Spain: Faith in Malaga and the Peripheries

By Sr. Jana Pavla Halčinová, DC

In southern Spain, Málaga is known for its sunshine, bustling harbor, and vibrant tourist life. Yet beyond its postcard beauty lies another reality—the lives of young people marked by loneliness, insecurity, and rejection. It is here, on these human peripheries, that Sr. Lucía López, a Daughter of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, has made her home and her mission.

Where life is not learned from books—it is encountered Known affectionately as "Sorlu", Sr. Lucía teaches religion and physical education at a local school. Her classroom reflects today's multicultural Spain. Among her students are Spanish children alongside Roma, Moroccan, South American, Ukrainian, and Chinese students. "They carry much heavier backpacks than their schoolbags," she says.

Many come from broken families. Others have been defined by labels long before anyone took the time to know them. Some learned far too early what it means to be rejected. They provoke others because, deep inside, they fear that someone will eventually abandon them too. "And yet every morning I continue to believe that God enters the classroom before I do."

Anyone looking for Sr. Lucía in a traditional religious habit would probably miss her. "My habit is often a tracksuit, sports shoes, or a hoodie—not because I want to hide my identity, but because I want to enter deeply into the reality of the people I accompany. There are peripheries where we must first learn how to remain present before speaking about God."