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The Year of Faith is a celebration of our calling to follow Christ and how we can come to know Jesus in our commitment to the ACE community and Catholic Schools. Our prayer is that we can learn to find Jesus in the ordinary and routine things of our lives.

The academic year is coming to an end, and this can be a stressful time for both teachers and students. Both are eager for summer. But among ACE teachers there is a transition about to happen. Some will be finishing a two-year commitment and graduating—moving on to the next step in their lives. The first-year teachers will finish the semester and prepare to return to their own studies. Both of these cohorts know they have to say good-bye to their students.

A question for every person involved in Catholic education is this: How do I end this school year well and say good-bye to my students?

Chapter 17 of John’s gospel is called the farewell discourse of Jesus. He is reminding his disciples that he is leaving them. He is about to undergo his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension and then return to the Father. Take a moment and reflect on John 17: 20. Jesus says this in prayer:

            “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe

in me through their word, that they all may be one.”

Jesus is praying for both the disciples and us. We hear the Word of God through the Scriptures and the teaching of the Church. God’s Word is a gift to us, and it teaches us an important lesson. We are being invited to be one with each other—with the challenge to be one in the same way that Jesus and the Father are one.

How does this idea of unity help us learn to say good-bye to our students? Jesus taught the disciples that they were to continue his mission by creating community. This is what Jesus means when he prays that “they may be one.” We are supposed to be bound together with Jesus at the center of our lives.

Here is a concrete way this works out. When you applied to join ACE, you were asked to write about a teacher who inspired you. Do you remember whom you wrote about? I have read many of these essays, and there is a general pattern that can be seen. Think about the person you wrote about, and see if you recognize a pattern. The teachers who inspire us are the ones who cared about us, were generous with their time, inspired us to become our best selves, and were passionate about the subject. The relationship of a great teacher with his or her students makes a connection that will never be forgotten. You, as Christ the Teacher, are one with your students, and they are one with you.

Instead of saying good-bye, say farewell to your students.

This may seem like a small thing, but let your farewell remind both you and your students that you are, and always will be, connected by the love of Christ.

God bless you and your students as you bring this year to completion. Farewell, and Christ be with you!

ACE Teaching Fellows is delighted to welcome three new pastoral administrators to its family. 

Alec Torigian is a 2010 St. John's University Math, Peace Studies, and Theology graduate. He spent the year prior to joining ACE 18 teaching Physics in Tanzania with the Benedictine Volunteer Corps. Alec is a man of many gifts, balancing middle school math, science, religion, and coordination of all athletics at Most Pure Heart of Mary school in Mobile, Alabama.

Emily Lazor is a 2011 graduate from Catholic University with majors in Theology, Philosophy, and Spanish. As an undergrad, Emily tutored at St. Anthony in Washington D.C., a school which now has a Remick Leadership Principal and ACE teachers! Emily currently teaches high school Spanish and Religion at St. Joseph Catholic School in Jackson, Mississippi as a member of ACE 18. Emily engages her students in the larger world, leading service trips to Nicaragua, coordinating the March for Life trip, and encouraging vocational discernment.

Patrick Graff is a 2011 Notre Dame Philosophy and Chinese graduate. This former Dillon Hall RA spent time studying in China and Taiwan (anyone who feels inclined is encouraged to test him on his conversational proficiency in Mandarin). He is a talented vocalist and was an active member of ND's Liturgical Choir. Patrick is currently teaching 3rd grade and coaching the varsity girls' volleyball team at Incarnation Catholic School in Tampa, Florida.

The three will come on board at the close of this school year.

Two years ago, if you had asked Principal Sr. Nancy Gannon, SFCC, about the future prospects of Aquinas Catholic Academy, she wouldn't have been able to hide her worries. This school in rural Kankakee, Illinois had been watching enrollment decrease by ten to twenty students per year for nearly twenty years. When the 2011-12 year began, Sr. Nancy knew the situation had become dire. She looked at her books and quickly estimated the school would operate at a loss of over $50,000 that year alone.

