Nicolás Duarte (23 years old) is clear about one thing: he wants to be a priest. But getting here wasn't an easy decision. The young seminarian from the Diocese of San Roque, in Argentina, felt fear, uncertainty, and even considered taking a different path. Today, he is in his first year of Theology studies at the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra and lives and trains at the Bidasoa international seminar, In Pamplona, where he is facing his second year in Spain and eagerly awaits the visit of Pope Leo to Argentina.
Nicolás still can't believe his bishop's decision to send him to Spain for his theological studies. When he received the offer, his first feelings were "fear and uncertainty," but little by little, "I adapted, made new friends, and discovered new experiences," he says.
Nicolás was born into a Catholic family and is the second of three children. His parents have been catechists for many years and continue their faith formation. "From a young age, they instilled in us the Catholic faith and taught us values and a good upbringing," he explains. That's why, From childhood he lived "in a vibrant Church environment"«. He was an altar boy and helped out in his parish "in whatever way he could.".
The question about his future was present from a young age.. «I always wondered what God wanted for my life,» she recalls. During her adolescence, she began to participate in the vocational meetings organized by the diocesan seminary.
But it was in his last year of high school, when he was 18, that he began to realize that perhaps God was calling him to the priesthood. The possibility filled him with fear. «"I felt too young and insecure to make such a strong decision to follow God's call," he explains.
That's why he decided to take "his own path." He was about to begin his dream career at university. However, a month before starting university, he participated in a mission organized by the seminary in a small town far from his diocese.
That experience changed his plans.
«"I had a strong, personal experience of the lack of priests in my diocese,", account. And, finally, he decided to enter the seminary a month later.
His decision makes even more sense when he describes the reality of the diocese to which he hopes to return as a priest. San Roque is a large and impoverished territory where "many people do not receive the sacraments." In his view, this situation is compounded by "a notable decline in faith within the Argentine Church due to the growing number of sects and the abandonment of the faith.".
The need for priests that he discovered during that mission was therefore not an isolated impression. For Nicholas, training to return to his diocese meant preparing himself for a Church that needs priests capable of reaching out to people who do not receive the sacraments and who are increasingly distant from the faith.
In this context, Argentina is preparing to receive Pope Leo XIV soon. After decades without a papal visit to the country, and following the pontificate of an Argentinian pope, Francis, Nicolás senses a special anticipation.
«"Throughout the country, there's a great deal of enthusiasm and preparation to welcome the Holy Father," he says. Parishes and communities "are making arrangements to see the Pope.".
And there is something the seminarian is especially clear about: «"It feels like it will be a very fruitful visit.".
The anticipation is even greater because Francis was unable to visit Argentina during his pontificate. "Several decades passed without a papal visit to Argentina, and even longer since Pope Francis could go," notes Nicolás, who recalls the legacy the Argentine pontiff left among his compatriots.
He has learned from Pope Francis and also from Pope Leo. Simplicity, humility, and charisma, qualities that, in his opinion, should be present in all Christians and especially in priests.
These qualities take on special importance when Nicholas thinks about the priest of the 21st century and the challenge of evangelizing those who have distanced themselves from God.
For him, the answer lies in one word: charity.
«"Charity is the foundation by which Christians work for God and for the Church,", He affirms. And he believes it is also "the tool we must use to work with those who are far from faith and all knowledge of God, especially among young people.".
During his time in Spain, Nicolás witnessed this reality firsthand. He acknowledges noticing "a certain decline among Spanish youth," though he believes this situation is repeated "in many other parts of the world." However, Pope Leo's visit to Spain was a catalyst for many young people.
In response, he recalls a teaching of Francis: «"Hope is the virtue of one who has a young heart.".
And he again places faith at the center of his mission: "It is in Christianity, in that Catholic faith that we must all cultivate and bring to others, where salvation is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, a reliable hope, thanks to which we can face our present.".
Nicholas's story allows us to put a face to a reality that can sometimes remain hidden behind a number: The formation of a seminarian does not end when he discovers his vocation. He also needs years of human, spiritual, pastoral, and intellectual preparation to be able to respond adequately to the needs of the Church to which he will one day return.
In Nicolás's case, that formation continues today in Pamplona. The Bidasoa International Seminary welcomes seminarians sent by their bishops from different parts of the world, and the CARF Foundation, thanks to its benefactors, helps many of them receive a comprehensive education and complete their studies.
Therefore, support for CARF involves more than just tuition, accommodation, or studies.. There are stories like Nicholas's: A young man who one day felt fear at the possibility of becoming a priest, who was about to start another life and who, on a mission in a small town in Argentina, personally discovered the lack of priests that his diocese needed.
Marta Santínjournalist specializing in religion.
carf@fundacioncarf.orgLandline: +34 914 029 082Mobile: +34 638 078 51145 Conde de Peñalver Street.
