With almost 14 million people spread out among many diverse neighborhoods, endless freeways interwoven across the landscape, and one of the most eclectic populations in the world, Los Angeles is difficult to imagine unless you are able to live there and experience it first hand. When LA was added to the growing list of ACE sites, there was no doubt that a great need was being served in the Archdiocese, but that need has become even more apparent as the ACE program moves into its eighth year in the City of Angels. This profile is a hint of the memories and comments submitted by those who lived and are currently living in the LA area.
Eight teachers from ACE 7 were chosen to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and thus began the deep commitment to serve the Catholic schools in South Central and East LA. This area, for many, is the setting of rap songs and the heart of the stereotypical gangster thug identity, but the soul of LA moves far beyond what may be initially recognized at the surface, and ACE teachers that serve in this area are blessed to see the beauty and tough reality that lies beneath. Brick Maier (ACE 8), who taught at St Gertrude in Bell Gardens, wrote, “I taught in an area whose violent crime rate was nearly quadruple that of the beach communities just 20 miles west, however I don’t feel that gave me the right to take that statistic to further stereotype the struggles my students’ families faced everyday.”
For many teachers in Los Angeles, the initial encounter with the overwhelming needs of their schools can be debilitating, but their desire to serve moves many ACErs out of their comfort zones and into the communities they serve. Beau Schweitzer (ACE 7) began his ACE experience at St. Malachy, teaching 6th-8th grade, and quickly realized that his strength and inspiration was found in the people with whom he served. “Those who gave everything to our school sacrificed health and family for that oasis, for its kids. We were health and family for one another.” In addition to their schools, many who teach in LA draw strength from their ACE communities. Eric Amato (ACE 8), who continues to serve at Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary in Montebello, remembers fondly his close quarters at their first ACE house, “I was sleeping in a room with two other roommates and we had an inch to spare between our beds.” Now that’s what I call community bonding!
There are several characteristics of Los Angeles that make it different than many of the other sites in the ACE program, but one experience that all ACE teachers share is the distain for LA traffic. From morning ‘til night it takes over the city and fills the freeways. However, the frustration felt in traffic is juxtaposed to the unique attributes of a city this size. Aileen Socrates (ACE 8) wrote, “LA is a city in which the extreme do their best to co-exist. Rich and poor, as well as black, white, brown and every shade in between call this place home.” Similarly, Michael Kelleher (ACE 12) finds the eclectic nature of LA as a perk to living in the area. “You never have to do the same thing twice…the beach, the mountains and the city are all a bike ride away…everything is at your fingertips.”
Finding your niche in a city so large is often difficult, but many of the ACErs were able to find an aspect of LA that filled their spirits and refueled them when the school days were difficult. Steph Lavia (ACE 11) taught 3rd grade at Mother of Sorrows and found the connections she made at school to be a life-giving experience. “Working with a predominately Hispanic culture was amazing. My students’ families were extremely trusting and loving.” Rene Levario (ACE 9) spoke about the fact that LA has three communities and many alumni living in the area, which provides some much needed support. Also, the Archdiocesan support and the efforts of Cardinal Mahony was something that David Wartowski (ACE 7) noted.
With 218 Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese, Los Angeles is in desperate need of quality teachers. “An entire ACE class could be placed in LA schools,” responded Maier. The ACE program currently has 15 teachers in 7 different schools, and this doesn’t include the large number of alumni who have stayed to serve in the area. With its strong Hispanic population and service to the under-resourced and disadvantaged, the City of Angels is at the heart of what it means to serve in a Catholic school. Anne Hainley (ACE 10) writes, “Los Angeles is central to the future of the identity of Catholics in the United States.” With all of its beauty and dismay, Los Angeles continues to be a prominent site for the ACE program and one that changes and inspires all who serve there.