Why make a solidarity bequest or will to the CARF Foundation?
By including the CARF Foundation in your will, you will give continuity to its commitment to integral formation. You will help priests and seminarians around the world receive a solid academic, theological, human and spiritual preparation.
What is a joint and several will?
The solidarity bequest is a testamentary disposition in favor of a non-profit institution. It is in the will where it is decided to allocate a very specific part of the assets and/or rights to support the objectives of a person, natural or legal. These assets, which are called legacies, are separated from the inheritance and are not subject to distribution among the forced heirs. They can be a specific asset such as a house, apartment, apartment, rural property, etc. or a right such as a benefit, a percentage of the estate, etc.
Bequests have a limit, they can in no case be detrimental to the legitimate inheritance of the heirs. In addition, they must be granted by will and must be expressly indicated.
For the CARF Foundation your collaboration is essential and one way to make it tangible is through the legacy of solidarity. It is a boost in your commitment to the formation of priests, the spreading of their good name and prayer for vocations.
What is a joint and several will?
Article 667 of the Civil Code defines a will as the written declaration of a person's will by which he/she disposes of the destination of his/her assets and obligations, or part of them, after his/her death, depending on the extent to which it was made.
Making a will is a right that entails a simple procedure, with which you can avoid problems for your family and loved ones. The will also serves to order your wishes and be certain that they will be perpetuated when you are gone. A will is revocable until the time of death. The subsequent valid will revokes the previous one. It can be modified by complying with the same requirements that were necessary to grant the previous one, that is to say, to go to the notary to manifest the changes that are wanted to be made.
Types of joint and several wills you can make
The current Spanish legal system includes three ways of making a will:
Open: In this way, the testator expresses his or her wishes about the destiny of his or her assets before the notary who will draft it according to the legal prescriptions. It is a secret procedure until the death of the testator. The open will is the most advisable modality, as it is the safest and most comfortable as well as the most used.
Closed: The testator delivers the signed will to the notary in a sealed envelope.
Ológrafo: It will be written by the testator by hand. But before it is fulfilled, it will be necessary to initiate a notarial procedure to verify its authenticity.
Did you know that you don't need to be a member of the CARF Foundation to leave your will or legacy?
All you have to do is decide to express your commitment to solidarity in the form of a will or bequest. This gesture will always be present, since the CARF Foundation is an institution declared of public utility, your entire bequest or will will will be destined to the foundational purposes of supporting the integral formation of priests and seminarians around the world.
The CARF Foundation will see to it that, when the young men in formation return to their dioceses to be ordained priests, they will be able to transmit all the light, science and doctrine they have received. We try to inspire the hearts of our benefactors and friends so that every day there will be more of us building a more just society.
What can I donate as a legacy of solidarity?
Most of the vocations are born today in countries in Africa or America that lack the means to do so. Every year, more than 800 bishops from all over the world ask the CARF Foundation for help in training their candidates. Leaving part of your legacy of solidarity is easy and accessible, and can be done without affecting the interests of your heirs. When your voice falls silent, your ideals can continue with strength and courage by supporting these candidates so that they can complete their training at the ecclesiastical universities of Rome and Pamplona. You can donate:
Real estate, such as a house, apartment, apartment, rural property, etc.
Other assets such as jewelry, works of art, cash in banks or in cash.
You can also donate a percentage of your assets, mutual funds, stocks or life insurance to the Foundation.
How does the CARF Foundation manage its legacy of solidarity?
The proceeds from the sale of the bequeathed assets will be used for a significant investment. Guaranteeing a secure procedure for the treatment of the bequeathed assets. The constant support to the integral formation of priests and seminarians goes beyond the cycles of the economy. That is why, at the CARF Foundation, we work in the endowment fund (endowment) of the foundation so that we can always support them.
It is a commitment to think that, behind every priestly vocation, there is another call from the Lord to each one of us Christians, asking for personal effort to ensure the means for formation.
How can I make a solidarity bequest to the CARF Foundation?
Depending on your intention and family circumstances, and within the provisions of current legislation, there are several ways to have us present in your last will:
If you have no heirs, you can name the CARF Foundation as your universal heir, making it the beneficiary of all your assets, rights and/or shares.
You can also leave your assets to more than one person or institution, you can designate the CARF Foundation as co-heir, indicating in the will the percentage assigned to each of the parties.
Or, you can nominate the CARF Foundation. legatee, leaving a legacy of a concrete good.
