Spirituality
Promoting Spiritual Formation
ACE Leadership participants are encouraged to develop their own personal spirituality and faith in the context of community, and to share with one another in the journey of becoming committed Catholic school principals. Participants engage faithfully and regularly in the liturgical life of the Church during summer sessions at Notre Dame and during the academic year. Each participant formulates a faith development plan to provide a focus for the internship and to create a context in which to examine their own spiritual growth. Progress in the faith development plan is addressed at annual retreats during the internship experience as well as during the summer sessions.
Consistent with these goals, an important aspect of the program is to provide ACE Leadership participants with the tools to become reflective, professional administrators who know their faith, love the church, and serve Catholic schools. Summers at Notre Dame offer a variety of opportunities for spiritual growth including coursework, retreats, daily Mass, and prayer services. Because the principalship of a Catholic school involves educational as well as spiritual leadership, the preparation program addresses both academic and pastoral areas, and values both in the professional development of school leaders.
Though participants formally commit themselves to three years of employment in their host diocese beyond graduation, ACE seeks to provide talented individuals with the requisite academic and pastoral formation for lifelong service as Catholic educational leaders. Ultimately, ACE invites all participants to become lifetime advocates for Catholic education as leaders who serve the Church’s most valuable asset: her children.
