Core Commitments

We invite ACE Teaching Fellows and Remick Leaders to commit themselves to:

  • Understanding diversity, equity, and inclusion through faith

We follow Jesus’ example to encounter others with respect and compassion. We recognize the responsibility we have to show reverence for the individuality of our students while also noticing the experiences of universality that bond us as members of the one body of Christ. By celebrating the diverse world that God has created, we help build an equitable society in which all people can experience participation and flourishing.

  • Examining implicit and racial bias

Racism “has no place in the Christian heart” (USCCB, Open Wide Our Hearts, 2018). As Catholic school teachers and leaders, we must consistently evaluate our own biases, humbly reflecting on our behaviors and understandings of the world. When we do this, we better recognize racism and its effects. This self-reflection ultimately allows us to better serve our students, and better communities.

  • Undertaking culturally responsive practice

We are called to teach in a manner that is inclusive of all cultures and backgrounds. Jesus met people where they were, learned from them and their communities, and treated them as if they were where they ought to be. Cultural responsiveness is a necessary disposition of our faith and we have the responsibility to nurture classroom communities where all are heard and seen, reflecting the kingdom of God on earth.


  • Dialoguing across differences

Pope Francis tells us “the walls which divide us can be broken down only if we are prepared to listen and learn from one another”. We each have identities, experiences, and beliefs that shape how we see, understand, and live in the world and how we see and respond to others. When we dialogue, we respect these elements so that we can follow Christ’s call to love our neighbor. We listen with open hearts and minds, we can recognize differences and work towards a more just and equitable world.

  • Approaching anti-racism through faith

In Open Wide Our Hearts (2018), the U.S. Catholic Bishops note “Many of our institutions still harbor, and too many of our laws still sanction, practices that deny justice and equal access to certain groups of people”. Jesus always stood with the oppressed, and as people of faith, we also stand in solidarity with those on the margins and call upon our institutions to acknowledge, learn from, actively do the work to heal the sin of racism.

Upon completion of the CCR Sequence, participants will be able to:

  1. Relate Christocentric Cultural Competency to their role in Catholic education.

  2. Define diversity, equity, and inclusion with connections to Gospel teachings.

  3. Develop a diversity statement grounded in the Gospel.

  4. Link an awareness of one's identity/positionality with CCR work.

  5. Espouse an inclusive disposition in the Catholic school/classroom where the identities of each individual are acknowledged and respected.

  6. Adopt an authentic, faith-based approach to anti-racism and let new knowledge influence interactions and engagements.