First Date

The Mission Church has been the site of thousands of weddings. But how many people have gone there for a first date? “Joe asked me to go swing dancing, but I was going to Mass that morning,” says Cathy De Maria ’70. “He said he’d meet me for Mass.”

“That’s when you thought, ‘Maybe he’s not too bad,’” Joe De Maria adds.

Cathy and Joe continued to see each other, and in 1992 they made another date at the Mission—this time to get married. For Cathy, the choice of venue was easy because Santa Clara is, in many ways, her “first love.” Cathy was the first in her family to attend college and “wasn’t just learning academically, but also emotionally, spiritually,” she says.

Cathy taught in San Jose schools before coming to work in the University’s business office and in the administrative offices. She joined and ultimately became president of the Catala Club, an SCU fundraising group for women that supports scholarships. When she made plans for her estate, Cathy was sure to include the Catala Club. It’s her way of passing on an experience that shaped her life. After all, the University provided her spiritual fortitude, intellectual curiosity, and a passion to help others. And Santa Clara didn’t do such a bad job screening her dates, either.

Could you join her and other friends of Santa Clara in supporting scholarships? scu.edu/give