The Santa Clara family has lost a beloved member of the community, Professor Emeritus Paul Goda, S.J., who died January 29 at the infirmary at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos. We join with his brother Alex and sister-in-law Karen in mourning Father Goda's death while also remembering his long legacy at Santa Clara and his generous life of ministry.
Father Goda came to Santa Clara in 1969 as a law professor and was a staple in the Law School for the next 40 years. An inspiring teacher devoted to the University and his profession, he relished teaching law in all its detail, particularly in contracts, and sharing his expertise with generations of students. He brought good humor and a welcoming presence in all his interactions. Always ready to minister to his beloved Law School, he performed marriages and baptisms for many alumni and was ubiquitous at events and alumni gatherings. His ministry extended beyond the University community, from local parishes to the far reaches of Alaska. And in his later years, he ministered to the Chinese Catholic community in the area, even though he spoke no Chinese. The son of Hungarian immigrant parents, one Catholic and one Jewish who later converted to Catholicism, he was fiercely proud of his national and religious ancestries and appreciated more than most the diversity of traditions and the complexities of the human condition.
Admired by so many of our faculty, staff and alumni, we shall miss Father Goda and ask that he receive eternal rest with our beloved Creator.
Notes of condolence can be sent to Father Goda's family, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Goda, care of the Law School.
All are invited to celebrate Father Goda's life at the following services.
Vigil
5:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 11
Mission Santa Clara
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95050
Mass of Christian Burial
7:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 11
Mission Santa Clara
Reception to follow at Charney Hall, Santa Clara University.
Please keep Father Goda and his family in your prayers. May he rest in peace.
Sincerely,
Kevin F. O'Brien, S.J.
President