This Thursday, October 16, the 13th Edition of the Mission Awards was held at Francisco de Vitoria University in Madrid, a gala that took place in a festive atmosphere and was attended by more than a hundred people.

At this event, Mission magazine, the most widely read free subscription publication among Catholic families in Spain, awarded eight initiatives and personalities: the San Ramón Nonato parish in Vallecas, the family of Pablo and Lola, Mar Dorrio, the Nártex association, Sisters Ana and Casilda Finat, the Zavala Gasset family, Father Salvador Romero Abuin (parish priest of Paiporta during the DANA), and the Si a la Vida March.

At the beginning of the event, the rector of Francisco de Vitoria University, Daniel Sada, emphasized that the magazine “is one of those stories that are worthwhile.” And it’s worthwhile because of the many stories of light that Mission allows us to learn about, and on a day like today, it focuses on a few award winners who represent that light.

Afterward, Isabel Molina Estrada, Director of Mission, spoke, recalling how “dominant ideologies have led men and women to lose sight of the highest vocation to which they are called.” She made an important appeal: “God has given each of us, each family, a mission. What we don’t do for Him in sacrifice, prayer, work, and dedication, no one will. Your mission and that of your family are unique and unrepeatable!”

The first winners were Pablo and Lola, a couple from Madrid who are the parents of six children, three of whom are adopted and have special needs. “Not every day is easy, but every day is a gift from God. We are the Lord’s favorites, who fills us and empowers us,” Lola stated. Visibly moved, she added, “For what the world can be a scandal and what no one wants in their life, He has made us a fulfilling marriage.”

The second prize was accepted by Father José Manuel Horcajo, parish priest of San Ramón Nonato in Vallecas, a parish that exemplifies how to help the neediest while also evangelizing. This priest pointed out that the parish’s motto is: “A poor person enters, and a saint comes out.” He emphasized that the poor who come to their doors later leave as apostles and missionaries. “They come to the soup kitchen and to the 40 projects we have underway, and they leave converted. They come asking and leave saying: ‘I want to help, I want to give of myself, I want to be in communion'”, he added.

Third place went to Mar Dorrio  (@whynottwelve), a mother of 12, writer, and speaker whose experience has helped thousands of Catholic families raise their children. “I’m from Ferrol, and when you’re born there, you know that behind or in front of a very large ship, there’s a tugboat. It has a low profile, going unnoticed, but that tugboat has the strength, the security, the bow always in place, and the right direction. That tugboat in my house is my husband. He’s my great tugboat, and thanks to him, I’m here today,” she said after receiving the award, highlighting the importance of marriage and family.

The fourth prize went to the Nártex Association. Isabel Fernández, its president, explained how this group of tireless volunteers has been “showing the Gospel through art in churches and cathedrals in Spain and Europe” for 19 years. She also highlighted the summer projects, the heart of this association, where numerous young people travel to different locations in Spain and Europe to show tourists of faith the beauty of the temples they see, making them realize that there is much more than stones behind those walls.

The fifth prize went to sisters Ana and Casilda Finat, well-known influencers who, following their conversions, dedicate their social media accounts to talking about God. “The Lord has taught us his wonders and transformed our lives, making them absolutely fun, for God’s ways are fun,” they remarked after receiving the award. They also encouraged those present to share their gifts so that “the light may reach everywhere.”

The sixth award was presented to the Zavala Gasset family, who together evangelize through film, audiovisual media, and literature. It all began with the conversion of José María Zavala, the father of the family, a well-known journalist and writer, who from that moment decided to dedicate himself and the rest of his family to evangelization. “The Lord gives you so much. He is the truth, and He gives us a hundredfold, even here on earth,” he stated as he accepted the award with his wife, Paloma, and their children, Borja and Inés. He added, “With God’s strength, we continue forward so that the Lord may act, despite us, and may do good for many souls.”

The seventh award was collected by Father Salvador Romero Abuin, parish priest of the San Ramón Nonato parish in Paiporta, during the DANA (Dana earthquake) that devastated this and many other towns in eastern Spain. Upon receiving the award, the priest explained that “Providence began to manifest itself from the first moment” and that, although it was “like a horror movie,” it was also “an experience of true blessings, many miracles, and truly scandalous evidence that God is always present.” Before concluding, he recalled that although he was collecting the award, “he would have done absolutely nothing if it hadn’t been for the overwhelming support of so many people” who went out of their way to help their neighbors, allowing them to experience “how good God is and that no one can beat him in generosity.”

The latest award went to the Yes to Life March, which brings together more than 500 associations and brings thousands of people out onto the streets each year in defense of the dignity of all human life.  Alicia Latorre recalled that official statistics alone reflect that more than three million babies have been prevented from being born in Spain due to abortion, a figure that in reality is much higher. This is what has united so many associations to “develop the culture of life, to show that each life is unique and unrepeatable, and to show the truth, because they have tried to distort it, showing what is bad as good and with nonsense that goes against science, conscience, and common sense.”

Before concluding the ceremony, Father Javier Cereceda LC, territorial director of the Legionaries of Christ in Spain, encouraged those present to allow the Holy Spirit to act in their lives. The award winners, he said, demonstrate that “the Lord wants and can act through you, and this is a miracle of hope. In this world that needs this light of hope, you demonstrate that you can believe that the Holy Spirit wants to act in you.”

With more than 50,000 subscribers throughout Spain, Misión has become the most widely read magazine among Spanish Catholic families. Associated with the Francisco de Vitoria University and the Regnum Christi movement and the Legionaries of Christ, it is a general, quarterly, Catholic-inspired publication aimed at families and is 100% free.