The CARF Foundation recently made public its data 2025 Report, And there is one figure that stands out above the rest: the seminarians, diocesan priests, religious men and women, whose training was financed by the institution last year in Rome and Pamplona, came from 85 countries on five continents.
«"These students, from 85 countries and more than 1,200 dioceses, are proof that the Church is a universal family that knows no borders," summarizes Fernando Martí Scharfhausen, president of the Foundation, in the letter that introduces the report.
Behind that figure is the work that the CARF Foundation (Roman Academic Center Foundation) has been carrying out for more than three decades: to finance the academic, human, pastoral and spiritual formation of seminarians and diocesan priests, by religious men and women that, without that help, they would not be able to afford their studies in the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, in Rome, or in the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarrein Pamplona.
The CARF Foundation, legally established on February 14, 1989 (although it has been working since 1984), is based on a simple conviction: The quality of a priest's formation cannot depend on whether his diocese of origin is rich or poor.. That is why it financially supports the studies of seminarians, diocesan priests and religious men and women from any country, so that they can complete a comprehensive formation –academic, human, pastoral and spiritual– without money being the reason why a vocation does not prosper.
Each study aid contains a bishop who has placed his trust in the Foundation –more than 1,200 bishops and 350 generals of religious orders from 130 countries do so– and also a young man who, thanks to that help, can prepare to return to his homeland and exercise his priesthood there with solidity.
And that trust is sustained, year after year, thanks to the generosity of benefactors, Partners and friends who understand that helping to train a good priest is helping thousands of people whom that priest will accompany throughout their lives.
Review where the students of the CARF Foundation come from It is also about reviewing the geography of faith in the world. In 2025, Africa and Europe will be the two continents with the greatest diversity of countries of origin, with 25 each; followed by the Americas, encompassing its three regions—South, Central, and North—then Asia, and finally Oceania. There is no single profile among those receiving this aid: there are as many stories as there are cultures, languages, and ecclesial realities.
The beneficiaries come from countries such as Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania or Uganda, among many others. This is the case of Gonçalves Cacoma Cahinga, An Angolan seminarian who discovered his vocation at the age of eight. "My heart burned and I dreamed of being a catechist," he recalls with emotion.
Today, along with a classmate, he is one of the first Angolan seminarians to study at the Bidasoa International Seminary in Pamplona. «In my diocese, although there are quite a few Catholics, there are few priests and few parishes. That is why I am deeply grateful to all the benefactors of the CARF Foundation for the opportunity they are giving me. For me, being in Bidasoa is a great enrichment, because it allows me to discover the greatness of the universal Church,» he says.
In the historical cradle of the Church, the Foundation continues to help train seminarians and diocesan priests in countries where faith coexists with very different contexts, from west to east of the continent.
The Polish priest Krzysztof Patejuk, assisted by the CARF Foundation to study Canon Law in Pamplona. He summarizes it thus: «Thanks to your support, I was able to experience an unforgettable period of study in Pamplona, an encounter with the Church and spiritual growth, especially through the formation offered by Opus Dei. I know that this experience has been key to my priesthood, and without you, I would not be the same priest I am today.».
Where in many countries Catholics are a minority, Each vocation carries a special weight. Xudong Feng, Pedro Mari, whose Christian name is Pedro Mari, is a Chinese seminarian studying in Pamplona thanks to the CARF Foundation. He recalls with emotion how his vocation was born in that land steeped in fidelity: "My grandfather and my parents taught me to go to Mass every day from childhood. It wasn't an obligation, it was an inheritance. That's how I began to feel that I wanted to be a priest.".
And he is clear about his gratitude and goals: «I am here thanks to many people who believe in our vocation. Thanks to the CARF Foundation, I can receive proper training to serve better. I know that my journey doesn’t end in Navarre: it’s just beginning. I want to return to my town, to my diocese, and give back what I have received.».
The Foundation supports vocations that come from From Mexico to Argentina, passing through Central America and the Caribbean. Arthur Caesar, A Brazilian seminarian from the Archdiocese of São Sebastião of Rio de Janeiro, studies in Bidasoa thanks to the support of the benefactors, partners and friends of the CARF Foundation.
