Springtime in Catholic Education

A Message from NCEA President Brother Robert Bimonte, FSC

Happy Easter!  As we continue to celebrate Christ’s resurrection, I hope that all of you will be filled with the joy and hope of the Easter mystery!

Over 6,000 members of the Catholic education community gathered together last week to lead, learn and proclaim at the NCEA 2015 Convention & Expo. For those that attended, I hope you left Orlando feeling energized with acquired new knowledge and renewed spirits. For those who were unable to be with us, please take the time to visit our Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and NCEA Talk to view photos and read news from the week.

During the Convention, we presented the newly designed Spring issue of Momentum. Many of the articles in this issue were written by NCEA 2015 presenters to complement their sessions and provide valuable resources to all our members.

One of the highlights of the convention for me is the opportunity to honor outstanding teachers, principals, pastors, school boards, religious educators and pastors. Their commitment to the mission and to the students they serve is an inspiration to me and to all who hear their stories. They give me great hope about the future of Catholic education. I’d especially like to acknowledge and thank the Diocese of Orlando, Bishop John Noonan and Secretary for Education/Superintendent of Catholic Schools Henry Fortier for their hospitality and partnership in bringing NCEA 2015 to fruition.

During the last few months, we have been recruiting for staff at the association to build the new service areas that will be dedicated to leadership development for principals, presidents, pastors, board members and superintendents, and professional development for teachers with a strong emphasis on the integration of Catholic values throughout the curriculum. Each of these service areas will have an advisory committee made up of members whose advice and experience will help to guide the work of these areas. In addition, we are working to enhance our ACRE and other religion education assessment tools by providing digital options. I look forward to sharing updates with you in the coming months.

Finally, we hope you have the opportunity to visit our Easter Resources page on our website. Throughout the season, NCEA will continue to share thoughts, ideas and resources that will support you as you journey with your students and faculty through this time of new life, hope and sending forth. To view an interactive calendar of Easter resources, please click here.