Newsletter July 2023

Newsletter CARF Foundation

July 2023 | Discover the news of the month

Hello:

Here are the highlights of the month of July.

Javier Pastor, Spain's youngest priest

Javier Pastor Marina is one of the youngest priests in Spain, if not the youngest. He is 24 years old and to be ordained a priest he needed a dispensation from the Archbishop of Madrid, Don Carlos Osoro.

Learn about its history

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land 2024

Discover the pages of the fifth gospel and visit the places where Jesus lived and traveled in his preaching. You will be accompanied by the best guides and the experience of the CARF Foundation, staying in places with a privileged location.

Book now

"At five years old, I felt that God was looking at me."

David Ariel Echeverría, 28, is an example of how priestly vocations germinate within families. After a history of great intimacy with God and problems to continue in the seminary of his diocese, David is preparing himself at the Bidasoa Seminary to become a priest thanks to the CARF Foundation.

Watch the video

Supporting the 31st Marian Family Day in Torreciudad

On Saturday, September 16, 2023, the Marian Family Day celebrates its 31st edition and offers families from all latitudes a festive pilgrimage under the protection of the Virgin Mary. It will be presided over by the Bishop of Barbastro-Monzon, Msgr. Ángel Pérez Pueyo. From the CARF Foundation we join this initiative aware that families are the seedbed of vocations.

More information

The Bidasoa International Seminar and the CARF Foundation

Both the Bidasoa International Seminary in Pamplona and the CARF Foundation arose from the initiative of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo and the inspiration of St. John Paul II. Today these two institutions dedicate their efforts and resources to the promotion and formation of seminarians and diocesan priests.

Find out how they cooperate

Will you help us sow the world with priests?

Priests are a fundamental piece of God's plan to save us. By filling the world with priests with the same Heart of Christ we will change the world completely. Donate now, your help will have a direct impact on the spiritual and academic formation of thousands of diocesan priests and seminarians to become holy and learned.

Make a donation now

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Newsletter June 2023

Newsletter CARF Foundation

June 2023 | Discover the month's news

Hello, {{{Recipient.FirstName}}}:

Here are the highlights of the month of June.

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land 2024

Book now

An unexpected encounter on the Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago becomes a summer plan for many people. Walking, praying, living an experience and surprises that can only be understood when you have walked.

Read history

Will you help us sow the world with priests?

Make a donation now

Dreamed of playing in the NBA, now studying in Rome to become a priest

Mauricio's family did not usually go to church. He found catechesis boring and dropped out, missing out on receiving his First Communion. But the loss of his father at the age of 12 in a car accident changed his life. He wanted to dedicate himself professionally to basketball but little by little God was making his way into his life.

Watch the video

Priest, I pray for you - World Day of Prayer for the Sanctity of Priests

June is the month dedicated to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a solemnity that we celebrated last Friday the 16th. On that day we also celebrated the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctity of Priests. From the CARF Foundation we launched a small campaign encouraging our followers, friends and benefactors to intensify their prayers for priests and seminarians.

See campaign

If you want to share this post on social networks, copy the following link: https://fundacioncarf.org/newsletter-junio-2023/

Rome-23

Pilgrimage to Rome 2023

Hello:

St. Josemaría used to say that "Rome will leave a deep and lasting impression on your soul, if you have made good use of your time. And you will know how to be more faithful children of the Church, and have a more supernatural love for the Holy Father.

As you know, every year since the CARF Foundation we attended with benefactors and friends videre Petrum to learn first-hand about the work of the foundation and, at the same time, soak up the Church at the heart of Christianity.

I would like to invite you to join us on this year's pilgrimage, which will take place between the days of October 17 and 21. We will visit the restricted scavi vaticani, the Vatican gardens and museums, Baroque Rome and the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. In addition, we will attend the Wednesday audience with the Pope, have a get-together with the prelate of Opus Dei at Villa Tevere, and participate in several meetings with priests and seminarians at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and the Sedes Sapientiae International Seminary. BOOK NOW

Best regards,

Luis Alberto Rosales
Chief Executive Officer

April 2023

Newsletter CARF Foundation

April 2023 | Discover the news of the month Hello: We tell you the highlights of this month of April.

