We Are Xavier: Building Community Through Faith
Isabel Conchos, BVM (l.) with Associate Noemi Santaella and siblings and Xavier students Jaina and Maddie Kaiser.
by Michelle London
Maddie Kaiser, Miley Quintero Salas, and Bella Rojas Serrano are all forward-thinking voices in We Are Xavier (WAX), an organization at Xavier College Prep (XCP) in Phoenix.
The student-led club is devoted to building community through faith, culture, and shared responsibility at the school, which was co-founded in 1943 by Sisters of Charity, BVM and the Jesuits of St. Frances Xavier Parish.
Truth in Spirituality
WAX is organized into seven subgroups—Truth, Justice, Music, Dance, Food, History, and Art. Isabel Conchos, BVM moderates the truth arm of WAX.
The Truth group focuses on faith formation and spirituality. Isabel, a retired teacher and college professor, has woven her experience as an ESL teacher and as an advocate for immigrant communities and Indigenous peoples into the group.
Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, president of XCP, invited Isabel to moderate the group in 2021.
“She asked me to work on the spirituality of the girls, and I wondered how I was going to do this,” Isabel says.
Grounded in Faith
She began with Benedictine spirituality, emphasizing silence, reflection, and attentiveness to God, and Ignatian spirituality, which invites the body, the senses, and the soul to experience inner stillness.
“There is so much competition—academics, athletics, fine arts—and all of it is excellent,” she says. “We hear so much about students going to college and leaving their faith behind. I wanted them to understand that faith must be practiced.”
Isabel started by asking students to give five minutes a day to these practices.
“What’s happening is they are taking it very seriously,” she says.
A sense of belonging has taken root, thanks to Isabel’s influence.
“Sister Isabel has taught me that the world has a greater good than we see,” says Maddie. “She taught me that no matter what happens in life, you always choose kindness and love, because that’s what God and Jesus do every day for us.”
An Emphasis on Diversity
The question of identity resonates deeply within the Xavier community because of its diverse population.
“Many of our students are Mexican-American,” Isabel explains. “Some come in knowing exactly who they are and where they come from. Others who were born here may not always know their culture.”
WAX helps bridge that gap, honoring heritage while forming spiritual grounding.
Putting Faith into Action
Miley has seen that formation play out in leadership and justice work, including a cultural exchange to Peru, where she was part of a group of Xavier students working with Fe y Alegría, an organization that provides free education to vulnerable populations.
The group helped older students with their English skills and were “buddies” to younger students. The experience inspired them to advocate for educational equity. This semester, they have plans to host a school bake sale and yard sale, as well as a “Sweans Day” where students can wear sweats or jeans to school if they donate a dollar.
“Social justice became a major part of our drive,” Miley says. “The location of this school (in Peru) does not allow it to get proper resources for students. We hope to help them with that.”
For Miley, Isabel’s mentorship has been a valuable part of her time at XCP.
“Apart from teaching me different ways to navigate my relationship with God, she helped me build confidence in making leadership choices for and in public speaking,” Miley says.
A Life-changing Pilgrimage
St. Carlo Acutis is the first millennial saint. His Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit highlighting documented miracles around the world, which he designed before his death, has been displayed at XCP, thanks to the Truth committee’s three-year sponsorship.
Many young Catholics have taken an interest in Carlo’s life. For Bella, a trip to visit the shrine of St. Carlo was a faith journey that tested her.
“I went two days without eating, and I slept on the streets of Spain,” Bella says. “Those challenges made me doubt God. I realized I needed to truly open myself to the pilgrimage.”
When she entered the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where St. Carlo is venerated, she had a profound experience.
“Seeing how simple the church was reminded me of how simple and pure God’s love is,” Bella says. “I was overwhelmed.”
Practicing Faith Formation
For Maddie, faith and action converged through innovation. This year she competed in the Makers of Change Assistive Technology Challenge. With a goal of helping people take part in all aspects of society, her group developed a camera for wheelchair navigation.
Service remains central to WAX’s identity. Last spring, Maddie was one of several Truth members who collected dozens of stuffed animals for distribution to patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Isabel emphasizes that all these efforts, big and small, are part of faith formation achieved through practice and prayerful action.
“You practice your faith the same way you practice sports or study chemistry,” she says. “It makes me happy to know the students are growing.”
This story was featured in:
Winter Salt 2026: A LIfe Commended to God
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