Orlando is the youngest of 10 siblings. He comes from a simple, humble and hard-working family. "I remember as a child admiring the priests in my parish who fulfilled an extraordinary mission in the community."
He began to help the pastor with the Missionary Childhood and it was in that experience that he began to feel how much he enjoyed the service and began to "to feel the call of the Lord"he says. Even with his youthful fear and shyness, he entered the seminary.
Now, after 13 years of priestly life, he is in his first year of Social Communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
For 11 years he was pastor in two parishes. The first, called "Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Gaitania", was located in the south of Tolima, where the guerrilla was born. There he experienced firsthand the harshness and consequences of this.
During his 5 years of service he saw how many parents lost their children. At times the situation was so complex that he considered asking for a transfer, but the Lord gave him the strength to endure a little longer. "That's when one recognizes that one must truly be a light in the midst of all these situations that my country is going through".
"I have seen and lived in that parish experiences that have aroused various emotions and feelings in my life and that have marked me and made me mature as a person and strengthen my vocation." However, today he expresses gratitude to the Lord because he gave him the strength and courage to be a voice of encouragement, motivation and hope to so many sufferings of our people.
The second parish to which he was assigned was more urban but also had social issues such as drug consumption and trafficking, theft, poverty, unemployment...
Orlando is grateful for the opportunity to study in Rome. "The experience is a blessing for me, not only for being in this holy city but also because it teaches me from this multicultural-religious dimension to look at my country with a more critical eye and my diocese in a different way."
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.
For inquiries, please contact carf@fundacioncarf.org
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