Bill Boland forwarded this document. I don't think we know who wrote it, but clearly the author was intimately familiar with the people and the details connected with the brief arc of Xavier. This appears to be one chapter in a larger history of the Society of Jesus – Northeast Province, and it focuses on the origins of Xavier.

Click below to see the file:

     History of Xavier 1960 – 1962

This next one is a huge document at 82 pages. It's a sprawling record of the discussion surrounding the decision to close Xavier – and it's fascinating. In the first few pages there is some overlap with the previous document, but keep going. If you have the patience, this is a great read. The file appears to have been digitized using optical character recognition software, so it's a little choppy.

     Discussion & background on the decision to close Xavier

Paul Duffy found these next two pieces. They're excerpted from the New England Jesuit Oral History Program.

First is a revealing, very personal interview with Fr. Jim Sheehan from December 4, 2005. It's a remarkable document, (not unlike the man himself).

     Interview with Fr. Sheehan in 2005

Next is an interview with Fr. Jim O'Brien from April 1, 2009. It has a different tone than Fr. Sheehan's, more dates and places, but equally interesting!

     Interview with Fr. O'Brien in 2009

Then I found this interview with Fr. Joseph Mullen, from April 21, 2006. After reading these interviews, I have the impression that even from within the order it wasn't entirely clear why they closed Xavier.

     Interview with Fr. Mullen in 2006

This is more of a magazine profile than an oral history interview, but it's a nice portrait of Fr. William Doyle from 2007. At the time he was just about to turn 85. This article is also noteworthy because it includes reminisces from Mike McFarland and Paul Holland.

     A Conversation with Fr. Doyle in 2007

Terry Culhane
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