God, we do good work, important work.
Instill in us a spirit of gratitude for community, for this community, and for the good work we do – together.
Instill in us a spirit of service. Help us to see you, God, in all of our students and staff and faculty.
And instill in us too, a drive to passionately pursue our mission:
the pursuit of God, and the good and the common good.
In this season of gratitude, there is much to celebrate.
We offer thanks for the many senior leaders who have recently departed Xavier, and those who will leave in the not-so-distant future.
Thank you for the counsel, the very good counsel, they have provided us over so very many years.
And we too we offer thanks for the many leaders, in and outside of this room, who have built the systems that have served our students, staff and faculty through COVID and our national reckoning with racism. We honor their boundless generosity, their boldness, their smarts and their perseverance.
As we look to the future, we are filled with hope and thanksgiving for our new President and Provost, for their vision, gifts and love of Xavier.
Fill us all with faith, hope and love as we face the challenges that lie ahead and as we pursue new opportunities to more fully embody our mission.
And finally, God, as we move into the future. May we be a We. Unite us. Inspire us. Sustain us.
Help us to—together—see you and seek you in all that we do.
For this we pray, Amen.
