Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University

Recently, the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (JST-SCU) was honored to host nine Bishops from across dioceses in California and Hawaii for a day of prayerful encounter and synodal conversation on May 25, 2026. The gathering between bishops and theologians was intended to help the participants prepare for the 500th Anniversary of the Guadalupe Apparition in 2031. Learn more about the day on our website: https://bit.ly/4vNeOnR

On June 6, 2026, the San Jose Diocese hosted an event, “Where Rome Meets Silicon Valley: Conversations on Human Dignity, Ethics, and AI.” In response to Pope Leo XIV’s “Magnifica Humanitas,” the Diocese invited community members to gather for public conversation on one of “the most consequential questions of our time: how to protect human dignity in the age of Artificial Intelligence.”

JST-SCU’s Dr. Julie Rubio was a panelist at the event, along with Brian Green, Director of Technology Ethics at SCU’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. As we look forward to our relocation to Santa Clara, CA, next year, we are excited to continue working with the Diocese of San Jose.

Photos are courtesy of the San Jose Diocese, and were taken by Oliver Tapia.

The final deadline for domestic students to join our Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program with a concentration in Synodal Leadership is July 1! Join us tomorrow, June 16, 2026, at 12:00 PM PDT for an information session. Go to our website to register: https://bit.ly/4aPC3pc

Dr. Léocadie Lushombo, I.T. was recently chosen by Pope Leo XIV to speak at the unveiling of his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which is focused on AI and Human Dignity. Visit our website to learn more about Dr. Lushombo and the important work she has been doing! https://bit.ly/4uTATkJ

On May 5th, faculty, staff, students, and friends gathered to celebrate Professor Eduardo Fernandez, S.J., for 29 years of academic and pastoral work at JST-SCU in light of his retirement. The evening began with the Eucharist, presided over by Fr. Eddie, as we affectionately call him, after which Professor Gina Hens-Piazza shared a few words of recognition and gratitude for his numerous contributions to the life of JST over almost three decades. The celebration continued with mariachi, piñatas, poetry, and Mexican food, where we enjoyed the opportunity to sing, dance, and laugh with Fr. Eddie.

We want to express our wholehearted gratitude to Fr. Eddie for his academic and pastoral work, guidance, kindness, and joy. We wish him abundant blessings in this new chapter of his life and ministry. Please join us in wishing Fr. Eddie the best as he enters this new chapter.

Dean Orobator recently gave the keynote address at the Catholic Theological Union’s 2026 Schreiter Symposium. His talk, titled “Mountains don’t meet: accompaniment and reconciliation as a praxis of encounter,” draws on the African philosophy of Ubuntu, “I am because we are,” which he says “prioritizes inclusion over exclusion, community over competition, hospitality over hostility, dialogue over division, respect over domination.”

“Reconciliation,” he says, “is a praxis of encounter, whose primary purpose is the restoration of right conditions for people to meet again, including, as Schreiter said, ‘changing structures in society that provoked, promoted, and sustained violence.’”

Go to Fr. Orobator’s full talk at the following link: https://bit.ly/4ugbOzh

Julie Hanlon Rubio, Shea-Huesman Professor of Christian Social Ethics at JST-SCU, recently spoke on a panel hosted by that brought together five scholars in ethics, technology, and religious studies to discuss Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas: On the Protection of Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence."

"'Santa Clara University has long held a rare position at the intersection of the Catholic intellectual tradition and the global technology industry as the Jesuit University in Silicon Valley,' noted Kendra Sharp, dean of the School of Engineering, who opened the event."

It is conversations like this that make us excited about our upcoming move to Silicon Valley. We will be at the heart of critical conversations, bringing our theological, ethical, and ministerial experience to Silicon Valley as we continue to explore the relationships between AI, ethics, ecology, and society. You can read the full story on our website: https://bit.ly/4u6MnjG

Join us in congratulating two of our JST-SCU faculty members who were recently awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of associate professor.

Prof. Coogan is a historian of religion, textuality, and enslavement in the Roman Mediterranean, with a focus on the New Testament and early Christianity.

Prof. Lushombo is a Catholic moral theologian whose research bridges fields ranging from African Christian theological ethics, economic globalization; and liberation, political, and feminist theology. You may have recently seen her in the news, as she was chosen to join Pope Leo XIV in Rome for the presentation of the new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.

We are so proud of Prof. Coogan and Prof. Lushombo!

To conclude Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to share quotes from a recent talk given by JST-SCU Professor of Ignation Spirituality Fr. Christopher Staab, S.J., on "The First Companions: Finding Grace in Dispersion, Sickness, and Conflict."

In this reflection, Fr. Staab, uses the stories of the original Jesuits to offer wisdom for our own journeys. He shares how these companions sought to bring consolation to others, and how we can discover the motions of the good Spirit in our own lives, even during challenging times.