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San Jose Diocese Launches 'Radiate Love' Convalidation Initiative
Confirmed
In Short: The Diocese of San Jose, California, has launched a convalidation initiative as part of the California bishops’ 'Radiate Love' campaign, aimed at strengthening marriages and bringing couples closer to their faith.
The Diocese of San Jose, California, led by Bishop Oscar Cantú, has launched a landmark convalidation initiative under the California bishops’ 'Radiate Love' campaign, witnessing dozens of couples enter into the sacrament of matrimony over the past few months.
The initiative began after the director for Adult Spirituality and Family Life for the Diocese of San Jose, Jose Soto, noticed how many couples attending weekly Mass with their children refrained from Communion due to their marital status.
Soto noted that many couples attending weekly Mass with their children were refraining from Communion due to their marital status, prompting the need for the convalidation program.
The initiative, titled 'Radiate Love,' was adopted from the California bishops’ campaign to promote marriage and family in 2024-2025.
Originally planned as a small pilot program, the initiative received a massive swell in interest from local families seeking to place Christ at the center of their marriages.
The convalidation initiative has gained unexpected momentum, far exceeding initial expectations.
It just said to me that there’s a need out there, and that couples are willing to come forward when they are welcomed, and when they are, when they see that thereʼs an initiative from the Church to walk with them, to journey with them,' Soto said.
What this adds
The initiative and the ban reflect broader efforts to strengthen and protect marriages and families in California.
Background
The Diocese of San Jose, California, has launched a convalidation initiative as part of the California bishops’ 'Radiate Love' campaign, aimed at strengthening marriages and bringing couples closer to their faith.
The Diocese of San Jose, California, has launched a landmark convalidation initiative under the California bishops’ 'Radiate Love' campaign, led by Bishop Oscar Cantú. The initiative has seen dozens of couples enter into the sacrament of matrimony over the past few months.
What's confirmed
- Originally planned as a small pilot program, the initiative received a massive swell in interest from local families seeking to place Christ at the center of their marriages.
What's still developing
- “And the fact that the diocese offered it up, all of a sudden it was like someone stretching a hand out and saying, here, just hold my hand and we’ll guide you through every step,” Veronica said.
- The initiative and the ban reflect broader efforts to strengthen and protect marriages and families in California.
- “We were just so excited and overwhelmed at the same time, but it was so joyful,” Soto said.
- Volunteer mentors Veronica and Richard Wildanger, who had their own civil marriage convalidated 22 years ago, joined the task force after being approached by Soto to support the “wonderfully successful” surge of applicants.
- “But in my heart, there was always that little itch,” Aristizábal said in Spanish.
- “She was invited to the party, but they weren’t giving her dinner,” he said in Spanish.
- “So it’s very difficult … to block her from her beliefs. I said, ‘No, I also believe in God, I like the Catholic Church, so let’s go.’” According to Aristizábal, the preparation process helped ground their relationship in shared spiritual formation, finding their community in their new home to join them for the celebration on Sept. 26.
- “The impact has been drawing us closer to God, knowing that we are seeking him, and that we want to put him in first place in our lives,” Aristizábal said in Spanish.
- “When you bring God into it, this is now a covenantal marriage, not sort of a contractual marriage, but a sacramental marriage,” Wildanger told EWTN News.