SAINT DIDACUS

University Ministry honors the patron saint of our city and our university by referring to the Sunday collection as the Saint Didacus Fund. Didacus is the Latin translation of the Spanish name Diego.

San Diego de Alcalá, as he was know, was born in Seville, Spain around the year 1400 but lived most of his adult life in the town of Alcalá de Henares -- hence the name given to the USD campus by our founders. His family was quite poor and unable to provide him with an education, leaving him without the ability to read. As a young man in Spain, Didacus joined the Secular Franciscan Order and lived for some time as a hermit.

After becoming a Franciscan brother, Didacus developed a reputation for intense devotion to both action and contemplation. His meditation brought him great insight into God’s ways and his generosity was so extraordinary that he became known as the “friend of the poor.” In fact, Didacus’ generosity was so prodigious that even some of his brother Franciscans became uneasy with his unfailing charity.

USD honors the legacy of Saint Didacus by donating 100% of the money that our community contributes each week to support USD community members doing service locally and around the world. During the 2007-08 academic year, the Founders Chapel Community contributed over $24,000 to a variety of social service agencies and non-governmental organizations.

These include:

St. Vincent de Paul
Special Delivery of San Diego
Catholic Relief Services
Augustinian Volunteers
Christ Child Society
Africa Jam
Interfaith Shelter Network
Dorcas House in Tijuana, Mexico
San Eugenia Mission in colonia La Morita, Tijuana, Mexico
Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers
Street Angels Ministry
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Migrant Outreach
Jardines de Colon in El Salvador
Casa Cornelia Law Center
San Diego Southern Sudanese Community Center
New Dawn Cooperative in Nicaragua
Union University in Jackson, Tennessee
God’s Child Project
Genocide Intervention Network
Religious of the Sacred Heart Missions
Jesuit Volunteer Corps

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to share them with us: universityministry@sandiego.edu

Didacus is living proof that God "chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27).