August 28, 2019

Springfield native elected general superior of the Congregation of St. Francis Xavier

REGIONAL
Staff report

Xaverian Brother Daniel Skala (IObserve photo/courtesy of George Martell)

WESTWOOD, Mass. – Xaverian Brother Daniel Skala, headmaster of Xaverian Brothers High School, was recently elected general superior of the Congregation of St. Francis Xavier. He is a native of Springfield and a 1968 graduate of the former Cathedral High School. 

As general superior, Brother Skala will serve as leader of the Xaverian Brothers’ global mission and ministry for the next six years. He was elected to the position at the Xaverian Brothers recent general chapter meeting in Rome. 

The Xaverian Brothers are a community of consecrated laymen founded in Belgium by Theodore James Ryken in 1839. In the U.S., their ministries include 13 Xaverian Brothers-sponsored schools (of which Xaverian Brothers High School is a member), as well as service to refugees, prisoners, and the homeless. Additionally, the Brothers’ work among the poor in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haiti, while continuing a historic connection with schools both in Belgium and the U.K. 

As a member of the Xaverian Brothers congregation, Brother Skala has served the brothers in leadership and, until his recent appointment as general superior, served as councilor in general administration.

Prior to serving as headmaster at Xaverian, Brother Skala held a variety of teaching and administrative positions at the high school and college level. He has served on several boards, including as chairman at Lowell Catholic High School and as a member of the Campaign for Catholic Schools’ Board of Trustees. Brother Skala also has served on both the Strategic Planning Committee for the Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Schools Initiative and the Executive Committee for Secondary Schools of the National Catholic Educational Association. 

His tenure at Xaverian is marked by exceptional innovation, achievement, and growth. As headmaster, Brother Skala has been committed to excellence in all areas of school life, with a renowned emphasis on Xaverian’s unique mission, rooted in the tradition of the Xaverian Brothers.

Major construction and renovation of facilities as well as investments in the school’s academic, athletic, fine and performing arts, campus ministry programs, and Francis Xavier Division for seventh- and eighth-grade students, have helped Xaverian earn a reputation as a premier Catholic school for boys.

In a letter to the Xaverian Brothers High School community, alumnus John Murphy, chair of Xaverian’s board of trustees, wrote, “We are not at all surprised the Xaverians have elected Brother Dan to lead them, as he has been a visionary leader for Xaverian Brothers High School for 29 years and served as a mentor to many administrators in the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools network and beyond. He is an obvious choice and we wish him continued grace in his new role.”