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January 22, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Meditations on Our Lady at Santa Clara University
By Aurora Zahm
“Life is messy and exists” in shades
of grey, says Maria Del Socorro Casta-
ñeda-Liles, a 1998 Santa Clara Uni-
versity graduate who co-founded
the popular La Virgen Del Tepeyac
performance – with special collabora-
tion with Teatro Corazón – which ran
for its 22nd year this past December at
Mission Santa Clara.
In her book Our Lady of Everyday
Life, La Virgen de Guadalupe and the
Catholic Imagination of Mexican Wom-
en in merica, she fi nds that often the
messier parts of life are relegated to si-
lent shadows. She says, “It’s that silence
that is a sin.” To break that silence, she
interviewed Hispanic Catholic women,
fi nding a culture that turns to ur ady
of Guadalupe for support.
The book is described on Amazon.
com as “one of the first sociological
studies and the fi rst intergenerational
analysis of Mexican origin women and
Catholicism” and “the first in-depth
analysis of how women are socialized
into Mexican Catholicism, and how they
transgress limiting notions of what a
good Catholic woman should be.”
Here’s an excerpt of what she
learned.
What does coff ee with milk have to do
with Mexican Catholicism? According to
Esperanza (age 68), it has everything to do
Dancers in front of the Mission as campus
hosted the 22 nd annual performance of La
Virgen Del Tepeyac.
Photography by Jim Gensheimer.
with it. I had arranged to interview Espe-
ranza after the noon Sunday Mass. This
prompted me to ask whether, for her, Our
Lady of Guadalupe is a Mexican cultural
symbol or a Catholic religious symbol.
In a fi rm but endearing tone, she asked,
“Could you please … remove the milk from
the coff ee you are drinking?” Her question
caught me by surprise, and … I felt puzzled
– as well as stupid. I told her that what she
asked me was impossible, for the coff ee and
milk were mixed. She then proceeded to say:
Exactamente mija, Mexico es como el café
con leche. No se puede separar a la Virgen
de Guadalupe de la religión y la cultura,
todo está mezclado (Exactly mija, Mexico
is like coff ee with milk. You cannot separate
the Virgin of Guadalupe from religion and
culture, it is all mixed together.)
(A version of this story originally
ran in Santa Clara Magazine online.)
Saint Mary School Gilroy Celebrates the 50 th Anniversary of Sister Bobbi Green
The Saint Mary School community
celebrated the 50th anniversary of
Sister Bobbi Green in the Sisters of
the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin
Mary during the Feast of the Presenta-
tion Mass.
Sister Bobbi was joined by her fel-
low Presentation sisters along with
the entire Saint Mary School at this
special Mass. During Mass, the fourth
grade put on a beautiful enactment
of the life of Nano Nagle, foundress
of the Sisters of the Presentation and
presented Sister Bobbi with a lantern,
which is a symbol of the Sisters of the
Presentation.
St. Justin School
Preschool - 8th Grade
OPEN HOUSE
Sunday, January 27, 10am-1pm
Tuesday, January 29, 9am-12pm
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
FOR THE 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR
• Licensed Preschool 3-year old and Pre-K 4-year old programs
• STEM lab and integrated technology in the classroom
• Hands-on science lab for grades K-8
• PE, Art and Music taught in grades PreK-8
• Athletics, Band, Choir, Theater Arts, Chess, Spanish
• Extended care before and after school
• Financial aid assistance available
2655 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara
(408) 248-1094 • stjustinschool.org
In addition, Sister Bobbi is an
alumna of Saint Mary School, and her
dedication to her faith and her voca-
tion are an ongoing inspiration to the
school community.
The school community was very
blessed to share in this beautiful cer-
emony with Sister Bobbi.
Sister Bobbi Green (middle with lantern) and
fellow Presentation sisters.
Holy Family School’s All the Way Home
Campaign to End Veteran Homelessness
Did you know that Santa Clara
County has among the highest rate
of unsheltered homeless veterans in
the country? The “All the Way Home”
campaign aims to end veteran home-
lessness.
Mrs. Bowers second graders and
Mrs. Smearden’s third graders at Holy
Family School supported the “All the
Way Home” program for our commu-
nity outreach.
A few times during the year, they
will do different collections to help
these veterans get on their feet as they
transition into their new homes after
being homeless. In November, they
collected leftover Halloween candy to
make goody bags and wrote letters to
the veterans in honor Veteran’s Day.
Throughout the year these students
will collect diff erent home items, to
donate to the veterans to get their new
households started.
OPEN HOUSE. OPEN DOORS.
I AM YOUR FUTURE
.
The Diocese of San Jose’s Catholic schools
develop leaders with a conscience.
Visit our schools to take a closer look at how
a Catholic education can inspire your child.
» Find inspiration at www.dsj.org/openhouse