Once you have made the decision to collaborate by making a will or solidarity legacy in favor of the CARF Foundation, you only need to go to a notary and express your will to testament or bequeath, all or part of your assets in favor of:
Centro Académico Romano Foundation Conde de Peñalver, 45, Entre planta of 1 - 28006 Madrid CIF: G-79059218
If your personal circumstances or intention change, your final decision can always be modified, you can contact the Foundation with any questions you may have.
Solidarity will is a tax-exempt gift
In the liquidation of the will, non-profit entities are not subject to the Inheritance and Donations Tax set forth in the Decentralization Act 49/2022 and therefore joint and several legacies are tax exempt for the beneficiaries.
The totality of the donated bequest is entirely dedicated to the purposes of the CARF Foundation, which is why the allocated portion will be tax exempt.
"The message of Divine Mercy constitutes a very concrete and demanding program of life, for it involves works."
Pope Francis Message of Pope Francis for the XXXI World Youth Day 2016.
Find out how you can make a solidarity testimony in favor of the CARF Foundation or make a bequest.
Bibliography
Civil Code Art. 667
Law 49/2002, of December 23, 2002, on the tax regime for non-profit entities and tax incentives for patronage.
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Attacking cell phone addiction in Pastoral Care with young people
Cell phones are a matter for adults, young people and children, and have become a matter of state in many countries due to the consequences of their indiscriminate use. For the sixth year, the chaplaincy of the University of Navarra Clinic, in collaboration with the CARF Foundation, organized a new edition of the cycle Notions of medicine for priests, on this occasion focused on the cell phone addiction in children and youth.
This is a training initiative aimed at providing useful medical criteria for the accompaniment pastoral. Some thirty priests participated in this edition.
Dr. Miguel Ángel Martínez-González during the conference.
Cell phone addiction as a pastoral and health challenge
On January 24, 2009, the speaker was the Dr. Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Navarra and Visiting Professor of Nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. H. Chan School of Public Health.
His speech, entitled Screens and addictions, was based on two of his most recent works: Salmon, hormones and screens (Planeta, 2023) and Twelve solutions to overcome display challenges (Planeta, 2025), especially focused on the prevention of the impact of the use of screens on children and adolescents.
The speaker stressed that the cell phone addiction should not be approached solely as an educational or disciplinary problem, but as a phenomenon with clinical implications, family members and social. From his experience in public health, he explained that early detection is key to avoid the chronification of dependency behaviors, especially in still immature stages of neurological development, such as childhood and adolescence.
In this regard, he encouraged priests to collaborate actively with families, educational centers and health professionals when they detect situations of risk.
Levels of addiction
He also pointed out that a correct medical referral should not be interpreted as a failure of accompaniment. pastoral, The treatment is not only a form of responsible integral care of the person, especially when there are symptoms of anxiety, social isolation, or significant deterioration of academic or work performance.
«Social networks are designed to be highly addictive.»
During his speech, the professor warned that the early handing over of smartphones to minors has become a public health problem.
As he explained, the main digital platforms are designed to maximize usage time through reward systems associated with dopamine release.
He added that the development of these technologies relies on highly specialized teams in neuropsychology and engineering, which places children and adolescents at a clear disadvantage.
Four major dimensions of health damage
The speaker identified four major risk areas associated with problematic screen use:
The increase in adolescent mental health disorders and self-injurious behaviors.
Early and continuous exposure to pornographic content, with negative effects on affective and sexual development.
Cyberbullying, which prolongs bullying outside the educational environment and amplifies its reach.
The deterioration of cognitive habits and rest, related to the intensive use of digital devices.
Dependence
Addressing the priests, Dr. Martinez-Gonzalez explained that there are different degrees of dependency.
In mild situations, personal accompaniment and pastoral guidance may be sufficient. In more serious cases - when there is neglect of responsibilities, compulsive behaviors or withdrawal symptoms - it is necessary to refer to health or social work professionals. psychology.
He also stressed the importance of fostering a climate of trust that facilitates honesty, as well as being aware of the high frequency of this type of problem among young people.
The role of parents
The professor insisted that prevention begins at the level of the family and, in particular, in the formation of the parents.
He recommended promoting an early, personal and non-punitive dialogue on sexuality, as well as setting an example in the use of technology, establishing clear rules, schedules and parental control systems at home. He also advocated delaying the first smartphone until the age of 18 as much as possible.
In closing, he highlighted the growth of initiatives by mothers and fathers who are organizing to limit the impact of screens on family life, and educational, and encouraged support for these types of social movements.
Marta Santín, journalist specialized in religion.
