Diocese of Vitoria launches monthly talks on family life and evangelization
The Diocese of Vitoria's office for family and life ministry has organized eight monthly talks on marriage, parenting and the care of children and older people, beginning October 7, 2026, at the Aula Juan XXIII.
The office for family and life ministry of the Diocese of Vitoria, in the Basque Country of northern Spain, has launched a series of eight talks titled "La alegría de evangelizar" (The joy of evangelizing). The series begins in the 2026-2027 pastoral year at the Aula Juan XXIII in Vitoria. The program is aimed at supporting and strengthening married couples and families in the Christian faith. It coincides with the 10th anniversary of the apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia, signed by Pope Francis in 2016. The exhortation's teaching on married and family love continues to receive attention in Spanish dioceses.
Pope Leo XIV has stressed the value of the document as a point of reference for helping families face the challenges of the present. The monthly talks will offer formation and reflection on the different stages of family life: the vocation of parents, the value of children, the care of older people and grandparents, and the family's role in handing on the faith and living out love.
The sessions will be held at the Aula Juan XXIII, on calle Jesús Guridi, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The schedule is as follows:
Óscar Areitio Badiola, head of the diocese's family and life ministry, will open the series on October 7, 2026, with a talk titled La Familia de Nazaret. Redescubrir la vocación y la misión de la familia (The Family of Nazareth: Rediscovering the vocation and mission of the family). On November 4, María del Carmen Preciado, an educator and mother of four, will speak on Las madres. Opción por la vida (Mothers: Choosing life). On December 2, journalist and father of a large family José Ángel Gutiérrez will present Los padres. Custodios de la fe (Fathers: Guardians of the faith).
On January 13, 2027, Paulina Arreola González and Carlos Del Pozo Lozano, a married couple with a large family, will speak on Los hijos. Un don (Children: A gift). On February 3, Sara Méndez Cordero, a pedagogy student and the eldest sister in a large family, will speak on Los hermanos. El cuidado a los más débiles (Siblings: Caring for the weakest). On March 3, Daniel Manuel Corral de Achúcarro, head of the diocese's ministry to the elderly, will ask Los ancianos. ¿Estamos realmente preparados? (Older people: Are we really prepared?).
Two sessions in the spring will close the series. On April 7, 2027, Yasel Fermín, who holds a master's degree in canonical matrimonial procedural law and serves as notary of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Vitoria, will give the talk Los abuelos. Abrazo de amor (Grandparents: An embrace of love). The final session, on May 5, will be given by Manu Pedreira Cárdenas, deputy prosecutor for minors at the provincial prosecutor's office of Álava, on Los niños. Amor y pasión, riqueza para la humanidad (Children: Love and passion, a richness for humanity).
The office for family and life ministry has encouraged married couples, families and anyone else interested to take part. The series is intended to explore the family vocation, strengthen ties between generations and support the most vulnerable through love, faith and hope.
