National Network

We are truly building a national presence. ACE teachers, ACE Leadership administrators, and UCCE graduates now cover every state in the country. To harness the power of this network, Fr. Tim Scully, founder of ACE, issued a challenge. At the ACE 10 Year Celebration (July 2003), Fr. Scully declared that that any lasting, national impact on Catholic education would depend on the continued formation of a leadership community of life long advocates.

Soon after, the ACE Fellowship was founded and launched the ACE Fellows Initiative – inviting proposals for innovative plans that build community and strengthen local Catholic education.

In the spring of 2004, a group from Seattle submitted an “ACE Fellows” proposal to build up a social and faith-based community dedicated to supporting Catholic educators and serving Catholic schools in their area. The ACE Fellowship funded the “Seattle Catholic Action Network,” which was led by a leadership group of ACE 7 alumni and Fr. Lou DelFra. Graduates, spouses, and friends of ACE became active in the social, spiritual and service activities of this community.

In the spring of 2006, The Kellogg Foundation awarded the ACE Fellowship funding to expand the initiative and we had an outstanding response with nine regions submitting successful “Regional Fellowship” proposals. Last year the Fellowship grew exponentially to have 20 regions in the network. As of August 2008, the Fellowship is excited to announce that 24 regional fellowships are working to sustain and strengthen Catholic education. Each Regional Fellowship is asked to outline action steps to build a faith community that supports Catholic educators and Catholic schools. We are thrilled to be partnering with these regions and are excited about our future growth.

Please contact the ACE Fellowship office (ace.fellowship@nd.edu) if you are interested in starting a Regional Fellowship community in your area or would like to join the efforts in one of the already established regions.

Atlanta
Arizona Region
Austin
Boston
Chicago
Columbus, OH
Dallas
Denver
Dublin
Gulf Coast
Houston
Indianapolis
Los Angeles
Nashville
New Jersey
New York
Omaha
San Fran Bay Area
Savannah
Seattle
South Bend
St. Louis
Twin Cities
Washington DC