Hope as a Vocation: The Life of a Woman Who Made Her Story a Cause
For more than four decades, Julieta Lujambio has woven together threedimensions of her life—communication, motherhood, and social commitment—into asingle vocation: giving a voice to those who rarely have one. From themicrophones of radio and television, from Congress and the spaces of theChurch, and more recently from the Centros de Tareas Escolares(After-School Homework Centers), her words have always sought to kindle hopeand open paths forward.
Breaking Silences: Single Mothers, Invisible Children
"Single mothers and their children were a silenced reality,"she recalls. For more than fifteen years, she championed a legislative agendato bring visibility to the rights of these families, confronting institutionaland cultural resistance that seemed insurmountable. "The main obstacle wasnot the lack of laws, but the lack of will to recognize that paternalabandonment is also a form of violence," she states.
That struggle was not only professional, but also deeply personal."I knew what it meant to raise children alone—to provide, to educate, tolove without rest. That is why I could not stay silent." What sustainedher, she says, was the certainty that every step taken—every meeting, everymemorandum, every reform achieved—benefited thousands of invisible women. Herperseverance helped bring into being instruments that exist today, such as theNational Registry of Support Obligations (Registro Nacional de ObligacionesAlimentarias), a historic advance for the protection of children.
The Word as Seed
Drawing on her experience as a communicator, Julieta maintains that thespoken word can be an act of justice. "Communication holds enormous power:it can destroy or it can heal. I always believed that radio and televisioncould be instruments of dignity and of evangelization—understood not asproselytism, but as a way of carrying the good news that we all have worth,that no one is expendable."
Her public voice has been placed at the service of human causes. In herprograms, lectures, and writings, she has built bridges between faith andculture, between the Church and civil society. "Communication can also bea form of social tenderness," she sums up.
Faith and Commitment: A Single Pulse
In Julieta, faith and social action are not separate spheres, but twosides of the same calling. "I cannot conceive of a faith shut inside thetemple, nor an activism without spiritual roots. Faith is the engine that keepsyou standing when everything seems to be collapsing."
As an advisor to the International Network of Catholic Women Leaders,she has stressed the need for a female leadership that combines firmness withcompassion, intelligence with empathy. "Female leadership must humanizestructures, not repeat the models of power that have wounded us," shenotes.
Leading in a Catholic Key
Her work with the International Academy of Catholic Leaders has broughther into contact with women from across Latin America who share a singlelonging: to transform institutions from within. "Leading in a Catholic keymeans placing the person at the center, forming social conscience, and buildingcommunity. It is not about imposing, but about inspiring."
A Concrete Response: The After-School Homework Centers
Of all her initiatives, one moves her in a special way: the creation ofthe Centros de Tareas Escolares (After-School Homework Centers), asupport network for the sons and daughters of working mothers. "Theproject was born from seeing so many children alone in the afternoons. I wantedto create a space where they could do their homework, learn values and art, andfeel accompanied."
With the support of universities and parishes, the Centers offerremedial tutoring, artistic activities, human formation, and emotional support."It is a project that translates into action what I have always believed:that hope is built with organization, affection, and community."
Feminism with a Human Face
At a time when the word "feminism" provokes tension, Julietaoffers an integrating vision: "To promote women from a place of faith isnot to oppose feminism, but to recover its deepest meaning: the recognition ofwomen's dignity. I believe in a feminism centered on the person—not on rivalrywith men, but on an alliance between the two for the common good."
The Challenge of Women of Faith
For her, the greatest challenge facing Catholic women today is toparticipate actively in public life without diluting their identity. "Wemust occupy these spaces with well-formed minds, kindled hearts, and aconscience at peace—not to impose, but to serve."
Hope Does Not Disappoint
After so many years of struggle, Julieta remains convinced that hope isboth a political and a spiritual force. "It is not naïveté; it is adecision. I choose to believe that it is worth sowing, even if I do not see theharvest."
That hope drives her to keep working, forming leaders, accompanyingwomen, and building environments where every child can grow up with joy."My vocation," she says, "is for others to discover their worth.If I achieve that, my story will have had meaning."
