Blog posts written by SCU students
History of Sacramental Records The practice of keeping sacramental records originates within the European Catholic tradition, as written documentation gradually became essential to the administration of parish life. Although parish registers existed earlier, the modern system took definitive shape during the Council of Trent (1545-1563). In its twenty-fourth session, the Council required parish priests to […]
Our interaction with special collections, sacramental records, and archaeological materials showed us how vital context is when we interpret history. As we examined sacramental records, which often include only brief entries such as baptisms or marriages, we noticed how these documents omitted or generalized individual Native experiences. The archives revealed that missionaries and colonizers routinely […]
Built around a former Mission, our university sits on land layered with meaning. Long before brick buildings and manicured lawns, Ohlone communities lived, worked, gathered, and resisted here. Their history did not begin in 1777 with the founding of Mission Santa Clara de Asís. However, most of what students encounter about this land, in their […]
When I was looking to apply to Santa Clara University, my mom would always refer to it as “The University of Santa Clara” or “USC.” No matter how many times I insisted it was “SCU” or “Santa Clara University,” she always refuted that it used to be called USC. I didn’t realize until looking at […]
