The Diocese of Salamanca became the epicenter of a profound ecclesial reflection with the celebration of the Diocesan Vocations Congress under the motto "I am alive — for whom?" The event brought together more than 500 people at Colegio Calasanz over three days filled with talks, workshops, and moments of intense spirituality. In a recent interview, María Vidal Tinajero, a Religious of the Sacred Hearts and member of the organizing team, reflected on the fruits of an event she described as an "authentic experience of the Living Church."
A local hymn that crosses borders
The Salamanca Congress was born with the idea of bringing the experience of the previous National Vocations Congress in Madrid to the local level. What was initially conceived as a complex undertaking surpassed all expectations, with one great surprise: the journey of its official hymn. What began as a strictly local Salamancan composition ended up becoming the worldwide hymn of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. "It has been a joy to see that something so small can have a universal impact; that too is a vocation: sharing one's gifts," the religious sister highlighted.
Psychology and faith in service of social exclusion
Beyond her involvement in the congress, María Vidal works as an educator at the Centro Padre Damián of Cáritas Salamanca, dedicated to accompanying people experiencing homelessness. She explained how both dimensions coexist within her, noting that psychology provides essential tools for approaching human complexity with respect, converging with her faith in the desire to "care for and accompany life."
María also underlined the lessons she receives from the most vulnerable: "They have taught me that dignity is never lost and that a person is always greater than their story." When asked how the congress's central question resonates with someone who has lost everything, she explained that, while survival is the immediate priority for such people, vocation underlies "the deep desire to get back up, start over, and be recognized as someone of value."
The strength of the laity and self-giving
María shared that what moved her most deeply during the congress was witnessing the strength and expression of faith among the laity, discovering that the day-to-day life of the diocese is firmly sustained by ordinary men and women.
Faced with a contemporary culture focused on individual self-fulfillment, she defended the "countercultural" nature of the Christian vocation, centered on self-giving: "One truly finds oneself when one gives one's life away. We do not exist for ourselves alone, but with others." She also noted that today's young people show enormous generosity when offered an authentic space for listening and discernment.
Link: https://youtu.be/ccG3sZAfRTg
05/20/2026