The gift most appreciated by a newly ordained priest is the Sacred Vessels Backpack from the CARF Foundation: a backpack containing everything needed to administer the sacraments and celebrate the Holy Mass in places lacking resources.
They are Sacred Vessels those in which the Body or Blood of the Lord is placed. Because they are sacred, they are used only for that purpose and must be blessed by the bishop or a priest. Sacred vessels must possess the dignity required for sacred worship, be decent in appearance, and be made of precious metal or, at the discretion of the episcopal conference, of other solid materials considered precious in each locality.
These backpacks are intended for hundreds of newly ordained priests, so that when they return to their home countries—where they carry out pastoral work in remote areas, or where there are not enough resources to maintain a well-equipped parish—these items will help them celebrate Holy Mass or hear confessions.
Some priests who have received this backpack have written to the CARF Foundation to express their gratitude for the donation. This is the case with Anoop Mathew, a priest of the Syro-Malabar Diocese of Tellicherry in Kerala, India. He shares his testimony about the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The year 2020 is remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the entire world. Today we want to reflect on how some seminarians in Rome and Pamplona experienced those days and how they were able to celebrate Holy Mass thanks to the backpack of sacred vessels they received upon completing their formation.
India was one of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19. During the lockdown, many priests had to celebrate Holy Mass in their homes. This was the case for Anoop Mathew, former resident of the Ecclesiastical College Sedes Sapientiae in Rome and deacon of the Syro-Malabar Church.
He is very grateful for the gift of the set of sacred vessels he received from the CARF Foundation’s Social Action Board, as it allowed him to celebrate Holy Mass during the lockdown:
«I owe a great deal to my benefactors: the CARF Foundation's support, which enabled me to study at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, and the wonderful gift of the set of sacred vessels I received there upon completing my training.».
He spent the quarantine in the company of a priest from his own diocese: Fr. Tom Olikarott.
«I am looking forward to beginning my ministry as a newly ordained deacon in a parish. My ordination to the priesthood will take place on December 20 (he was referring to 2020). In the meantime, thanks to the donation of the sacred vessels, we are able to celebrate Holy Mass every day - thank you all very much!"
He was ordained a priest in May 2020. During his seminary training, he lived at the Sedes Sapientiae Ecclesiastical College and studied at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. He also received the set of sacred vessels presented by the Social Action Board (PAS) of the CARF Foundation upon completing his training.
Dejan Fortuna He wrote a thank-you letter to the donors of the CARF Foundation to thank them for the "Sacred Vessels" backpack:
«I received the backpack with everything needed to celebrate Holy Mass. I loved it, and I’m so grateful for your efforts! I realize that this year, due to the health emergency, you had to work even harder to prepare and send the kits on time. Thank you again, because even these unfavorable circumstances have not deterred you from your mission, and because you have done everything possible to ensure that we have what we need to celebrate Holy Mass.”.
We were told that, in addition to packing their backpacks with their custom-made albs, they have also been praying for us. I thank them for their prayers, and I encourage them to continue praying for us because we need their prayers. »For my part, I promise you my prayers, and when, by God’s grace, I am ordained a priest, I promise to remember you in Holy Mass!” he wrote in 2020.
Sergio Rojas was trained in Pamplona during his time as a seminarian (2019–2021). He is now a priest in the Diocese of Margarita (Venezuela). During his years in Pamplona, he lived at the Bidasoa International Seminary and studied theology at the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra. Here is the letter he wrote to PAS to thank them for the help he received:
«Warm greetings to you all, and may the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always. Through this letter, I wish to express my most sincere gratitude for the work you do on behalf of the formation of priests and seminarians and therefore they do the Church a great service.
I’d also like to thank you for the effort, hard work, and dedication you put in every year to deliver the backpacks with the Sacred Vessels and everything needed to celebrate Holy Mass for all the seminarians who are completing their formation. As you know, these are of great help to us in the priestly ministry we will carry out in the future.
I would especially like to thank the effort they made this year, as we are facing an unusual situation due to the pandemic which has kept us in lockdown for more than two months, but which has not been able to stop his work and dedication to delivering the sacred chalice bags to our seminary.
May Our Lady Mother of Fair Love, whom we devoutly venerate at the University Campus, protect you and help you always with her intercession. Committed to continue praying for you and for the work you do, I say goodbye eternally grateful".
On the outside, it looks like an ordinary backpack: black, made of durable material, and with several pockets. But when you open it, you’ll find a small, rigid surface that can be used as an altar, a chalice, a paten, two glass cruets, a stole, a cincture, a custom-made alb, and even two candles. In other words, everything needed to celebrate Mass with dignity. The set is completed with a censer and a chrismal.
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.
carf@fundacioncarf.orgLandline: +34 914 029 082Mobile: +34 638 078 51145 Conde de Peñalver Street.
