Mariola López Villanueva, RSCJ, will be the first speaker on May 5th during the 2025 Plenary Assembly.

A Religious of the Sacred Heart, born in Bigastro, Alicante, Mariola has an extensive academic background, with studies in Journalism and Biblical Theology in Madrid, and a PhD in Spiritual Theology from Loyola University. She is currently a professor of Spirituality at the Faculty of Theology in Granada and is part of the provincial team of her congregation in Spain. In addition, she dedicates time to caring for her mother, who is 96 years old, an experience that has allowed her to deepen her reflection on consecrated life and daily spirituality.

Throughout her career, Mariola has shared her knowledge and experience with religious women from various congregations, always seeking paths of healing through the Gospel. She has written several books, including “Ungidas: an itinerary of prayer with stories of women” (2016), “Gift yourself an afternoon” (2017), and more recently “Ignatian Spirituality Today,” in collaboration with Javier Melloni (2023), among others.

During the UISG Assembly, in her conference titled “Consecrated Life: A Hope that Transforms,” Mariola will invite us to reflect on hope in the context of consecrated life. How can hope transform religious communities in a world marked by violence, exclusion, and indifference? How can consecrated life continue to learn from the Gospel and from the women who, throughout history, have been bearers of hope? How can Mother Superiors keep this hope alive and transmit it within their congregations, especially during times of difficulty?

Mariola will invite the participants of the Assembly to discover how consecrated life can be a space of transformation, both for them and for those they accompany, offering a message of trust in God’s love, even in the darkest moments.