Denver ACE Advocates: Providence, Fr. Joe's Cookies, and the Road to Damascus
Acts 9: 3-7
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
God calls each of us by name. Where is He asking us to go? Last month, Fr. Joe Carey visited Denver and shared this reading with the city’s ACE Advocates and Teaching Fellows as they gathered to celebrate Mass and enjoy dinner. Telling the story of St. Paul’s conversion, he reminded the group that Jesus calls each person by name. Fr. Joe issued this challenge: don’t stop at being leaders in daily life; think creatively about how past ACE teachers could use their knowledge and lived experience to better guide and support new ACE Teachers.
The group in Denver is uniquely qualified to make an impact in that area. ACE Denver is a self-contained community, meaning that its four ACE Teaching Fellows belong to the same cohort. Yet they are surrounded by about 80 graduates of ACE programs, half of whom are employed in Denver-area Catholic schools and ready and willing to help the four Fellows live out their teaching vocations. Like Paul, each of these people were called by name and traveled outside their comfort zones ministering to those in need, bridging divides, and building faith-filled connections of understanding, trust, and hope. They are now actively working to support the mission of Catholic schools.
Lauren Kraft (ACE 12) shared how her time in ACE continues to shape her approach to life, telling the group that being a part of a self-contained community had its benefits. They enjoyed unique bonds and levels of independence, but then there were the inevitable struggles with limited mentorship and seemingly few places to turn for help.
“Especially in the first year, we were all doing our best to just keep our heads above water. Sometimes I was afraid to ask for advice from my friends because they wouldn’t have the time or know the right answer, or they were just overworked and stressed,” Lauren said. “And none of us had yet taken a class on how to best support students who are dyslexic, who had Asperger’s, who had epilepsy, whose parent had committed suicide or whose parent was convinced they were bipolar.”
Facing significant issues without the benefit of an older cohort, the self-contained community struggled with support and guidance. “I think having someone to reach out to and ask for advice would have been incredibly helpful to me and to my students,” Lauren said. She often felt like she was failing, and encouragement from an older cohort telling her she was doing fine or giving her tangible steps to improve her class would’ve proven valuable.
Support can take many forms, be it Fr. Joe’s personal check-in phone calls, paired walks, or his famous cookies, but nothing can replace the experience of someone who has walked the same steps. Fr. Joe challenged the Denver group to see the blessing in their unique circumstances as a story of Providence of place, time, and situation calling people into the ministry of Catholic education after their ACE teaching experience. This large group, all in the Denver area and with experience as ACE Teachers, surrounds this small group of Teaching Fellows who yearn to grow and lead as teachers. Why not put those needs and gifts together to answer God’s call, especially within the multigenerational ACE presence in Denver? Three of the four Teaching Fellows’ schools have two or more ACE graduates. Kenna Arana works at Bishop Machebeuf High School along with four ACE graduates: Maura Shea (ACE 18, Plaquemine), Alyssa (ACE 18, Washington DC) and JC Clark (ACE 18, Los Angeles), and Kayla Brimeyer (ACE 19, Austin). Liam Driscoll teaches at Annunciation Catholic with two ACE graduates: Andrew Brimeyer (ACE 22, Dallas) and Robbie Bernardin (ACE 16, Denver), who is assistant principal and a middle school math teacher. Sheila Doyle works at Guardian Angels alongside two ACE graduates, Liz Watters (ACE 20, Brownsville) and Marissa Cirillo (ACE 22, Denver).
Supporting and contributing to the ministry of Catholic education comes in many forms. Whether you are called to teach, lead a school, or raise a family, the little things people do make a lasting impression. Brainstorming with the group, Lauren said, “I hope tonight we can think of ways in which this group of people can come together to support the current Denver ACErs and the future cohorts to come. And I hope that the ACE teachers can leave tonight knowing that, of course they can improve, and they must continue to do their best, but they should also know that when they show up every day doing their very best they are doing well.”
Genuine conversation led to concrete planning. Bolstering their group support efforts, the larger Denver community of ACE Advocates plans to meet bi-monthly while focusing on both work and play. One week they’ll concentrate on specific concerns of each person as teacher; sharing advice about station work, lesson planning, or classroom management. The next week will center on fun . . . fostering this dynamic group’s social side.
Feeling inspired? Are you interested in supporting ACE teachers and graduates in your area? See how ACE Advocates are active in Chicago, Dallas, and Boston, or email Kati Macaluso with your new ideas.