Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland or even Mount Saint Joseph in Baltimore. It is not an exaggeration to declare that education exists for young men in parts of Kenya because the Catholic Church and specifically the Xaverian Brothers decided it should exist. The Brothers there have dedicated their lives to providing opportunities for young men in Turkana County and Bungoma and continue that work through the mission today. These are Brother schools to our dear XBSS schools here in America and is in need of tuition funds to continue its mission of educating young men in the Xaverian Brothers tradition and to give them the opportunity attend university, which the schools have a strong track record of achieving. But, life in Kenya is hard and because so many students cannot afford to attend school, they are turned away at the start of term and told to go home until funds are provided and for many, they will never return.

Being welcomed in Nadapal at a student's home in Turkana

Chudang - a recepient of last year's fundraiser greets us at his home.

The St. X Bungoma soccer team in uniforms donated by St. X Louisville

Evening debate club at St. James Minor Seminary in Turkana County

Class being held at St. James Minor Seminary in Turkana County

The St. X Bungoma Basketball team warms up after classes. Uniforms provided by St. Xavier Louisville.

This fundraiser is a chance to change that reality. It is a chance to provide an education for a deserving young man within our global village. The tuition to attend school at St. James Minor Seminary and St. X Bungoma pales in comparison to the costs for American schools. Any amount that can be provided is beyond appreciated and is more impactful than any of us could realize. Every cent of your donation will go to the Xaverian Brothers who will transfer all funds to St. James Minor Seminary and St. X Bungoma to school tuition fees for those who cannot afford it. If this goal is met, we will have provided education for a year for thirteen deserving young men. No amount is too small and every little bit helps!! And every little bit is tax deductible <3

Schools costs (for context)

$40 - Feed a student for a week

$50 - Flush saline out of the water system

$80 - Internet for a month

$500 - Tuition for a year at St. James Minor Seminar/ St. X Bungoma

In harmony….small things grow :)

Want to learn more about the work of the Xaverian Brothers? Read below or visit: https://xaverianbrothers.org/

More information about Xaverian Brothers USA Inc (Brothers of St. Francis Xavier): We are a community of consecrated laymen who as religious Brothers participate in the Roman Catholic Church’s mission of evangelization. Founded in Belgium by Theodore James Ryken in 1839 to be missionaries, we have been educators in the United States since 1854. Our ministry in the US includes 13 Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools, as well as many activities of our Brothers in direct service to refugees, prisoners, adult education, and the homeless. We have expanded our ministry work among the poor in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti, while continuing our historic connection with schools in Belgium and the UK. Following the advice of our Founder, Brother Theodore James Ryken, we “march on in faith” knowing that God will provide.

There is a Xaverian Brothers School in Northern Kenya that is making a profound difference in the lives of the young men lucky enough to attend there, but they need our support. St. James Minor Seminary is providing a Xaverian Brothers secondary education to students from poverty backgrounds to great success. Over 70% of graduates are receiving university opportunities in a region faced with overwhelming obstacles. This community in Northern Kenya has become my family over the past year; read on to better understand why this mission is so near to my heart and why it is ever important.

 

Last summer, I embarked on an adventure with the Xaverian Brothers that brought me to Lodwar, Kenya: a town in Turkana County not far from the border with Uganda. Lodwar is remote, desolate and often forgotten by the rest of the country. The climate is harsh with temperatures averaging 97 degrees each day. Economic opportunities are few and basic needs like water, food, health care and education are not a guarantee. For context, roughly 85% of Turkana County survives on just $1.50 a day. And yet, these people strive every day for the same things we, here in America, strive for: hope for a better future for themselves and their children. And, just as we know here, education is the venue towards a better future.

 

       Pictured above: Kalokol - a village many students come from

      Pictured above: Being hosted in Nadoto by a St. James family

 

In Kenya, education is not a guarantee. Parents are required to provide funding for their children to attend school, which is something that is reserved for the fortunate, not the masses. Whether private or public, secondary school in Kenya is not free, so there are many promising students that do not attend. For over forty years, the Xaverian Brothers have operated out of Lodwar expanding educational opportunities to as many young men as possible. The work of the Brothers mirrors how St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky was started or Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland or even Mount Saint Joseph in Baltimore. It is not an exaggeration to declare that education exists for young men in Lodwar because the Catholic Church and specifically the Xaverian Brothers decided it should exist. The Brothers there have dedicated their lives to providing opportunities for young men in Turkana County and continue that work through St. James Minor Seminary, which is a secondary school for young men where I volunteered last summer. It is a Brother school to our dear XBSS schools here in America and is in need of tuition funds to continue its mission of educating young men in the Xaverian Brothers tradition and to give them the opportunity attend university, which the school has a strong track record of achieving. But, life in Turkana is hard and because so many students cannot afford to attend school, they are turned away at the start of term and told to go home until funds are provided and for many, they will never return.

 

     Pictured above: the Form 4 (12th grade) students on their last day of national exams. Over 70% of them will continue on to university.

 

This fundraiser is a chance to change that reality. It is a chance to provide an education for a deserving young man within our global village. The tuition to attend school at St. James Minor Seminary pales in comparison to the costs for American schools. Any amount that can be provided is beyond appreciated and is more impactful than any of us could realize. Every cent of your donation will go to the Xaverian Brothers who will transfer all funds to St. James Minor Seminary in Lodwar to school tuition fees for those who cannot afford it. If this goal is met, we will have provided education for a year for fourteen deserving young men. No amount is too small and every little bit helps!! And every little bit is tax deductible <3 

 

Schools costs (for context)

 

$40 - Feed a student for a week

 

$50 - Flush saline out of the water system

 

$80 - Internet for a month

 

$500 - Tuition for a year at St. James Minor Seminary

 

In harmony….small things grow :)

 

 

Want to learn more about the work of the Xaverian Brothers? Read below or visit: https://xaverianbrothers.org/

More information about Xaverian Brothers USA Inc (Brothers of St. Francis Xavier): We are a community of consecrated laymen who as religious Brothers participate in the Roman Catholic Church’s mission of evangelization. Founded in Belgium by Theodore James Ryken in 1839 to be missionaries, we have been educators in the United States since 1854. Our ministry in the US includes 13 Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools, as well as many activities of our Brothers in direct service to refugees, prisoners, adult education, and the homeless. We have expanded our ministry work among the poor in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti, while continuing our historic connection with schools in Belgium and the UK. Following the advice of our Founder, Brother Theodore James Ryken, we “march on in faith” knowing that God will provide.