Be priest is the desire of this young man from the Philippines, 25 years old. He was born into a family of six children and entered the seminary despite initial family opposition. He is now in his seventh year of seminary formation in Rome (University Pontifical University of the Holy Cross), thanks to the support of the CARF Foundation.
- I did not grow up in a religious family. We were not the type to go to church every Sunday, although we did attend Mass on special occasions.
I guess my vocation was born out of my desire to be an altar boy. When we went to Mass I wanted to wear the vestments that altar servers wear, but I didn't know how to start. I didn't know who to talk to or who to consult about it, so for many years it was a dream in my heart.
When I was in the last years of High School, there were some unusual activities that occurred in our school, and we were all obliged to attend the Holy Mass on Sundays. I went with my friends. After going to Mass several weeks in a row, a friend invited me to join them in youth ministry.
After a while, my pastor asked me if I wanted to become a priest in his congregation, but I refused. The question was repeated several times and I was also asked the question by some parishioners, but I constantly answered no. I was not.
However, one Saturday night I said to my pastor.Father, I will not be able to go to Mass tomorrow because I am going to take the entrance exam for the seminary. He was shocked, but supported me anyway. At that time I did not tell my parents that I had gone to the seminary, because I was sure they would not agree. But in the end, when I received my exam results, I told them that I had passed.
- When I told my family about my decision, they did not agree. They told me that I could do whatever I wanted, but that they were not going to support me.
I went to the seminary alone, with no one to accompany me, unlike my other companions. But I stayed and stood firm in my decision. As the date of my investiture approached, I told my parents that they had to come, but that day was also my grandfather's funeral. I thought I would not see them, but ten minutes before Holy Mass, they showed up still wearing their funeral dresses, which gladdened my heart.
My parents were moved to tears and that was when they accepted my decision. They hugged me tightly and from then on they visited me in the seminary. When I returned home one day for a visit, the whole community of my town knew that I was a seminarian.
- With God's grace, I would say that the Church in the Philippines is alive in the religious and devotional sense. Although not all Filipinos know the faith or delve deeply into the doctrines and dogmas of the Church, the faith is alive and active.
The Philippine Church is a Church that loves to make processions. Devotions to the Virgin Mary and other devotional practices sustain their faith in God.
- I believe there are two challenges facing the Church in the Philippines. The first and foremost is the lack of religious vocations. The second challenge, in my view, is that many other denominations claiming to be Christian use the name of the Catholic Church or act as such for profit.
People clothe themselves with the ornaments of the Catholic Church and create their own churches. Because of their imitation of the Church, the faithful can easily become confused and some fall into these false religions.
- Going to Rome for my theology studies was part of my dream when I entered the seminary. In fact, it was a surprise for me when my bishop asked me to go to the eternal city.
Rome and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross offer education not only through books, but also through the reality of life.
I remember on my first day here in Rome, during my Italian class, the professor told us that we not only learn Theology inside the classroom, but also in the city itself, because the center of Catholicism is here.
Gerardo FerraraDegree in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East. Head of the student body at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