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A priestly vocation from Peru: serving God on high
In the context of a rural Peru, a priestly vocation takes on its own nuances. Great distances, scarcity of resources and a strong cultural identity of the Andean peoples mean that the ministry of the priest must be lived from the discomfort and without urban schemes. In this environment, the priest is an expected and necessary presence, often the only stable reference of the Church in extensive and difficult to travel territories.
In this framework, vocation is understood as a personal call and as a response to a concrete need of the people. Being a priest in the Andes implies accepting a life marked by constant displacement, direct contact with poverty and a very close relationship with the faithful, who know their pastor by his word, his availability and his daily closeness.
Christiam's testimony is inserted precisely in this reality. His personal history is linked to the territory to which he was sent and to the communities he serves, where faith is lived with depth and simplicity, even in the midst of great need.
A priestly vocation that is born of the Word
The father Christiam Anthony Burgos Effio was born in Lima on August 26, 1992 and is a member of the Diocese of Sicuani, in the Andean region of the southern part of the country. He is the eldest of four siblings and grew up in a Christian family where faith was lived naturally.
The family faith was expressed in religious practices and also as a concrete way of understanding life, sacrifice and service. In this environment, the figure of the priest was respected and valued as someone close to the people, which helped the vocation to germinate without initial rejection, although with many questions.
During the years of discernment, Father Christiam learned to listen patiently to what God was asking of him, without making hasty decisions. The vocation matured in silence, prayer and contact with the concrete reality of the local Church, until it became a firm choice.
This gradual process was the key to later facing the renunciations inherent to the priestly journey and to assuming formation as a necessary time of interior and pastoral preparation.
His call to the priestly vocation came at the age of 16, during a Eucharist in which the Gospel of St. Matthew was proclaimed: "you are the salt of the earth (...) and the light of the world" (Mt 5:13-16). That Word was not a momentary impact, but the beginning of a constant restlessness that led him to seriously consider the priesthood as a way of life.
«I truly believe that the Lord used his word to put in me the restlessness of vocation, the desire to be able to serve him fully through his people, in the priestly ministry».
Marian accompaniment: a constant presence
From childhood, the faith learned at home and Marian devotion -especially the recitation of the Holy Rosary- accompanied his process. As time went by, he understood that God had been preparing his vocation in a silent and patient way.
Entering the seminary: a choice that requires renunciation
Priestly formation not only involved acquiring theological and human knowledge, but also learning to live in community, to obey and to serve without being the protagonist. These years were decisive in shaping a style of priesthood simple and close, especially suitable for the Andean reality.
In a context where many communities see the priest only a few times a year, interior preparation takes on special importance. Spiritual strength, constancy and the ability to adapt to difficult situations become indispensable tools for ministry.
This formative stage allowed Father Christiam to realistically assume the mission that awaited him, without idealizing it, but also without fear.
The decision to enter the seminary came when he had already begun his university studies and had defined personal projects. Betting on the priesthood meant leaving behind legitimate plans and assuming the uncertainty of a demanding path.
The most difficult test was the family one. For his parents, the decision initially meant the feeling of losing a son. That pain was transformed over the years into a process of shared faith, lived in parallel with the priestly formation of Christiam. Today, this initial renunciation is a reason for gratitude and profound joy.
The time spent in the seminary was the key to maturing humanly and spiritually, and to purifying one's vocation until it became a free and conscious response to God's call.
Father Christiam Anthony Burgos Effio with the altar boys of his parish.
Ordination and dispatch: vocation put to the test in the Andes
His ordination to the priesthood, celebrated on the eve of the feast of the Good Shepherd, marked the beginning of a definitive dedication. From that moment on, Father Christiam's ministry was tied to an extreme pastoral reality.
Its diocese covers more than 16,700 km² and has a very limited number of priests to serve dozens of parishes separated by great distances. In this context, the priest accompanies spiritually and often has to assume educational and social tasks.
Isolated communities and a sustaining faith
In addition to the parish, Father Christiam serves thirteen rural communities. Some, such as Paropata and Tucsa, are located at almost 4,900 meters above sea level and are only accessible on foot or by horse or mule. These are villages with serious material and sanitary deficiencies, but with a living faith that is expressed in deeply rooted customs.
In these communities, evangelizing also means sharing the work of the field, listening, teaching and sustaining hope. There, the priest discovers that, as he evangelizes, he is also evangelized by the simple faith of the people.
Don Christiam Anthony accompanies a community in a celebration of faith in the highlands of Peru.
