Paola Martinez has been named the new Associate Director of the Diocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life. Martinez is not new to the Diocese of San Bernardino, however, as she has been working in Marriage Ministry since 2010 and previously served as co-director of the Office of Marriage and Family Life with her husband, Mario.
“The [most inspiring thing is the] opportunity to continue, I think I’m just excited to continue forming relationships with our pastors, to continue motivating those couples that are passionate about this work and continue working with them, and to collaborate with not only the offices in my Department of Life, Dignity and Justice but other offices as well,” Martinez said.
While working alongside pastors and listening to the needs of couples in the diocese, Paola says she hopes to strengthen Marriage Preparation programs and Couples in Crisis programs at the Vicariate level.
“We want to further strengthen the marriage preparation program at the Vicariate level and to also strengthen the assistance to couples in crisis,” Martinez said “Those are the two big ones that we will hear over and over again from pastors, the need is just so great.”
Martinez has witnessed the evolution of the Office of Marriage and Family Life since she began working in this ministry in 2010. It began by teaching communication skills, to providing resources, collaborating with priests and passionate couples who want to help.
“It’s just been a beautiful collaboration throughout the years,” Martinez said. “The relationships we’ve been able to build with the pastors have been fundamental in making the office fruitful. We have quite a few passionate couples that help us, they are a members of our Office of Marriage and Family Life Board, Curia representatives, and we have couples in each Vicariate that are representing the office, our liaisons to the community, these couples have been with us since the beginning and their help as well has been fundamental also.”
The Office of Marriage and Family Life’s three pillars of ministry are Marriage Preparation, which is for couples before they get married, Marriage Enrichment, which is for couples that are married and want to freshen up their marriage, and Marriage Restoration, which is for couples going through crisis. The office also provides resources for divorced or separated couples.
“Pretty much the whole spectrum of family life is what we serve,” Martinez said.
When she is not working, Martinez enjoys spending time with her kids, husband and family by watching a movie or just by being together.
If you are interested in learning more about the Office of Marriage and Family Life, please contact Paola Martinez at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..