PLACE Corps Commissions Its 19th Cohort

LMU SCHOOL OF EDUCATION | Catholic schools across Southern California gained 25 teachers with the commissioning of the 19th cohort of LMU School of Education’s PLACE Corps. More than 200 friends, family, SOE staff and faculty gathered July 24, 2019, in Sacred Heart Chapel on the Loyola Marymount University campus for the Mass and commissioning.

The cohort members come from universities across the nation, including the University of Notre Dame, Emerson College, and Chaminade University of Honolulu, and from across the Los Angeles region, including California State University, Dominguez Hills, California State University, Long Beach, UC Riverside, and others; four members of the cohort are from LMU. The 25 new teachers will live together across eight communities in converted convents, and will teach in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Diocese of San Bernardino and the Diocese of Orange. This cohort includes 16 men, the largest number of men in a cohort in PLACE Corps’ history.

PLACE Corps is LMU’s nationally recognized Catholic teacher service corps, housed in the Center for Catholic Education within the School of Education. Built upon three pillars – professional development, intentional community, and Ignatian spirituality – PLACE Corps members earn a master’s degree and teaching credential while serving as full-time teachers in primarily under-resourced Catholic schools. PLACE Corps is a proud member of the Catholic Volunteer Network and the University Consortium for Catholic Education.

A special honor was presented to Deborah A. Estes, chair of the Specialty Family Foundation and a member of the SOE Board of Visitors, for her support and visionary leadership in Catholic education in the Los Angeles area. “Deb’s longtime leadership and support of inner-city Catholic education is a true example of the Ignatian ideal of the magis,” said Antonio Felix, director of PLACE Corps.

The annual Father Albert P. Koppes Alumni Award was given to Lynna Landry, an alumnae member of cohort 11. “Lynna embodies the mission and values of LMU and PLACE Corps, as she continues to live out our programs’ pillars of professional development, community living, and spirituality,” said Felix. The award is presented to a PLACE Corps alumnus or alumna who: positively impacts Catholic education; makes the PLACE Corps a better program; shows a commitment to the pillars of the program; and who has benefited others with their service. The award is named for Albert P. Koppes, O.Carm, the founding dean of the School of Education and the founder of the PLACE Corps, who died in March 2019.

Presiding over the Mass was Bishop David G. O’Connell, the episcopal vicar of the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, one of the five pastoral regions in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He is also chair of Restorative Justice – Prison Ministry and Corrections for the diocese.

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