Christiam is currently studying canon law at the University of University Pontificalof the Holy Cross, in Rome, thanks to the support of partners, benefactors and friends of the CARF Foundation. He lives this stage not as a personal merit, but as an opportunity to be better formed and to serve with greater dedication to the Church of Peru when he returns.
His priestly vocation continues to have a clear horizon: to return to the Andes and continue caring for the people God has entrusted to him.
Gerardo FerraraBA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East. Responsible for students at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
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Nirmala: woman, Christian, nun, communicator from India
This Faculty aims to transmitting the faith of the Church in every century with the instruments available and also to train professionals capable of operating in the field of communication in ecclesial institutions, through a very solid and diversified program, which is based on theoretical and practical study.
Social communication students
The students of Social and Institutional Communication, in addition, in fact, focus very much on the cultural environment in which the Church proposes its message, in a spirit of ongoing dialogue with the women and men of every century.
For this purpose, they must be well acquainted, on the one hand, with the contents of the faith and the identity of the Church as an institution, through subjects of a theological, philosophical and canonical nature, and on the other hand, the concrete application of the theories, practices and techniques of institutional communication to the particular identity of the institution. Catholic Church, including through advanced laboratories in the different media (radio, television, press and media based on new technologies).
25th anniversary
The Faculty of Social and Institutional Communication, thanks to its unique characteristics in the field of pontifical universities, has already trained, in 25 years, dozens of communication professionals, Today they are making their contribution in various ecclesiastical and non-ecclesiastical sectors, thanks above all to the help of many benefactors, in particular the CARF Foundation - Centro Académico Romano Foundation.
CARF, which not only provides scholarships to young people from all over the world to study at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, but also offers its financial support to help the university realize its goals. regular scheduled academic activities (the usual courses), to support the entire staff of professors and officials, to finance extraordinary activities (such as congresses, publications and other activities of professors) and to subsidize the necessary tools and technologies (laboratories, classrooms, didactic instruments, etc.).
To know the reality of the School of Social Communication.
We set out on a journey to learn more about the reality of this Faculty and its mission in the world through the stories of its students, alumni and faculty.
Sister Nirmala Santhiyagu, from India
Today we find ourselves with the sister Nirmala Santhiyagu, from India, from the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver. Nirmala is 35 years old and studies at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross thanks to a grant from the CARF Foundation, which also helps another student from the same congregation..
Hello everyone! It is a pleasure for me, being a student in the first year of the Bachelor's Degree in Communication, to be able to approach this world through an interview so that you can get to know me and all my academic family, as I call it, of the Faculty better. This is very important, to be family here toois something I value very highly, since I was born and raised in a catholic family in Tamil Nadu, India, together with my parents and my three siblings».
Conveying training in a difficult environment
Well, it is a pleasure for me and for our readers as well. It is also very interesting that you, who come from India, as a woman, Christian and religious, study in Rome and then share your formation in an environment that is not always easy, and in a country about which the chronicles often give us dramatic stories of violence against women.
N: «Yes, in fact my congregation asked me to study Social and Institutional Communication to be able to collaborate more effectively with their communication team, working in the diocese of Indore, India. It is a very difficult time all over the world, also due to the emergence of COVID, but I think this kind of study is interesting and challenging at the same time, especially for a country like India. India, for the same reasons you mentioned».
I imagine that being born and growing up as a Christian in a country where Christians are a small minority must not have been very easy!
Well, in fact when I was little it was not as difficult as it is today. First of all, I was fortunate to have very loving parents who made sure that we children grew up in the Christian faith following their moral values. My family members played a vital role in the formation of my faith: I was always encouraged to participate in the Sunday catechism classes and in all the activities that were carried out for the formation of faith and morals in our parish.
In addition, I studied in a Catholic school run by nuns. and there I had more possibilities to value my Christian values, that is to say, to share what one has, to forgive others and above all equality: that is to say that we are all children of God and it doesn't matter the caste or creed. This is why I say that I was lucky, because I know that not all children, especially girls, have this opportunity to grow up as I did.
"I studied in a Catholic school run by nuns where I learned that we are all children of God and no matter the caste or creed."
The missionary activities of the Sisters of St. Peter Claver in mission countries such as India and Vietnam cooperate with diocesan pastoral activities in the Christian formation, both spiritual and moral, of children and young people, in the empowerment of women, in the education of poor children and above all to awaken missionary awareness among the faithful.
And since you were a child, did you have the opportunity to meet people of different religions?
