University of Notre Dame Celebrates Diocese's Catholic Schools with May 13 Event

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento
May 12, 2014

http://www.diocese-sacramento.org/

The University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), the nation’s premier provider of talent, research and support for Catholic schools nationwide, visits Sacramento on Tuesday, May 13 as part of its 50-city national bus tour to highlight the success of Catholic schools and recognize its many champions.

Teachers will join with Notre Dame visitors, Bishop Jaime Soto, local educational administrators and thousands of students invited from all the diocesan schools for an extraordinary gathering at Raley Field. located at 400 Ballpark Drive in West Sacramento.

Some 3,500 students from fifth through eighth grades in diocesan schools have been invited to attend this gathering in honor of Catholic schools. They and other members of school communities, along with Notre Dame representatives, will join in a Mass to be concelebrated at approximately 9 a.m. by Bishop Soto and Holy Cross Father Timothy Scully, founder of ACE.

A celebratory event with brief remarks will follow, where Father Scully will present the University of Notre Dame Sorin Award for Service posthumously to Sister Liz Curtis of the Congregation of the Holy Faith, longtime principal of Holy Spirit School in Fairfield, who died in January. He will also present the University of Notre Dame Champion for Education Award to James Lanich, who has helped to guide educational policy at the state level in various roles, all the while battling the achievement gap known to block many low-income children from full, fruitful participation in the society and workforce as adults. Lanich began his career as a public school teacher in inner-city Los Angeles.

ACE teachers serving in the Diocese of Sacramento Catholic schools live together in an intentional faith community, where they continue online for studies for a master’s degree in education from the University of Notre Dame even as they teach in the local classrooms for two consecutive academic years. Their formation includes community life and spiritual growth, as well as the pursuit of educational excellence.