Mark Cloyd Degrano Tadeo is a seminarian of the Diocese of Bangued, Philippines.
"In 2011, I entered the Major Seminary of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Tarlac City, Philippines. Queen of Peace Major Seminary in Tarlac City, Philippines.
I received my vocation when I was very young, only 15 years old, through the help of my parish priest, whom I consider exemplary in his life as a priest.
Being in a Catholic school, Church life was not foreign to me, nor was the figure of the priest. Our feasts at school were the feasts of the saints or some celebration in the Church.
But the most decisive thing and the one that made me see the Lord's call was when I joined the altar boys' club at school. I didn't want to join at first, but the clubs I had chosen didn't accept me, but this one did, and I was able to join it.
Besides, there was no limit to the number of places. That year of life in the Church; daily masses, novenas to the Mother of Perpetual Help every Wednesday, the mission masses in the neighborhoods, the "parties" we had in my pastor's family home, the retreats we had in the parish with a retreat director who made us cry during the Taizé-type prayer times, and many other things, all these things for a boy like me, made it easier for me to have the desire to be like my pastor, the desire to be a priest.
And that desire became a reality after talking to my pastor, the vocation director of the diocese who was very nice and the Bishop of the Diocese, because in 2011 I entered the seminary.
After five years in Tarlac, I was about to finish my bachelor's degree in philosophy and my seminary rector, who studied at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, recommended me to my bishop to study here in Spain and the response was favorable. But that year, I could not come immediately there were not enough scholarships. I stayed in the office to work there as secretary and librarian while I was waiting for next year's scholarship.
It was a truly special year for me with respect to my priestly vocation because the priests with whom I worked and lived for a year with their intense prayer life, the love they put in dealing with the Lord every time they celebrated Holy Mass, their kindness, their attitude in the face of a difficulty and their dedication in their work, all this has strengthened me for the greatest dedication to the Lord.
Already in 2017 I arrived here in Bidasoa together with another seminarian of the Diocese of Masbate, Aurelius Mendoza. And living in this Bidasotarra family in almost four years are for me precious in many ways, but especially in the love for the Lord and the fraternity that we cultivate.
In one of my pastoral work here in Spain, specifically in the Hostel of the Parish of Santiago el Real in Logroño. Every day we received pilgrims from different countries. There we prepared their beds,
We cleaned the entire parish hostel, particularly the toilets so that when the hostel opened at 13.00, the pilgrims found it pleasant, Mass for the pilgrims at 18.00 in the evening, then we prepared dinner for them and we also had dinner with them and then a prayer among all in the Church and a moment for them to share their experiences on the road and some talked about their lives. And when we were preparing breakfast for the next day, one of the pilgrims of that day, a lady from Vietnam approached me to thank me and told me that she has been away from the Church for more than 30 years because of the death of her son, but that day she had felt and experienced again the love of God through her experience in the parish hostel and she did not know why we both ended up crying.
This helps me to understand better and better the meaning of total dedication to Christ in the vocation to the priesthood. And like St. Lawrence, the Protomartyr of Manila, who said: "If I had a thousand lives, I would offer them to the Lord a thousand times over", so I also declare".
"St. Paul says in his first letter to those in Tessalonica, "in everything give thanks, for this is what God, in Christ Jesus, desires of you." All the people of God who walk in my diocese, my bishop and the presbytery, my family and I, thank you with all our hearts for your love and untiring and unconditional dedication to each local Church that through your irreplaceable help in our formation, we can bring Christ into the lives of diverse people of different cultures and tasks of Christian life.
I want to thank you for all that you do for us. and this work of his love of God and a the Church serves as an inspiration to form us lo to make this collaboration the best possible that we do like brothers at Christ bear fruit y fruit at abundance (cf. In 15, 5). Every day I keep them in my prayers and my heart will always be very grateful to his generosity y benevolence. And again I thank you with these words in my dialect "Agyamanak unay kadakayo amin, Dios ti ag - ngina!".".
Supports a vocation anywhere in the world
A full scholarship of 18,000 euros is the amount necessary for a candidate to live and study for one year at their university locations, whether in Rome or Pamplona. The neediest dioceses in the world require a full scholarship for their candidates. In many cases, the diocese covers part of this cost and a lesser amount is required, which is always indicated with the candidate's application.
What does a full scholarship consist of?
More than 800 bishops from all five continents request study grants for their candidates through scholarships. Thanks to benefactors like you, CARF meets most of the requests, but the needs are growing and we want all requests to be met.
In the graph you can see the composition of a full scholarship.
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