Yes, as I grew up, either at school or in the family environment, I was able to cross paths with people of other religions, such as Hindus and Muslims, and there I learned to know the contents of their beliefs, coming to appreciate and treasure my Christian faith even more. Only in Christianity, then, did I find a God who allows you to be yourself, with all your weaknesses and abilities, and it was always exciting for me to know that I have a God who loves us, forgives us and wants his children to be happy here on earth, and then to be with him forever in heaven.
Well, it must be very enriching for a child to grow up in such an open environment.
N: Good, I must admit that children today in most parts of India do not enjoy the religious freedom that we had in our childhood days, there have been enormous changes in recent days due to the political influences of Hindu nationalism, which have not failed to affect other ethnic or religious groups.
But I remember, in my childhood days, the coexistence of different religions was very peaceful and uplifting: studying and playing together, irrespective of caste or religion; the respect we had for each other's beliefs, and so on. Even today, I cherish the wonderful experiences I had in my school days.
G: Was it in school that you felt the call to be a religious?
Well, not only there... I was actually very inspired by the activities of the nuns in my parish, as well as by my blood sister who was a nun herself. So I also wanted to be missionary. With the help of my parish priest, I joined the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver where I am now. In 2007 I made my first religious profession. As the years went by, I rediscovered and confirmed my vocation to be the witness of God's love and in 2014 I said my “yes” to the Lord's call forever.
G: And how does that relate to communication?
N: It's all about communication, especially today! And the charism of the Sisters of St. Peter Claver is missionary animation, understood as the information and formation of the people of God about the missions. It is done by awakening in everyone cooperation in the mission, to provide the missionaries with the spiritual and material means necessary for the evangelization of peoples.
How wonderful! The whole town, the whole community involved in the mission!
The missionary activities of the Sisters of St. Peter Claver in mission countries like India and Vietnam cooperate with diocesan pastoral activities in the Christian formation, both spiritual and moral, of children and young people, in the empowerment of women, in the education of poor children and above all to awaken missionary consciousness among the faithful. And it must be said that, in the activities of empowerment of women and education of poor children, we are in constant contact with people of other religions.
A very important challenge, if we consider that Christians in India are a minority...
N: Yes, in fact the percentage of Christians in India is only 2.5%, but their presence is incredibly significant for the Indian society.Just think of St. Teresa of Calcutta! The contribution of Christianity is very remarkable, especially in the areas of reforming destructive traditions, modernizing the democratic system, social education and access to the media, medical care, social change and impact among tribals and the poor. dalits (those without caste), empowerment of women.
G: The poor get poorer and the rich get richer. A mission that involves everything...
In my opinion, the mission that awaits every Christian in this 21st century in India is not only to share the joy of the gospel, but also to promote the values of the gospel, to provide equal rights to all citizens. Although technology has improved the quality of life and work, the process of modernization has its negative social, moral and religious effects.
As people migrate from rural areas to metropolitan and industrialized areas, most people, with a low professional and educational level, end up being exploited, marginalized, victims of injustice and in extreme poverty, causing the disintegration of family ties. In this vicious circle, the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.
"The mission of every Christian in this 21st century in India is to promote Gospel values."
Sister Nirmala says that the percentage of Christians in India is only 2.5%, but their presence is incredibly significant for Indian society. "Just remember St. Teresa of Calcutta!" she says. Christianity's contribution is remarkable, especially in the areas of reforming destructive traditions, modernizing the democratic system, social education and access to the media.
Not to mention the contrasts between the different religious components....
We are faced with a growing fundamentalist trend, which sees modernity as the process responsible for the decline of values, claims a return to traditional values and redefines them in an ideology that supposedly replaces modernity and excludes diversity.
The current situation calls more than ever for interreligious dialogue. Because developments in the modern world have posed a challenge not only to India's social and political institutions, but also to ethical and religious beliefs and ideas. There is an urgent need for a general awareness of parity, which must be fostered among all.
G: And what is the situation of women in your country?
N: India has always been a patriarchal country.l, where women have traditionally been prevented from emancipation since ancient times. In fact, women's inferiority was codified by the Manu Code: during childhood they were the property of the father, in adolescence of the husband and, in the event of the husband's death, the property of the closest male relative. This ancient model is particularly important because it underlies old and new oppressions. Indeed, although the status of women has improved with the advent of modernity, the tradition is still deeply rooted throughout the country.
Of course, India was the first major country in the world to have a woman head of government (Indira Gandhi); and yes, there are many educated and emancipated women in the cities, and many modern marriages in which both spouses have equal rights. However, these are marginal episodes.
