The CARF Foundation was established on February 14, 1989. A few years earlier, in 1984, St. John Paul II encouraged Blessed Alvaro del Portillo to found the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, to promote an intellectual, human and spiritual formation of excellence for seminarians and diocesan priests and religious men and women from any country in the world, without their economic capacity being an impediment.
Since 1951, work had already been carried out in the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra.
PRAY FOR VOCATIONS AND PRIESTS: We promote prayer for vocations, priests and people in consecrated life. We encourage this habit among benefactors, friends and all Christians through various means.
SPREAD ITS GOOD NAME: we work to stir all hearts, so that every day we may be more and more people building a more just society. Through communication campaigns, we publish and disseminate life stories, vocation testimonies and the generosity and dedication of priests who give their all for the Lord.
TO HELP IN THEIR INTEGRAL FORMATION: we believe that it is possible to improve daily life through the integral formation of young men with a vocation to serve through the priesthood. For this reason, the CARF Foundation contributes financially to the support of the study centers, their tuition and living expenses, so that seminarians and diocesan and religious priests from all over the world receive a solid academic, human and spiritual preparation.
Blessed Alvaro del Portillo had a deep concern for the formation of priests, a concern that had been picked up from St. Josemaría Escrivá. He followed an initiative of St. John Paul II in promoting the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, and gave impetus to the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarre in Pamplona.
All this necessitated the construction of international schools and residences for seminarians and priests, as a necessary complement to their academic formation.
The financial cost of studies and residences were not and are not affordable for the seminarians and priests of many dioceses in the world.
Blessed Alvaro, aware of these needs, also encouraged the establishment of the CARF Foundation, which is indispensable for providing the financial aid that makes the studies of so many people possible.
At the CARF Foundation we defend human values, inspired by the Social Doctrine of the Church. We support the values of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
For this reason, we make special mention of freedom and equality; religious freedom; life and dialogue with the world; a life of piety; respect for charisms and differences; fidelity to the magisterium of the Pope; international coexistence; freedom of opinion and expression and, above all, the right to education.
Our hallmarks are from:
The bachelor's degrees, specialization programs or doctorates provide each candidate with a specific and particular preparation in one of the four areas offered by the universities: Theology, Philosophy, Canon Law or Institutional Social Communication.
Seminarians and priests complement their academic and human formation with spiritual formation, since they must be prepared to lend their body and spirit to the Lord, so that they may serve with effective dedication to the principal end of their priesthood: to be mediators between God and men, especially with the sacraments, preaching and accompaniment.
The schools and residences complement academic and human formation. Through a family environment, the development of attitudes, skills and values that impact the personal and social growth of seminarians and priests is achieved.
The CARF Foundation This Foundation contributes financially so that priests and seminarians from all over the world receive a solid theological, human and spiritual preparation.
The formation of the priests was present in the apostolic and priestly zeal of the founder of Opus DeiSt. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer. His successor, Blessed Alvaro del Portillo, fulfilled this desire by initiating in 1984 the activity of what is now the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, under the inspiration and impulse of St. John Paul II.
The CARF Foundation is a private cultural foundation of promotion with charitable character. It is recognized by the Ministry of Culture, according to Ministerial Order of 22.5.1989, published in the BOE of 13.06.1989, registered under number 140 with CIF: G-79059218.
