Paul Locatelli, S.J. Endowed Scholarship

For decades, the Catala Club, a service organization for women, has supported educational programs and scholarships for students at Santa Clara University. Club members continue to raise funds for the University and currently maintain seven scholarships.

In the early days of the Catala Club, members provided service to the Jesuit Community at SCU caring for vestments, altar linens, and other needs. The club gradually extended its service to the University in keeping with its motto “Service, Support, and Spirituality.” Now, Catala Club members are dedicated to providing financial assistance to Santa Clara University undergraduates.

The approximately 300 members are connected in a variety of ways to the University. Members are alumnae of Santa Clara, relatives of students, wives of SCU alumni, mothers or relatives of Jesuits. The group also includes women benefactors and friends of the University. The Catala Club volunteers organize large fundraisers each year for scholarships, including the Paul Locatelli, S.J. Endowed Scholarship.

Raised in Boulder Creek, California, Father Locatelli graduated from Santa Clara in 1960 with a degree in accounting. After serving in the U.S. Army, he joined the Society of Jesus in 1962 and was ordained as a priest in 1974. Father Locatelli served as SCU’s academic vice president, associate dean of business, a member of the faculty of the accounting department, and eventually president in 1988.

The Catala Club established this scholarship in 1996 to support undergraduate students in honor of Father Locatelli’s tenure from 1988 to 2008 as the University’s 27th president. Father Locatelli passed on July 12, 2010.