"The young people in my country are those who make a mess."

Carlos Alberto Bracho is 36 years old, from the diocese of Cabimas (Venezuela) and is studying at the Bidasoa International Seminary thanks to a scholarship from the CARF Foundation. When he told the rector of the seminary in Venezuela about his vocation he was 27 years old and thought: "it is too late to begin this journey". However, for God there is no time, he calls some people earlier and others later. Read their testimony

It's time for you to live Rome with all your heart and soul

From October 17 to 22 we will go "videre Petrum" to soak up the Church in the heart of Christianity. We will visit the scavi; the Vatican gardens and museums; the Spanish Embassy, Baroque Rome... We will attend the audience with the Pope and a meeting at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross with priests and seminarians. Book now!

Pastoral Tour: Pablo Santa María Watson, priest from Canada

At an extremely complicated time for the Catholic Church in Canada, where there is a particularly aggressive secularism and the faith is collapsing, there is a need for courageous and well-trained priests who can give a reason for their faith. This is the opinion of Fr. Pablo Santa Maria Watson, current judicial vicar of the Archdiocese of Vancouver and former CARF scholar. Discover its history

Meeting with Leopoldo Abadía and seminarians in Barcelona

On March 25, the CARF Foundation organized a meeting in Barcelona with two students of the Bidasoa International Seminar, which it supports with scholarships for their training. The event was presented by the writer and lecturer Leopoldo Abadia and was also attended by Alfonso Riobó, director of the digital magazine Omnes. Watch the video

Find out what has been happening at the Vatican in April with Pope Francis.

We bring you, from Rome Reports, the best summary of what has happened this April at the Vatican and the activities of the Holy Father. Watch video

The number of seminarians in the West is already below the replacement threshold.

Therefore, it is fundamental that with your prayer🙏 you ask God to send more priests, and with your collaboration you help thousands of seminarians and diocesan priests to be formed in Rome and Pamplona, and in turn form other priests and seminarians when they return to their dioceses. Don't miss any of them!

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March 2023

CARF Newsletter

March 2023 | Discover the news of the month Hello, {{{Recipient.FirstName}}}: We tell you the highlights of this March.

Davide: "I prioritized pleasure and I moved away from God, but He did not move away from me".

"My priority was pleasure. I had money for my vices and freedom of movement, but there was something that left me unsatisfied." One April 11, Divine Mercy Day, he decided to open his heart to Jesus. He is now a novice of the Servants of the Home of the Mother and is preparing to become a priest thanks to the help of the CARF Foundation. Read their testimony

Two brothers preparing to become priests together

Agustín and Mariano Seguí are religious of the Miles Christi Institute. They grew up in a family that transmitted the faith to them and surprised their parents with an almost simultaneous vocation. Both are studying theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross to become priests. Discover its history

Seminar Day 2023

The 109,895 seminarians in the world, once they are ordained priests, will make God's dream come true, administering the sacraments. Will you help us to take care of them? Watch the video

Carlos Chiclana: "Priests must take care of themselves in order to take care of others".

What kind of priests does the Church need today? What should their human and spiritual formation be like? Do they miss anything in this formation? These are some of the questions addressed at the Omnes Forum - CARF Foundation on March 15, on the affective life and priestly personality. Read the news

The number of seminarians in the West is already below the replacement threshold.

On April 1, we will launch the campaign "Don't let any vocation be lost", which will be published on the Foundation's channels and in different advertising media. The campaign seeks to raise awareness of the world's need for priests. Don't miss any of them!

Find out what has been happening at the Vatican in March with Pope Francis.

We bring you, from Rome Reports, the best summary of what has happened this March at the Vatican and the activities of the Holy Father. Watch video

If you want to share this post on social networks, copy the following link: https://fundacioncarf.org/newsletter/marzo-2023/

February 2023

CARF Newsletter

February 2023 | Discover the month's news

Hello,

Here are the highlights of the month of February.

