"Accompanying the beginnings of a path of love" was the theme of the Family Ministry meeting of the Jesuits in Spain which was held in Barcelona during the second weekend of February. More than 60 people from nearly 20 different towns participated and shared their experiences about family ministry in different places of the Province.

The first challenge is welcoming couples into our post-Christian society. People are often distrustful and even hostile to the Church, especially in the light of the recent scandals of sexual abuse.

Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, participated in the meeting. He began his intervention by pointing out the relationship between Ignatian spirituality and family life, by helping us to find God in daily life. In his talk he stressed the importance of transmitting faith in the family through our testimony, without demanding results nor losing hope.

There was also a session dedicated to "good practices" in which we learned about experiences with cases of couple break-ups, pastoral care with LGBT Christians, or new ways of adapting Ignatian spirituality to the family.