Rory Bevins '05 recently joined the Servite administration as Dean of Academics, bringing his experience of more than 15 years as an educator, including 13 years at our sister school, Rosary Academy. Here, Rory shares his thoughts on seeing formation in action at his alma mater. 

I may have graduated from Servite in 2005, but it was not until July 20, 2024, at 38 years old, that I attended my Freshman Formation. I will start by saying that I spent most of the weekend in absolute awe of the program leaders and the intentionality of the entire weekend. Throughout the weekend, I couldn't help but reminisce about my formative years at Servite. I was transported back to Coach Toner’s Spanish class as Coach Flanagan repeated the Servite Alma Mater, and I was transported back to Father Rick’s Theology class as he gave a presentation on the Catholic Mass. Witnessing young Friars experience, for the first time, the Servite Formation Program was truly inspiring, and I was consistently reminded of what Servite has done for a very long time: develop faith-filled leaders.

For anyone who, like me, graduated from Servite before the Formation Program was formally introduced, know that your experiences inspire what the Formation Program has become. We did not have a weekend dedicated to formation, but we did have teachers, coaches, and administrators who always expected us to be our best selves.  For me, it was classes like Father Rick’s Theology class or Ms. Messerle’s English class where I learned dedication to intellectual rigor. It was through coaches like Jim Sprague that I learned I was more important than a grade or my sport. I will admit that I was mostly unaware of the positive impact my experiences at Servite would have while they were happening–I may have even rebelled against them at times. Like many, it took me quite some time to understand and appreciate that even the detentions I received from Brother Joel were a part of my own formation experience. At Servite, I was expected to be great, and even though I fought it at times, I was held to a standard that allowed me to develop into the person I am today. 

While experiencing Freshman Formation was a remarkable experience, the formation of young men into confident leaders has been going on at Servite since its inception. Any Friar who attended  Servite has stories to tell and experiences to share regarding how their time at Servite formed them into the man they are. This is what makes Servite such a special place. It has been and continues to be a community dedicated to providing young men transformative experiences–a community every Friar is lucky to be a part of.