We have been showing God's Smile on Earth for 34 years.

On February 14, we celebrated our first anniversary. In 1989 the CARF Foundation The Foundation was founded on the initiative of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo, at the request of St. John Paul II and inspired by St. Josemaría, with the aim of safeguarding the good name of priests, fostering vocations and assisting in their spiritual and academic formation.

We have been helping to form and support diocesan priests, seminarians and religious men and women to serve the Church throughout the world for 34 years. To celebrate we have published a short video.
Watch the video

God always chooses the strangest way to show His Love

Eloi Chiramal is a 24-year-old Indian seminarian from the Syro-Malabar archieparchy of Thrissur in the state of Kerala. He has been studying theology at the University of the Holy Cross since September. His interest in the priesthood runs in his family; his father wanted to become a priest and his brother Joel will be ordained in December.

He studied four years of civil engineering and violin. He was also on the verge of becoming a professional musician with his band. But he had found a treasure for which he had to give up everything.
Discover its history

Why make a solidarity bequest or will to the CARF Foundation?

With your life you can help the Church continue to grow, bringing God's mercy to every corner of the planet by fostering priestly vocations of holy and well-formed people.

In addition to donations, a very effective way to help is to leave a solidarity will to the CARF Foundation, with the commitment to perpetuate in perpetuity your efforts to build the Church, when you are no longer on earth.
Here's how to do it

Pastoral tour: Father Andrei Ventanilla, priest from the Philippines

The archdiocese of Cebu, with more than 400 years of history, is the largest in the Philippines, the country with the largest number of Catholics in Asia thanks to Spanish evangelization.

Andrei's work with young people, in charge of youth ministry and formation in the seminary's propaedeutic course, faces significant challenges. The faith of hundreds of thousands of young Catholics is threatened by secularization and ideologies that distance them from God.
Discover its history

Relive St. John Paul II's journey that changed history

In June 1979, eight months after leaving Poland to join the conclave that would elect him Pope, St. John Paul II returned to his homeland on a trip that would ultimately shatter the Soviet Union. He landed in Warsaw to go to the shrine of Jasna Gora, Krakow, Wadovice and Auschwitz.

From May 26 to 31 We will relive that trip by visiting these places, as well as the salt mines of Wieliczka and the sanctuary of the Divine Mercy. As a first stage, we will experience in Pamplona our traditional annual meeting with seminarians. Run, places are flying!
Book now
* If you are only coming to the Pamplona conference or have other circumstances, please indicate them in the comments on the form.

Find out what has been happening at the Vatican in February with Pope Francis.

We bring you, from Rome Reports, the best summary of what has happened this February at the Vatican and the activities of the Holy Father.
Watch video

If you want to share this post on social networks, copy the following link: https://fundacioncarf.org/newsletter/febrero-2023/

To learn more...

"The young people in my country are those who make a mess."

It's time for you to live Rome with all your heart and soul

Pastoral Tour: Pablo Santa María Watson, priest from Canada

Meeting with Leopoldo Abadía and seminarians in Barcelona

Find out what has been happening at the Vatican in April with Pope Francis.

The number of seminarians in the West is already below the replacement threshold.

To learn more...

Davide: "I prioritized pleasure and I moved away from God, but He did not move away from me".

Two brothers preparing to become priests together

Seminar Day 2023

Carlos Chiclana: "Priests must take care of themselves in order to take care of others".

The number of seminarians in the West is already below the replacement threshold.

Find out what has been happening at the Vatican in March with Pope Francis.

To learn more...

We have been showing God's Smile on Earth for 34 years.

God always chooses the strangest way to show His Love

Why make a solidarity bequest or will to the CARF Foundation?

Pastoral tour: Father Andrei Ventanilla, priest from the Philippines

Relive St. John Paul II's journey that changed history

Find out what has been happening at the Vatican in February with Pope Francis.

To learn more...