The dream of his vocation has taken him to Rome to be trained as a priest at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and is in the first year of the first cycle of Theology.
Benedikt Aicher was born on April 26, 1999 in Rosenheim, Bavaria, Germany, about 90 kilometers from Marktl am Inn, where Josef Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict (Benedikt in German) XVI, was born.
This young German is based in Rome and is part of the institute. Work of Jesus High PriestThe FMA, a Catholic community dedicated principally to the sanctification of priests and the promotion of a life of service, prayer and apostolate. Its charism is centered on consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the pursuit of Christian perfection through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Benedikt Aicher grew up with his two brothers in a small village in the Bavarian Alps, where family work, prayer and Christian values were fundamental. As a child, his parents taught him the importance of sacrifice and dedication to others, laying the foundations for a vocation that would later lead him to want to become a priest.
"Our parents taught us one thing in particular: to make sacrifices out of love for others. There was always a lot of work, so we soon had to help out. Since we had no sisters, housework was also a matter of course for us," she tells us.
Benedikt's Catholic heritage extends to his grandfather, who studied alongside St. John Paul II's successor, Pope Benedict XVI. This family legacy, along with the traditions of the Church, created an environment conducive for Benedikt to cultivate his faith from an early age.
"My parents received a profound Catholic influence from their own parents and from the Church. My father spent many years in a minor seminary. My grandfather also attended the seminary, along with Joseph Ratzinger, with the sincere desire to become a priest, but World War II interrupted his formation. When he returned from prison in France, he wanted to continue his studies, but because of what he had lived through, he could no longer find the peace he needed to study," Benedikt tells us.
From an early age, he and his siblings attended Mass every Sunday and were introduced by their parents to Catholic traditions. Thus, at home, they created an environment conducive to God's work.
"After my First Communion I told my mother: now I'll start being an altar boy and then I'll enter a monastery!" he tells us with a smile.
Although Benedikt dreamed of becoming a carpenter, his heart was won over by God's call to the priesthood. During his youth, the Virgin Mary played a central role in guiding him to a life of prayer and dedication. At the age of fifteen, after some resistance, he finally accepted his vocation, taking concrete steps to enter the seminary.
"My vocation to the priesthood came as a child, but I also dreamed of becoming a carpenter. My uncle, who unfortunately is now in Heaven, was a Benedictine friar and worked as a carpenter in the monastery. When I was a child I wanted to train there with him, but with time this desire disappeared.
During his time at school, he was a very shy boy. At home, on the other hand, he made a lot of fuss. High school took him out of town, to the city. "My school still had Christian values. That, along with the protection of the Virgin Mary, saved me from many things. In fact, we never left home without praying with our mother before the statue of the Virgin and making the sign of the cross with holy water."
Although carpentry was something that appealed to Benedikt, there was another path for him. "I always liked to participate in the altar boys' group. It was my preference all the way. After a few years, my brothers and I became senior altar servers and we would lead the group according to our abilities. We also helped in other parish activities, such as Confirmation preparation. For many years, I played the tenor horn in the marching band. Halfinger Bläserkreis".
The Virgin Mary always wanted to bring Jesus to him. "At the age of twelve, we began attending monthly Legionaries of Christ conferences, where we found spiritual nourishment. When I was fourteen, my brothers and I began to participate in a youth camp every two months, also spiritually accompanied by the Legionaries of Christ. Eventually, I became part of the organizing team, where I was mainly in charge of the economic tasks together with my older brother".
This period had a great impact on his faith life, as he was led to the Eucharist and Confession. At the age of fifteen he again felt the call to the priesthood. "It was brief and I rejected it firmly. In the following years, the intervals in which I felt this call became shorter and shorter and more intense."
The prayer groups he attended told him to pray for his future wife. Benedikt had not yet accepted his vocation, but he could not pray without adding: "And if you have another way for me, grant someone else a good wife," he says joyfully.
Jesus conquered his heart, and Benedikt gradually embraced that call to the priesthood.
Today, Benedikt is a seminarian and studies theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross thanks to the support of the CARF Foundation. With the help of benefactors, Benedikt has not only been able to receive quality training, but has also felt the spiritual and material support necessary to continue his mission of serving the Church.
Benedikt Aicher's story is a living example of how the faith, work and generosity of CARF benefactors can transform lives and strengthen the Church.
Gerardo Ferrara
BA 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.
