Xavier College is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

co-educational college north of

Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, consisting of three campuses: Evanston catering for Reception to Year 6 students, Gawler Belt for Years 7–12 and

Two Wells Two Wells is a town approximately north of the Adelaide city centre in South Australia adjacent to Port Wakefield Road and passed by the Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line. The first settlers in the area used two aboriginal wells in the area a ...

which will eventually cater for Reception to Year 12 students. The College was founded in 1995 and operates according to the traditions of the

Salesians of Don Bosco The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...

. The school enrols approximately 2,000 students across all campuses. Its patron is the priest Saint

John Bosco John Melchior Bosco, Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB (; ; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco or Dom Bosco (International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer. While working in Tu ...

College values

Xavier College's core values are based on the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

word for spirit, ''rûaħ''. The word ''rûaħ'' is often used to describe the "Spirit of God". The word ''rûah'' is used as an acronym for respect, understanding, affection and humour.

Educational activities

The College offers education in technology, as well as, extra-curricular activities including music, sports, swimming carnival, athletics carnival, and Xavier Day.

Student life

Xavier College, operated in the Salesian tradition based on the life and example of

Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, Congregation of the Oratory, C.O., Order of Minims, O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard state, Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became n ...

, has a pastoral care, homeroom system called an "Oratory". It is named after the small community of boys who were raised as Catholics by Saint John Bosco (known affectionately as "Don" or "father"). Bosco provided a safe haven for boys of all backgrounds, especially the abused and neglected of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in the 1800s. He ensured they were treated with equal love and devotion while they learnt practical skills such as carpentry and printing.

School houses

The College has four

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

: de Sales after

St Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, C.O., O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the reli ...

(motto: Inspiring others through kindness, colour blue); Mazzarello after St Maria Mazzarello (motto: Peacefully serving others with faith and humility, colour red); Handley after the founding principal of Xavier College, Fr. Dennis Handley (1995 to 2004) (motto: Living in the spirit with passion and vision, colour green); and Occhiena after Venerable Margaret Occhiena (1788–1856), who with her son, St John Bosco, created the Salesian Preventive system of Education. Through her work at the Oratory of St Francis de Sales in Turin, Margaret became lovingly known as "Mamma" Margaret and is considered to be the mother of the Salesian family. (Motto: Nurturing faith and dreams from the heart, colour yellow.)

Campus development

The original site at Gawler Belt opened in 1995, with Fr Dennis Handley being appointed Principal of the school. The College catered for secondary students from Years 8–12, until 2019 when Year 7 students were introduced to secondary school. In February 2021, Xavier College opened a new campus at

Two Wells, South Australia Two Wells is a town approximately north of the Adelaide city centre in South Australia adjacent to Port Wakefield Road and passed by the Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line. The first settlers in the area used two aboriginal wells in the area a ...

. Initially for Reception to Year 7 students, the Two Wells Campus now caters for Reception to Year 9 students and will cater for senior students in the future. In January 2023, St Brigid's Catholic School, Evanston amalgamated with Xavier College to become a primary school campus of Xavier College, continuing to offer places for students from Reception to Year 6. The Evanston Campus now provides a direct pathway for students completing Year 6 to commence Year 7 at the Gawler Belt Campus.

Principals

* Fr Dennis Handley (1995–2004) * Mr Lynn Martin (2004–2019) * Mr Mark Flaherty (2020–present) *Mr Jye Woods (1998-2013)

References

{{Reflist

External links

* http://www.xavier.catholic.edu.au/ High schools in South Australia Salesian schools