Around the same time she heard about the Hispanic Initiative, a movement within the diocese of Joliet led by Fr. Jeremiah Lynch, SJ to better minister to the Latino population by educating more of their children in Catholic schools. She attended an annual meeting hosted by the Catholic Schools Office, at which Fr. Joe Corpora, CSC, of ACE's Catholic School Advantage (CSA) campaign, was the featured speaker. Little did she know as she listened that her school was about to walk down a path of remarkable transformation.

With the help of CSA strategies, Aquinas Academy began the challenging and rewarding work of becoming a school where Latino families felt at home and valued. "The first thing I did was reach out to a madrina, a respected and influential woman in the community. I knew Lorenia Lara was just the right person. Her daughters had been students at Aquinas, she served on the school board, and she knew the ins and outs of the school. We had often called on her to help struggling Hispanic families and she always did it with such a gracious spirit."

Lorenia embraced the call and was soon out in her community with her laptop and financial aid forms. Largely because of her efforts, 26 new Latino kids were enrolled that year. "Fr. Joe's idea of filling empty desks was very important," says Sr. Nancy. "Not all the kids had the money, but that's how we started. With the Hispanic Initiative, we have good scholarships offered by the Catholic Educational Foundation, our school discounts tuition, and families pay a portion of tuition. All have 'skin' in the game." She continues, "We made it that year and, when it was all said and done, we finished with $60 in the black."

Since those bleak days just two years ago, Aquinas Catholic Academy has more than doubled its number of Latino students and, for the first time in decades, enrollment has grown instead of declined. Going into the 2013-14 school year, 67 students from the Hispanic Initiative are registered. "We've experienced such renewal, Sr. Nancy says. "These families have enriched our community. They've given with such a spirit of generosity. From painting parts of the school on the weekends to donating a magnificent statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe that travels from one classroom to classroom, this community has brought new life to us and we are the better for it."

Meanwhile, Sr. Nancy realizes Aquinas Catholic Academy's process of transforming its school community has just begun, and she recognizes the need for increased teacher training for her faculty. She has been collaborating with ACE's English as a New Language (ENL) Program to help her teachers meet the unique academic needs of their increasingly diverse student population. Clare Roach, coordinator of the ENL program, adds, "It's a blessing to help support Sr. Nancy and her school. We're in awe of their grace-filled transformation and are so happy they're experiencing the many gifts of a culturally and linguistically rich community. We hope more Catholic schools are able to walk their path."

Catholic schools and their students lost a singular witness to hope last week with Bishop Joseph McFadden’s passing into eternal life. Through a lifetime of joyful service as a teacher, coach, pastor, bishop, and mentor, Bishop McFadden embodied the Good News and inspired all those who knew him to do the same.

In his ministry in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Diocese of Harrisburg, and the USCCB Committee on Catholic Education, Bishop McFadden served as a catalyst for the transformation of K-12 Catholic education throughout the United States. In the face of unprecedented challenge, he was a passionate and prophetic voice for the indispensable role that Catholic schools can and must play as agents of the common good – tirelessly inviting us all to “put out into the deep” to renew these national treasures. He was an architect of and driving force behind the ongoing revitalization of these schools, which remain such powerful agents of evangelization. When the story of these schools is ultimately written, it will surely and prominently feature Bishop McFadden.

On behalf of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the University Notre Dame family, I extend my prayerful sympathy to Bishop McFadden’s family, the people of Harrisburg, and all those who mourn his passing.

Rev. Timothy R. Scully, CSC
Hackett Family Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives
Founder, Alliance for Catholic Education

Hundreds of educators and school leaders eager to enhance the future of Catholic schools will attend a unique collection of summertime conferences hosted annually by the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE).

The June and July conferences, some of which are currently accepting registrants, are part of ACE’s mission to sustain, strengthen, and transform Catholic schools. They are a growing component of the busy summers when ACE conducts the majority of its on-campus academic programming and graduate-level classes with the hope of inspiring the next generation of Catholic school teachers and leaders.

Preparation of outstanding college graduates to teach in Catholic schools is the organization’s best-known activity, now welcoming its 20^th cohort of aspiring educators as ACE prepares a major celebration of the nation’s Catholic schools to mark its 20^th anniversary.

