UD Center for Catholic Education

08/27/2026

A Special Visit at the CCE!

The CCE staff was honored to welcome Eleonora Nash’s mom, Cristina, for lunch this week! What made her visit extra special is that she traveled all the way from Verona, Italy to spend time with us. 🇮🇹✈️

We enjoyed a delicious lunch of pasta and tiramisu, gave her a tour of campus, and shared lots of smiles and laughter along the way. 🍝🍰

And, of course, one of the sweetest moments was when she got to sit in Mary’s lap! 🥰

We loved having her visit and sharing a little bit of the CCE with her. What a special day! 💙

08/27/2026

Welcome Back, UD Students! 🎉☕

The CCE is excited to welcome you back to campus! Stop by and enjoy FREE coffee every Tuesday from 8:30–11:30 a.m. ☕️

Come grab a cup, say hi, and start your Tuesday with us! We can’t wait to see you! 💙

08/21/2026

Did you know ECHO’s holistic approach to supporting our partner schools includes professional development for teachers and school staff?

Today, our team spent the morning with Ascension Catholic School talking about practical ways to support students’ mental health and social-emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with educators who care about the whole student. Wishing Ascension and all of our ECHO partner schools a wonderful school year!

08/17/2026

What a wonderful night with the Lalanne teachers, Marianist Brothers, Spiritual Mentor, and CCE staff! 🙏

Fr. Chris Wittman blessed the Dayton Lalanne house, followed by a delicious dinner and dessert just two doors down at the Marianist house. So grateful for this community, the fellowship, and the many blessings that come with sharing life and faith together! ❤️

08/12/2026

✨ Catholic School Leadership Summit: Together Toward Excellence ✨

The Center for Catholic Education and Educational Administration were honored to partner in hosting the Catholic School Leadership Summit: Together Toward Excellence!

We are incredibly grateful for our exceptional presenters who brought wisdom, expertise, and a passion for Catholic education to each session: Brother Tom Giardino, Dr. Dave Dolph, Dr. Novea McIntosh, Dr. Charlie Russo, Dr. Rhonda Mercs, Amanda Ooten, Amy Theodor, Dr. Meredith Wronowski, and Dr. Wesley Henry.

Over two meaningful days, Catholic school leaders came together to learn, reflect, collaborate, and grow. Sessions explored a wide range of topics, including:

🌿 Parker Palmer’s Touchstones
🤝 Collaborative Leadership
💙 Supporting Diverse Students
⚖️ Law and Catholic Education
🧠 Mental Health and SEL
✝️ Accreditation and Catholic Identity
🔄 Improving Paradigms
📊 Data-Informed Decision Making
🔎 Root Cause Analysis
🌟 From Vision to Implementation

The summit was truly two days filled with learning, meaningful conversations, and community building. Most importantly, it provided an opportunity for Catholic school leaders to connect with one another and strengthen their shared commitment to serving students, families, and Catholic schools.

A heartfelt thank-you to all of our presenters and participants for making this summit such a wonderful experience. Together, we continue to learn, lead, and work toward excellence in Catholic education! 🙏💙

08/11/2026

08/11/2026

🌿 CCE Retreat 2026 was a success! 🌿

The day began with breakfast and an opportunity to learn about Marianist Leadership with Allison Leigh and Ryan Allen.

With beautiful weather on our side, the CCE staff enjoyed a tour of Mount Saint John led by Brother Andrew. After lunch, we spent time building community through a fun rock-painting activity. Each staff member was encouraged to create two rocks—one to bring back to their office and another to place around the University of Dayton campus as a special welcome for students returning this fall. 🎨🪨

We wrapped up the day with some friendly competition using marshmallow shooters! The team with the most points took home a prize—and plenty of bragging rights! 😄

It was a wonderful day filled with laughter, connection, creativity, and time to reconnect with one another after summer break. ❤️

Please join us in praying for the ECHO therapists, family advocate, and Lalanne teachers as they begin a new school year. May they feel supported, inspired, and renewed as they serve students and families throughout the year. 🙏📚

07/30/2026

The St. Remy Initiative began the new year with an inspiring retreat, bringing together 32 Catholic educators for three days of faith, fellowship, and renewal. Centered on this year's theme, "Peace Be With You All," the retreat offered participants the opportunity to grow spiritually and strengthen their commitment to Catholic education.

The weekend was filled with prayer, reflection, faith sharing, lectio divina, Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary, Mass, and meaningful community-building through games, a bonfire, and even some dancing!

A heartfelt thank you to Fr. Dan Meyer for offering the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick, providing participants with moments of healing and grace.

We are deeply grateful to the St. Remy Retreat Committee for their thoughtful planning and hard work, and a special thank you to Norm Rich for his outstanding leadership in guiding this year's retreat.

May the spirit of "Peace Be With You All" continue to inspire and strengthen these dedicated Catholic educators throughout the school year. 🙏💙

07/29/2026

What a meaningful and productive summer it has been for Buck Lally, Director of Lalanne, and the Lalanne teachers!

The summer began with a retreat at Maria Stein, where the teachers gathered for prayer, reflection, and community. They were blessed to have Peg Dubrowski lead the retreat, focusing on the importance of building strong relationships—not only with their students, but also with Jesus.

The group then returned to the University of Dayton campus for professional learning centered on the history and culture of Catholic education, led by Dr. Tim Dillon and Buck Lally. ECHO interns also shared valuable insights on mental health and social-emotional learning (SEL), while Dr. Mary-Kate Sableski inspired the teachers with engaging sessions on children's literature.

Adding a fun cultural experience to the summer, Eleonora Nash taught the teachers how to prepare authentic Italian recipes, and together they created some amazing dishes!

Throughout the summer, the teachers also spent time strengthening their sense of community and supporting one another. The program concluded with a special dinner celebrating four Lalanne teachers who graduated from the program.

As these dedicated educators begin a new school year, please keep all of the Lalanne teachers in your prayers. We are grateful for their commitment to Catholic education and the students they serve. 💙🙏

07/20/2026