Sister Draru Mary Cecilia, a member of the Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Gulu and executive director of the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC), received the 2024 Notre Dame Award for Outstanding Contributions to Catholic Education following an evening Mass on Wednesday (Oct. 16) on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

John Staud, executive director of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), and Rev. Lou DelFra, C.S.C., director of pastoral life for ACE, presented the award.

“Sister Draru and her colleagues put into action their knowledge that educating a sister results in far-reaching impacts: in health care, in building infrastructure, in launching income-generating projects and especially in Catholic schools,” Staud said. “To date, ASEC has served well over 10,000 sisters through its programs, and that number continues to grow thanks to the leadership and the remarkable witness to faith, hope and love of Sister Draru Mary Cecilia.”

As executive director of the collaborative, Sister Draru oversees the education for Catholic sisters in 10 African countries. She has spent much of her life working to expand women’s education in Uganda and elsewhere on the African continent. Under Sister Draru’s direction, ASEC provides leadership formation, supports religious sisters completing undergraduate and graduate studies at American universities, and leads service-learning initiatives for religious sisters serving in Africa. For those in the Global North who grapple with the challenges of disaffiliation from religion, the growth of Catholicism in sub-Saharan Africa provides a sharp contrast and a sign of hope.

Established in 2003 by the University of Notre Dame as the Alliance for Catholic Education marked its 10th anniversary, the Notre Dame Award for Outstanding Contributions to Catholic Education honors those who have made generous, lifetime commitments to sustain and strengthen Catholic schools. It is the highest honor bestowed by ACE.