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.
The Legacy of Saint Didacus of Alcalá
Didacus is the Latin translation of the Spanish name Diego. President James Harris describes the ongoing legacy of San Diego de Alcalá, the patron saint of our city and our university.
San Diego de Alcalá, as he was known, 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.
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).
2022-2023 Donations
During the 2022-23 academic year, the Founders Chapel Community contributed $8642.07 to a variety of social service agencies and non-governmental organizations including:
If your organization would like to receive a St. Didacus Fund, please email us at universityministry@sandiego.edu.