ACUE summer mission collection keeps Catholic education accessible to families in the urban core

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

In the Diocese of Covington, five elementary schools fall under the ACUE (Alliance for Catholic Urban Education) banner. Serving the Covington deanery, ACUE’s mission is to “preserve Catholic education in urban areas,” providing tuition assistance to low-income families, and with it the option for a Catholic education.

While these schools and the aid they provide are in part funded by the diocese’s 13 urban parishes, ACUE relies on donations from parishioners and community as a primary source of funds — and as a way to lessen the load on both the parishes and the diocese at large.

The Summer Mission Collection, which runs from July to the weekend of August 17, is just one of the fundraising efforts on behalf of ACUE and the Office of Stewardship and Mission — encouraging contributions during weekend Masses from not just the urban parishes, but suburban and rural parishes as well.

“Tuition assistance is our greatest thing,” according to Beth Ruehlmann, ACUE’s director of development, “We build on what’s most important — to allow the children access to the schools.”

Although ACUE school budgets are often very lean, children in the diocesan urban schools benefit from a “solid education,” said Ms. Ruehlmann, including small class sizes and “all the hallmarks of Catholic education.” Of all students who attend ACUE schools, a minimum of 90 percent move on to a Catholic High School — and a strong 99 percent of those students attend college, trade school or enter the armed forces.

“We know that the children (who attend ACUE schools) were not being served through the public schools,” she continued, “They were falling through the cracks … those families needed an alternative, and what’s what we are. It’s important to maintain a presence in our urban neighborhoods.”

To learn more about ACUE schools, or to make a financial contribution, visit https://covdio.org/acue/.