Santa Clara University

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 18, 2011 — The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (JST) and Professor Eduardo Fernandez, S.J., will receive awards from the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians in the United States (ACHTUS) for their contributions to Hispanic theological research and reflection.

The awards will be presented at ACHTUS’s annual colloquium June 7 in San Jose.

JST will be awarded the ACHTUS Award, which since 1993 has been granted to an institution or organization "for institutional contributions to theology in keeping with the mission of the Academy."  Previous winners of this award include the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs, and the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Fernandez will be awarded ACHTUS’s Virgilio Elizondo Award, which since 1989 has been awarded to an individual "for distinguished achievement in theology, in keeping with the mission of the Academy."

A description of both awards and a list of past recipients can be found at the following page of the ACHTUS web site: http://www.achtus.org/Awards.html.

ACHTUS is dedicated to promoting research and critical theological reflection within the context of the U.S. Hispanic experience. Its members are Roman Catholic Hispanics who have doctoral degrees or are enrolled in doctoral programs in theology, Scripture, ministry, or general religious studies, and are knowledgeable and actively engaged in the North American Hispanic religious experience. The group also includes affiliate members without doctoral degrees.

ACHTUS noted that JST “has established itself as a leading institution in doctoral-level education for new Latino/a scholars, especially through the mentorship of prominent Latino/a scholars such as our esteemed colleague who recently passed away, Dr. Alejandro García-Rivera, and the continuing dedication of Dr. Eduardo C. Fernández.”

The group also singled out the work of JST Professor Gloria Loya, P.B.V.M.; SCU Religious Studies Professor Ana María Pineda, R.S.M. and director of JST’s Hispanic Institute, Paulina Espinosa, as furthering the mission of ACHTUS.

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 8,800 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Media Contact:
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121