All priests in this community receive support from the CARF Foundation for their training in the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. This training is aimed at service to God and the Church. Fabio, in particular, is enrolled in the first year of the Bachelor's Degree in Theology, after having completed the two-year philosophy program.
His story begins in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Rome, in the parish of San Raffaele. It was there that he received instruction for the sacraments of Christian initiation following Baptism (Confession, Communion, and Confirmation), and where he met the Sons of the Cross, who served in the parish.
During those years, he participated in many initiatives for young people, also forming part of the group of teenagers after Confirmation. He fondly remembers his service as an animator at the summer camp and the experiences of fraternal communion at both summer and winter camps.
«Honestly, I experienced a kind of gratuitous friendship that, compared to the world of soccer—which I had played since childhood—was incomparable. Although I didn't fully realize it yet, the Lord was already calling me to become more and more involved with the priests and friends of the parish.».
«When I started secondary school, I decided to move away, eager to try all the experiences the world had to offer, influenced by the conflictive atmosphere in the neighborhood and by a poor choice of studies.».
He never had academic problems, but he found himself in a school far from home, without knowing anyone. He lived those years feeling lost, with poor academic results and disrespectful behavior typical of kids from the "outskirts," completely excluding God from his life.
Fabio realized how difficult it was to find true friends, true companions in life. «I realized, however, that the deep friendships I thought I had were actually relationships of convenience, disposable, and little by little I realized that I was alone and directionless. Even soccer, which gave me so much satisfaction and gratification, ultimately left me feeling empty.».
The turning point came when, at the end of his second year of high school, he met one of the priests from his parish on a bus. In a very simple way, he invited him to the oratory's summer camp, and he accepted as a way to escape boredom.
That summer camp had a profound effect on him: he realized that the true friendships he had been searching for and couldn't find in the world were there, at the oratory. From that experience, he immediately became involved with the parish and everything it had to offer.
«I realized that the reason for these deep friendships was not affinity or sympathy, but that we were all educated to put God at the center, transforming our friendship into true Communion, guided by the priests. I learned that by putting God at the center of my life, I lost nothing; on the contrary, I gained everything! I experienced the joy and truth of the Gospel.».
During that time, he also met the seminarians from the community, Casa de María, who were helping out at the summer camp. Their witness of life and fraternal friendship, even with those they were meeting for the first time, like him, made a deep impression on him. He began to wonder about them, about their joy and happiness. Something stirred within Fabio, but he still did not clearly understand what the Lord wanted from him. He simply continued on and waited for a sign.
Another decisive moment was his pilgrimage to Medjugorje with the parish youth group. Before going, he had many doubts, even about the action of the Holy Spirit in that place; you could say he was quite skeptical. He recalls that during the trip, they had a moment of prayer, and he expressly asked the Virgin Mary to take away his many doubts and help him answer the questions that troubled him, especially about his vocation.
«When we arrived on the first day, during the introduction to the place, we heard for the first time an invitation to seriously consider what the Lord wanted from our lives. It was a first shock for me.».
I could recount many episodes from that pilgrimage, but what affected her most was the renewed faith that the Virgin Mary gave her, especially while praying on the hill where the apparitions took place. It was there that she experienced Mary's maternal love as a living person, and decided to place her life in her hands.
«After this experience, I asked to be able to seriously approach the group of consecrated members of the Immaculate Conception in our community, beginning a journey of preparation with other young people, which culminated in my consecration and entry into the prayer group on August 11, 2023.».
Meanwhile, he had started college, studying civil engineering. Although he had not ruled out the possibility of priesthood, he had not seriously considered it. There was a resistance, a fear within him. Until one day everything changed. It was Saturday, October 22, 2022, the feast of St. John Paul II. I was coming off a summer of doubts, feeling that something big was at stake, but without the courage to ask the Lord.
«That day, during Eucharistic adoration, I clearly felt the call to the priesthood. The first thing I did was call Don Stefano, the priest who had been instrumental in my return to the parish. I told him everything, that I wanted to respond to this call and also become a Son of the Cross, like the priests in my parish.».
Since that October 2022, the journey began for priestly formation, which continues today and includes studies at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. «I am deeply grateful, not only for the studies, but also for the exceptional people I have met: professors, students, administrative staff, and so many others. I have never experienced such a deep communion between students and the university as I have at Holy Cross.».
Give thanks for the witnesses God has placed in my path.
«He wants to conclude by thanking the Lord for the many witnesses He has placed in his life: his family, who never opposed his decision to enter the seminary; the Sons of the Cross, who have been for him a true example of priesthood, consecration, and love for the Virgin Mary; and the brothers with whom he shares this formative journey, who were an example when he was a teenager and continue to be so today. «Truly, with them and in them, I discover the action and love of the Lord.».
Finally, he would like to express his special gratitude to the donors of the CARF Foundation, thanks to whom this educational journey is possible. «I hope to be able to repay such generosity with my life, my prayers, and my service to the Church.».
Gerardo FerraraBA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East.
Responsible for students at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
carf@fundacioncarf.orgLandline: +34 914 029 082Mobile: +34 638 078 51145 Conde de Peñalver Street.
