A mission received in partnership: “We say yes, and we trust”
The March edition of Vínculo opens the year with an unprecedented event in our recent history: a couple belonging to the Schoenstatt Family Institute assumes the Presidency of Chile. José Antonio Kast will be sworn in as President on March 11, and alongside him, María Pía Adriasola will serve as First Lady. This position did not formally exist in this country during the previous period.
In the month in which we celebrate International Women’s Day, we wanted to talk to her not only because of the public role she now assumes, but also because of her deepest identity: Catholic woman, wife, mother of nine children, grandmother, and active member of our Schoenstatt Family. We found it meaningful to learn how her history of faith, her bond with the Blessed Mother, and the Movement’s pedagogy have marked her married and family life and how they illuminate this new stage of public service.
In the Schoenstatt Family in Chile, different political views and sensibilities legitimately coexist. Not everyone has supported the same national project or voted for the same candidate. However, something deeper unites us: we are brothers and sisters in faith, children of the same Mother, sealed in the same Covenant of Love. From this spiritual communion, we recognize that this couple is now taking on a particularly demanding mission for the country.
This interview seeks to place itself precisely in that place: not in partisan contingency, but in the heart of a vocation. From there, we want to accompany them with our prayers and remain united in the Shrine, as families who share the same Covenant and the same mission, trusting that the Blessed Mother will know how to guide the steps of our common history.
María Pía Adriasola Barroilhet was born in Santiago on March 9, 1967. She is a lawyer from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and has a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family from the University of Los Andes. She has been married to José Antonio Kast since April 6, 1991, and is the mother of nine children and grandmother of five grandchildren. Her professional and academic life has been deeply linked to the family sphere, in keeping with her vocation to marriage and her membership in the Schoenstatt Family Institute.
What was your Catholic upbringing like during your childhood and youth, and who influenced your spiritual journey?
My Catholic formation was first and foremost an experience in my home, where my parents played a fundamental role. I received Catholic formation during my school years. Living in the countryside, in contact with nature, greatly strengthened my own relationship with God. In college, I joined the Girls’ Youth of the Movement. Since then, Fr. Horacio Rivas has always been very close to me. My in-laws, with whom I lived for 24 years, also had a great influence on me with their generosity and spirit of service.
How did you learn about the Schoenstatt Movement, and what attracted you most to its spirituality?
I got to know the Movement at a retreat when I was in school. We arrived at Bellavista, and I was drawn to the atmosphere of the place and the Shrine, which made me feel this was my place. I met a very cheerful priest, who played the guitar and sang. And what I loved most was that spirituality was worked on as a family and in community. For me, that was the most surprising thing.
What led you to join the Couples’ Branch and then the Institute?
Schoenstatt’s original vision, centered on the family, on spiritual development rooted in a human, natural, and everyday reality, has been very enriching for us. Cultivating a personal, loving relationship with the Blessed Mother and with God takes concrete form in our relationships as a married couple, as parents, and in all our relationships. Having a community is a tremendous help in accompanying each other on this journey.
How has Schoenstatt’s pedagogy influenced your married and family life?
Schoenstatt pedagogy is understood and incorporated into our lives over time. Harmonizing spiritual life with the challenges of life is the most beautiful thing. Having a Home Shrine, with the operative presence of the Blessed Mother who always accompanies and sustains, who cares for, protects, and harmonizes, has been a great gift.
The presidential election opens a completely new stage for your family. How do you feel about the challenge of your husband becoming President of Chile?
I accept this challenge as a special commission, as a gift, and a task. I need to live it very naturally, to take it calmly and willingly.
How have you discerned this mission as a married couple?
God has given us our mission in every sense of life. He has been marking the way with great delicacy. He does not rush, He does not demand, He has His perfect timing. This was the case with our vocation to marriage, with the arrival of our children, and with our vocation to public service. In some way, He has moved us, prepared us, and placed us here today. We say “Yes” to Him, and we trust.
After a period in which the role of First Lady did not formally exist in Chile, you will now assume that role. What meaning do you want to give it, and what personal style would you like to bring to this task?
For me, it makes a lot of sense to be together in this task and to be a good complement to José Antonio. Together, we have formed a large family. This assignment invites me to enlarge my heart to approach everyone with maternal affection. My personal style is hugs, closeness.
How can your spirituality contribute to reconciliation, hope, and dialogue in the face of the challenges facing the country?
I believe that all Chileans long to live in peace and harmony. Spiritual life helps us see love and respect as the basis of all dialogue and understanding, and to always seek the common good. If we all connect with that deep need for Good, I am sure that God will help us greatly in finding and understanding each other.
How can the formation received in Schoenstatt enlighten the exercise of public service and political responsibility that you assume?
The presence of God in life gives us a special joy and confidence. Even when you feel small in the face of great challenges, you know that He and the Blessed Mother are there. Along with doing the best you can, there is the certainty that He is the one who guides us.
Political life demands a very intense pace. How do you plan to care for your family and married life in the midst of such a demanding schedule?
The key is to ensure that the fundamentals are in place. In our marriage, we strive to maintain our “Dating Tuesdays,” which are more or less flexible within the same week. In our family, Sundays are special days for getting together, as are holidays and birthday celebrations. Outside of that, there is freedom for each of us to do what we have to do with dedication.
In this month when the Church and society reflect on the role of women, what do you think a believing woman, wife, and mother can contribute to Chile today?
Today, we need to recognize, value, and applaud all women who welcome, adopt, or care for others’ lives. The maternal heart of women is irreplaceable in society, whether in the family, at work, or in any other task or place where they may be.
Personally, what will you ask God for during this time that begins on March 11? Why do you want to pray especially?
May He bless us all with peace, understanding, and goodwill. That we may pray the Our Father together, feeling it with all our hearts.
Finally, for the Schoenstatt Family, especially for the Movement in Chile, what message would you like to leave them as this new period begins for the country and for your own life?
May they take advantage of all the riches we have in the Shrine. May we meet there and remain united.
As the Schoenstatt Family, we want to accompany this time with confident prayer. We invite you to join us spiritually for the President and his wife, so that the Lord may enlighten and strengthen them in the mission they are undertaking, and so that everything may be for the good of Chile.
Source: Vínculo magazine, issue no. 398, March 2026
