[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 105 (Thursday, July 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          A TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF REVEREND PAUL LOCATELLI, S.J.

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                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 15, 2010

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary 
life of a learned and distinguished priest, Father Paul Locatelli, 
S.J., who died at the age of 71 on the morning of July 12, 2010.
  Father Locatelli was respected by all who knew him. An alumnus of 
Santa Clara University, he served the University he loved as its 27th 
President for 20 years. After the Presidency, he was named Chancellor. 
He then was appointed Secretary for Jesuit Higher Education for the 
Society of Jesus in Rome, a position he held until his death.
  Father Locatelli was raised in Boulder Creek, California, and served 
in the U.S. Army after graduation from Santa Clara in 1960. Later, he 
joined the Society of Jesus and was ordained in 1974. He earned a 
doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Southern 
California and a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of 
Theology at Berkeley, where his work focused on ethics and values in 
contemporary society. Before becoming President of Santa Clara, he was 
its Academic Vice President and Associate Dean of Business, and was a 
member of the faculty in the Accounting Department.
  The day Father Locatelli died, the Washington Post had a feature 
article about how today's college presidents were trying to find new 
ways to bond more with their students. The reporters didn't know Father 
Locatelli, but if they did, they would have found someone who was ahead 
of his time--an extraordinary university president who for years had 
developed relationships with students at Santa Clara University. He was 
eminently approachable, possessed a big heart, and had a genuine 
interest in every student's well-being.
  His deep love for Santa Clara shone through in all he did, and his 
wisdom and erudition were widely known. The University flourished under 
his leadership, becoming one of the best Jesuit universities in 
America. Under his leadership the Alameda de las Pulgas was rerouted, 
more than 19 buildings and sports centers were built or renovated, and 
the endowment grew from $77 million to more than $700 million.
  Father Locatelli was a remarkable Jesuit priest who had the rare 
ability to reach both the older members and the younger members of his 
order, the Society of Jesus -- and was respected and admired by both. 
One Jesuit rector in Rome called him ``a man of vision with a welcoming 
spirit.'' He was also a priest of deep and abiding faith. His faith 
included an adamant belief that ``Catholics should feel free to vote as 
they deem in the best interest of the nation and world.'' He lamented 
those bishops who speak for the unborn but ``turn Catholicism and 
morality into a single political or moral issue and some threaten to 
withhold communion from politicians.''
  He had empathy for those who questioned God's compassion but 
counseled them that faith and compassion were needed most when times 
were difficult. In his widely quoted and poignant words of September 
11, 2001, he said that ``For persons of faith, and to be sure, we are 
all people of weak and troubled faith today, there is a great need to 
trust that the God of life is more powerful than all the forces of 
death. There is also need for forbearance and forgiveness. If we do not 
trust in God and do not imitate God's mercy then evil will not be 
overcome by good. Just the opposite will happen, evil will have spread 
to us, generating despair and vengeance. And that will mean that evil 
will have overcome good.''
  Father Locatelli -- who was a great cook and an avid runner -- was 
busy making plans for his 60th Santa Clara Reunion when he was 
diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. His reunion 
will go on, and his classmates, including CIA Director Leon Panetta 
will attend and speak, but there most certainly will be a deep hole in 
their midst.
  Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in extending our 
deepest sympathies to Father Locatelli's family and to the entire 
Jesuit community. We honor his memory and the life he lived so well in 
extraordinary service to others. He made a difference in the lives of 
thousands of students and was a beloved counselor to me and many 
others. Father Locatelli will always be remembered as one who deepened 
our faith, who was a shining star amongst Jesuits as a superb educator 
and leader, who strengthened our entire community with his wisdom and 
leadership, and a man who loved his country and served it exceedingly 
well with his compassionate patriotism. God has prepared a high place 
in heaven for this extraordinary, holy and humble man.

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