«"The people aren't looking for event organizers, but for closeness, sacraments, and formation. The priest's first calling is to holiness; to be an example and companion in the search for Christ. And I felt a peace that confirmed to me that it was God who was calling me," he recounts about his vocation.
The presence is smaller (Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea), but significant. Samuel Pitcaithly, assisted by the CARF Foundation and the ninth New Zealand seminarian to study at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in its 40-year history. He summarizes his story this way: «Looking back today, I see clearly how God has guided me step by step. Today I have just finished my first year of studies for the priesthood at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. It is a blessing to be able to study in the heart of the Church, surrounded by seminarians and professors from all over the world, all seeking holiness.».
He adds: «I am deeply grateful for everything you do to make this journey possible for me and so many fellow seminarians and priests around the world. I keep you very much in my prayers and, God willing, one day I will be able to offer Holy Mass for you and your intentions. May God and Our Blessed Mother bless you abundantly!».
What these stories have in common is not the country, but a vocation of service to the Church. Seminarians, diocesan priests, religious men and women from very different backgrounds can access, thanks to the support of the benefactors, partners and friends of the CARF Foundation, a comprehensive education without the lack of economic resources being an obstacle.
This is, in essence, the reason for the Foundation's existence since its inception: to promote an excellent intellectual, human, and spiritual formation for seminarians, diocesan priests, and religious men and women from any country in the world, without their economic capacity being an impediment.
During their formative years, students from very different countries and cultures share studies and life together in Rome and Pamplona. This experience makes visible the "universal family that knows no borders" that the president of the CARF Foundation speaks of.
Sustaining this work is possible thanks to those who, year after year, choose to be part of this universal family as benefactors. If you would like to help ensure that the next Annual Report includes even more countries, You can collaborate with the CARF Foundation here.
The formation of a priest does not end with his ordination. Saint John Paul II emphasized the importance of accompanying and forming those who receive the call to the priesthood., both during his seminary years and throughout his entire ministry. Pope Leo XIV has also reiterated this since the beginning of his pontificate.
In his apostolic exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, In his letter published in 1992, Saint John Paul II emphasized that the formation of future priests must encompass all dimensions of the person: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral. For the Polish pope, this preparation is one of the most important tasks for the future of evangelization.
The document also notes that The seminar should be a true space for training and growth., where those preparing for the priesthood can deepen their relationship with Christ and acquire the necessary tools to serve the people entrusted to them. Formation, therefore, consists not only of acquiring knowledge, but also of preparing to live and communicate the charity of Christ, the Good Shepherd.
This vision connects directly with the work that the CARF Foundation It has been developing for decades: facilitating that seminarians, diocesan priests and religious from different parts of the world can access a comprehensive formation and then return to their dioceses and communities to put everything they have learned at the service of others.
For Pope Leo X: «Formation is a path of relationship. Becoming friends of Christ means being formed in relationship, not just in skills.» In his meeting with the Dicastery for the Clergy on June 26, 2025, addressing formators, priests, and seminarians, Leo XIV recalled that priestly formation It cannot be reduced to the acquisition of pastoral knowledge or skills.
At its core is a personal relationship with Christ. The seminary is the place where that friendship is learned and cultivated: a familiarity with the Lord that commits one's whole life of the future priest, his heart, his intelligence and his freedom, and gradually shapes him in the image of the Good Shepherd.
Forming priests, therefore, does not consist only in transmitting content, but in accompanying a journey of life with Christ in order to be Christ himself for others, Pope Leo emphasizes.
«The formation of future priests […] is considered by the Church to be one of the most important tasks for the future of the evangelization of humanity.» Saint John Paul II, Pastores dabo vobis, 2.
More than thirty years after those words of Saint John Paul II, priestly formation continues to be an essential mission for the Church. 2025 Report The CARF Foundation shows how this task becomes a reality every year through hundreds of stories and vocations from all over the world.
carf@fundacioncarf.orgLandline: +34 914 029 082Mobile: +34 638 078 51145 Conde de Peñalver Street.
