The School of Humanities and Social Sciences the closing ceremony for the 2025-2026 academic year of the Master's Degree Christianity and Contemporary Culture
As framework event, the Impactun Christianity and Contemporary Culture Awards were also presented to journalist and writer Ana Iris Simón and to Puy du Fou España
22 | 06 | 2026
The University of campus Madrid campus hosted the closing ceremony for the 2025–2026 academic year of Master's Degree Christianity and Contemporary Culture. The event, at which graduate program’s third graduate and diplomas were awarded to students who had completed the various modules, was presided over by the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Julia Pavón; the director of Master's Degree, Mariano Crespo; the Deputy Director, José María Torralba; and the class patron, Professor Jordi Puig.
In his remarks, Mariano Crespo highlighted the students’ intellectual efforts throughout the academic year, emphasizing the many hours they have devoted “to reading, thinking, discussing, and writing about crucial issues.” He also noted that “serious thinking requires patience, rigor, and openness” and that “faith can engage in dialogue with reason, science, art, and the challenges of our time, without fear or hesitation.” In this regard, he encouraged them to “be people capable of thinking critically and speaking calmly amid the noise.”
Next, submission were submission on behalf of the third graduating class, Álvaro Gil took the floor and emphasized the essence of what they had learned in class and the value of the Humanities understanding reality: “The heart of this Master's Degree in enabling us to engage in dialogue with all the thinkers who have been discussing the great questions for centuries.” He also highlighted the importance of dialogue in today’s society and stated that “a good Christian is recognized by their ability to understand others and build bridges.” For his part, Professor Jordi Puig, the class’s patron, encouraged the graduates to cultivate an attitude of openness toward reality and reminded them that “in the face of fragility, we are called to draw upon what is deepest within us, which is the capacity to care.”
As framework academic event, submission Impactun Christianity and Contemporary Culture Awards were also submission are given annually submission the Impactun Foundation in partnership the University of Navarra. In this second edition, the winners were writer and journalist Ana Iris Simón and Puy du Fou España. The awards were presented by Luisa González, a member of board of trustees , who noted that the mission statement is “to generate a transformative humanistic impact on society.”
In her speech , Ana Iris Simón addressed the graduates to congratulate them “for having stolen a little time from what we’re told life is all about—producing and consuming—and for having devoted all these hours to reflecting on a world that wants us to keep working.”
Jesús Sainz, vice president of Puy du Fou Spain, accepted the award to this proposal , expressing—on behalf of everyone involved in the project “gratitude and sense of responsibility”: “We view this recognition not only as an evaluation our work, but also as an incentive to continue showcasing, through beauty and history, the profound mark that Christianity has left on our culture.” In this regard, he defended the value of bequest , noting that “a people that loses its love for its history ends up losing respect for itself, because those who do not know where they come from are easily manipulated.”
The event was closed by the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Julia Pavón, who recalled the Master's Degree ’s mission Master's Degree extend beyond the university setting: “This proposal was not created to accumulate knowledge, but to foster dialogue, reflection, proposals, and a Christian presence within contemporary culture.” Addressing the students, she encouraged them to apply internship had learned during their internship : “Today we are not closing a chapter. Rather, we are opening a new responsibility for you,” and she concluded with a wish: “May you leave here with the joy of those who know they have received something valuable, but also with the awareness that what you have received is meant to be shared.”