The conferences are hosted by various ACE units that have grown in recent years to respond to particular issues and needs. Those interested in attending or learning more can visit these conferences’ respective web pages:

ACE Teaching Fellows Annual Conference (June 11-14). Participants in the Melody Family ACE Teaching Fellowship program convene to assess and catalyze their growth as master teachers, educational leaders, and generators of problem-solving research. Several benefactor-supported fellowships support highly promising educators who wish to continue their careers in Catholic classrooms while pursuing advanced knowledge and skills. Fellows cultivate these leadership assets along with their mentors during the conference.

Advocates for Parental Choice Symposium (June 14-19). This intensive formation experience gives participants a first-hand experience of people and places on the cutting edge in implementing school choice policies. Catholic school supporters will receive skills, insights, and working relationships to equip them as advocates in the parental choice movement. Major speakers on- and off-campus will increase these future leaders’ understanding of the social, legal, political, pedagogical, and moral dimensions of parental choice.

Play Like a Champion Today ® Sports Leadership Conference (June 21-23). This annual conference, titled “Character Education through Sports Leadership” for 2013, emphasizes developing the whole person through sports. Guest speakers offer professional development for coaches and athletic administrators at both the youth and high school levels. Hosted by ACE’s Play Like a Champion Today ® experts in sports as ministry, the conference gathers representatives of parochial leagues around the country to network and share best practices. Register for the Sports Leadership Conference.

Equitable Services Institute (June 23-28). Students in Catholic schools across the country are not getting federally funded services to which they’re entitled; this institute assists diocesan superintendents, principals, and other educational leaders to address this problem. Attendees will receive updated information about complex federal funding policies plus practical roadmaps for the process of consultations by which educators obtain equitable shares for their students from Title 1, Title 2, and Title 3 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Information and registration are available online.

Principals Academy (June 24-28). A four-day enrichment experience for Catholic school principals, entitled “Fueling the Fire of Leadership in Catholic Schools” for 2013, will engage expert faculty and practitioners as they develop an action plan to increase motivational practices for instruction, enrollment, and school identity. Principals will explore tangible, evidence-based strategies to increase teacher motivation and self-efficacy, improve supervision processes, and encourage teacher self-evaluation to improve the professional learning environment of schools. Register for this academy hosted by ACE Consulting.

Latino Enrollment Institute (June 25-28). The Catholic School Advantage campaign will invite principals from around the country to discuss strategic possibilities and pursue practical strategies to increase enrollment, particularly among Latino children, in Catholic schools.

Superintendents Strategic Leadership Conference (July 9-12). ACE Consulting will host its annual conference for diocesan schools superintendents, providing expert speakers and facilitating in-depth conversations to explore key issues faced by the invited school leaders.

School Pastors Institute (July 9-12). Pastors whose parishes include schools are invited to this annual institute to learn to manage and leverage better the distinctive relationship between a parish and its school. The Institute develops many skills and perspectives that a pastor will need in overseeing a parish school,its people, and its finances. Insights presented will support pastors’ reflections on the value of Catholic schools to parishioners and to the Church’s future.

Mary Ann Remick Leadership Conference (July 12). This conference, a capstone event for those earning their master’s degrees in educational administration through the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program, is a unique and informal venue for South Bend-area educators to discuss current research with ACE leaders and experts from across the country. The graduate students preparing to serve as principals present the action research they have conducted, and local visitors attending free-of-charge exchange ideas on school challenges and solutions.

ACE Summer Forum (July 12-14). The ACE Summer Forum is a professional development opportunity for Catholic school supporters and ACE graduates, focusing on urgent needs in Catholic schools and how aadvocates can address them. This summer, Forum participants will discuss raising local awareness for Catholic schools and connecting local initiatives to the broader ACE movement.

ACE 19 Parent Retreat (July 24-26). Parents whose sons or daughters have just finished their first year in ACE Teaching Fellows often have many questions about these first-year teachers’ experiences. ACE Advocates hosts a special retreat for these parents at Notre Dame to get their questions answered and to see the broader context of the journey their ACE teachers are taking. The retreat also allows these parents of the ACE 19 cohort to hear presentations, worship together, and swap stories.