By David Eck

DAYTON DEANERY — An initiative to help Catholic school teachers and principals strengthen their ministry as Catholic educators has picked up five additional schools for the 2008-09 school year.

The St. Remy Initiative, now in its second year, will include 14 schools this year, up from nine in 2007-08. The schools are located in the Dayton and northern areas of the archdiocese.

Participants recently completed a three-day pilgrimage to religious sites, including Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana. The pilgrimage is designed to bring the group of more than 40 principals and teachers closer together while deepening their spiritual formation.

The three-year initiative, a partnership between the archdiocesan schools office and the University of Dayton, is designed to broaden participants’ understanding of Catholic education and the response to their calling.

In addition to the ongoing theme of spiritual formation, the effort this year will focus on instructional leadership in Catholic schools, said Toni Moore, assistant superintendent for the archdiocese.

Participants will kick off the school year with an Aug. 28 reception at UD. Other St. Remy Initiative events planned for the year include five instructional days, a retreat and a closing Mass.

Typically, each participating school sends a three-person team comprised of a principal, an aspiring principal and a teacher leader. Each team will develop a school-wide project on an instructional topic, incorporating best practices. The teams will also share their projects with one and other.

"We’re finding that people really have grown spiritually and in terms of being more open to God’s call for us as Catholic school educators," Moore said. "It’s a very energized group." That has led to more participants this year.

As the initiative heads into its second year, participants have bonded and become a resource for each other. It was an unintended consequence, leaders said.

The group has formed a community, calling on each other when dealing with difficulties, Moore said.

Virginia Evers recently retired from St. Anthony School in Dayton after her 40th year in Catholic education. She is now a member of the St. Remy Initiative leadership team.

"As a Catholic school teacher, the spiritual aspect is so important," she said.

As a member of a team last year, Evers has seen the benefits of collaborating and sharing knowledge.

"Its wonderful to have the teachers empowered and have them working together," she said. "It’s just wonderful to be involved with the group…because we can see the results with the children. I know what a teacher can do for a child."