Santa Clara University

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec.2, 2002- Santa Clara University and Sacred Heart Parish in San Jose collaborate again this year in the sixth annual celebration of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The celebration features a dramatic musical performance by Teatro Corazón of Sacred Heart Parish.

Also at this year’s celebration, the recipient of the Juan Diego Scholarship, a four-year tuition scholarship to SCU, will be announced.

The Guadalupe Celebration will take place on Sunday, Dec. 8, from 2- 4 p.m. in the Mission Santa Clara de Asís, followed by a reception in the de Saisset Museum on the SCU campus. The Teatro Corazón performance will be primarily in Spanish with English commentary throughout. Son Santa Clara will perform at the museum reception.

This year's scholarship recipient is Patricia Hernandez of San Jose. She is the sister of Maria Guadalupe Hernandez, the first Juan Diego Scholarship recipient and a member of Teatro Corazón.

The Juan Diego Scholarship is a need-based scholarship funded by SCU since 1998. In order to qualify for the scholarship, applicants must either plan or have applied to be a freshman or transfer student at SCU. In addition to completing the application process issued by Sacred Heart Parish, the applicant must meet SCU admission requirements. As part of the criteria, a Sacred Heart Parish committee selects applicants based on their parish involvement and youth leadership.

Among many Latin Americans and the Roman Catholic community, the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe recalls the apparitions in December 1531 of the mother of the Savior on Hill of Tepeyac outside of what is now Mexico City

The play, “Virgen de Tepeyac,” tells the story of Juan Diego, the man to whom the Lady of Guadalupe appeared. He brought news of the appearance of Our Lady to the local bishop, along with her wish that he build a church for the indigenous people to honor her.

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Media: To arrange an interview with the scholarship recipient, or to obtain permission to photograph the performance, please contact Barry Holtzclaw, 408-396-4491. For more information about the event, contact Laurie Laird at 408-554-5013, Ana Maria Pineda at 408-554-6958, or Lulu Santana at 408-554-4639.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,054 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the fifth-highest graduation rate among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is online at www.scu.edu