Carlos Manuel Abreu Frías is a priest of the Diocese of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He comes from a very Catholic family of three brothers.
"My parents initiated me into the faith through prayer groups, charismatic renewal groups and Neocatechumenal communities.
From a very young age, my grandmother also instilled in me the faith, which helped me to understand the universality of the Church and the diversity of charisms that are present in the ecclesial tasks.
In my parish of Mary Help of Christians, I had the opportunity to learn about the service and vocation of the priesthood. I felt the need to imitate them in their work with the youth and the rest of the parishioners.
My vocational journey was not without doubts, in fact, when I entered the seminary I was already very old. I was studying Advertising at the university and I found myself with doubts and indecision about whether to respond to God's call, which was knocking at the doors of my heart.
For seven years, I was formed in the Seminary of St. Dominic at a time when the seminarians did not have lodging inside the Seminary, but lived in houses with families who took us in.
I was ordained a priest on June 24, 2000 and before my ordination I was already working in parishes. I have been working in the parishes of St. Dominic for more than twenty years, nine years in the ecclesiastical tribunal and three years as assistant to the secretary of the Episcopal Conference.
My whole experience of faith is an experience of God in which he invites me to place myself at the service of the community, of the faithful and also to imitate Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life.
In this sense I ask you to pray for me, since in the same way I will pray for you, so that God may provide you with a hundredfold in this donation that you make to the formation of priests, at the service of the Church."
