Dear Members of the Santa Clara University Community,

Welcome to the start of a new year at Santa Clara University.  While classes won’t begin for a month or so, preparations are moving full steam ahead to greet new faculty and staff, and to welcome everyone back to campus. We look forward eagerly to the students' return with their energy and optimism.

It’s also time to honor St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, the Order of Catholic priests on whose principles our University was created. This year we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Pamplona — that fateful moment when a cannonball severely injured Ignatius’s leg.  This tragedy sparked his transformation from soldier to pilgrim.  Like St. Ignatius, we’ve been hit by cannonballs this past year—a global pandemic and a racial reckoning.  These cannonball moments invite us to embrace more fully Santa Clara’s Ignatian vision: to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world. 

Please join us, then, to celebrate the feast day of St. Ignatius.  Because July 31 falls on a Saturday this year, the campus will gather for Mass on Friday, July 30 at 12 noon in the Mission Church. All members of the Santa Clara University community are welcome as we honor the founder of the Jesuits and the members of the Jesuit community with whom we live and work.  No sign up is required, but we ask you to follow our COVID-19 protocols for the Mission Church here. 

With deep gratitude for all the gifts you bring to the University,

Lisa A. Kloppenberg
Acting President

Alison Benders
Vice President for Mission and Ministry