Recently, the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF) teamed up with Catholic Schools Center of Excellence (CSCOE) and the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education at the Archdiocese (OMCE) to offer a program to Catholic elementary educators called the Summer of Excellence.
OMCE identified three conferences designed to explore the best practices of forming children in the Faith.
- Augustine Institute’s Summer Intensive Workshop: Discipleship and the Christian Life in Denver, Colorado
- Franciscan University’s St. John Bosco Conference: Jesus Our Hope in Steubenville, Ohio
- University of St. Thomas and the Church Music Association of America’s Sacred Music Colloquium in Saint Paul, Minnesota
CSCOE solicited applications and eight teachers were selected from the following six Catholic elementary schools who each received a grant funded by an endowment held at CCF to cover the costs of conference registration, travel, lodging, and meals.
- St. Joseph, Waconia
- St. Peter, North Saint Paul
- Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights
- Holy Cross, Webster
- St. Agnes School, Saint Paul
- St. Croix Catholic, Stillwater
CSCOE’s broad network and OMCE’s deep knowledge of educator formation combined with CCF’s expert financial stewardship resulted in a successful effort to continue increasing the faith-filled academic excellence of our local Catholic elementary schools.