Stories

On November 1, SCU hosted the third annual Camino de los Muertos, an event honoring departed loved ones and celebrating the bonds between the living and the dead as is traditionally done at this time in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Religious Studies professors Roberto Mata and Pearl Maria Barros, with the help of colleague Olivia Gonzalez from the Communications Department, built the SCU Latine Faculty ofrenda, which featured photos of RS's own Fr. Paul Crowley, SJ and Denise Carmody, who served as mentors to many faculty at SCU.

Ana María Pineda, RSM also helped with the SCU Latinx Alumni ofrenda, welcoming many of her former students who attended the event. Indeed, it was Ana María who built the first ofrenda in the Mission Church when she first arrived at SCU. To this day, an ofrenda, or altar of remembrance, can be found in Mission Santa Clara de Asís during the month of November. At the end of the Camino de los Muertos event, one of the catrinas designed by Mexican artist Ana Gia visited the SCU Latine Faculty ofrenda to pause and offer marigolds (in Mesoamerican cultures, marigold petals are said to cover the path bridging the world of the living with the world of the dead). It was a remarkable moment.

Catrina, designed by Mexican artist, Ana Gia

Catrina offering marigolds