There is also the drama of high mortality among girls....
N: Sure. India is one of the few countries where men outnumber women, and this is partly due to the higher mortality rate of women. girls, to whom less attention is paid. Widows are allowed to remarry, but if they do, they are disapproved of and marginalized, so they mostly live in poverty. Child marriages have decreased, but still exist, especially in rural areas. In addition, there is a dramatic aspect of the female condition that has to do with dowry.
Nowadays, then, there is a real "stock exchange" of potential spouses: the higher their social status, the higher the dowry required. Often, after the marriage has already taken place, the groom's family asks for more objects or more money, and if the bride's family cannot give more, the bride is burned alive, simulating a domestic accident.
For some time now, many women have been organizing themselves into groups and committees, and hopefully one day these tragedies will come to an end, but Indian women still have a long way to go to achieve equal rights.
G: A path that goes through training and communication...
Of course! The reason for all these problems is illiteracy, lack of education, lack of access to means and instruction. Christian missionaries have worked for centuries to educate the poor and empower the marginalized. The Catholic Church has always invested in education in India and even today we have the best schools. Of course, there is much to be done, but we will not stop working in this direction.
Acknowledgments to benefactors
And it is very good that our European and Western readers and benefactors become more aware that they are contributing, helping you to be formed, to improve the condition of the entire people of India, not only of Christians, through the work of the Church, but also of the people of India.ia.
Of course, and for this we are very gratefulWe are all Church, and I am very sure that the academic formation made possible by the contribution of our benefactors will help us to live our religious life as authentic witnesses to the Gospel and good professionals, bearing much fruit for His Kingdom. Generosity always remains in the form of a gift, the formation we receive because of the generosity of so many people will equip us in turn to be generous to others.
Gerardo FerraraBA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East. Responsible for the student body Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
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Ugandan seminarian Samuel's vocation grew thanks to his family and the faith of his community.
From the Diocese of Soroti, in eastern Uganda, to Pamplona, where today he is trained as a seminarian Ugandan, the story of Samuel Ebinu is that of a vocation that wants to become a priest; that is not born of an inspiration or an extraordinary moment, but of faith lived naturally, in the family and in his parish community.
Thanks to the help of the partners, benefactors and friends of the CARF Foundation, Samuel is preparing for the priesthood at the Bidasoa international seminar, convinced that God continues to call everyone from the smallest.
From Soroti to Pamplona: the path of a Ugandan seminarian
Samuel (1996) has been living in Spain for four years. He is in his final year of theology and is preparing to receive the priesthood. His formative path has brought him to Pamplona, where he studies in the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra and resides in Bidasoa, but his roots remain firmly anchored in his homeland and family.
«I'm looking forward to serving the Church as a priest,» he says joyfully. He does not speak from theory, but from an experience of faith cultivated since childhood.
The Christian family, cradle of vocations
Samuel grew up in a large family: nine siblings, two girls and seven boys. Two of them, along with his father, have already passed away. Grief did not break the family faith; strengthened it.
«I grew up in a Catholic home, united and full of peace, where faith was lived naturally,» he explains. Prayer, work and fraternity marked his childhood. Faith was not an add-on, but part of daily life.
Samuel does not remember a sudden revelation. His vocation grew little by little, like something that was always there.
«The priestly vocation is a special gift from God. In my case, the call grew silently, like a seed that God had put in my heart since childhood.
As a child he asked himself questions that others did not ask: what did a priest do, why did people listen attentively to his preaching, what did it really mean to serve God.
There is a scene that sums up this early call well. During a catechetical interview, when he was asked to make the sign of the cross, Samuel performed it as if he were a priest, imparting a blessing. A simple, childish gesture, but loaded with meaning.
Soroti: a young and lively Church in Uganda
Celebrating faith with the whole body
The Diocese of Soroti is located in a region of vast green plains, where life is built in community. It is a young, deeply believing Church in a mostly Christian country.
In Soroti, the Mass is not routine. It is a lively, participatory, joyful celebration. «The songs with drums, the choirs and the processions strengthen the sense of community,» explains Samuel. There, the liturgy is not observed: it is lived.
Samuel Ebinu, Ugandan seminarian during the interview.
Evangelizing from the family and the community
Grassroots Christians with social commitment
The transmission of the faith begins at home. Family prayer, the rosary and participation in the parish are part of daily life. In addition to this, there are the basic Christian communities, small groups where the word is shared, faith is celebrated and solidarity is lived.
The parishes promote catechesis, youth groups and the formation of the laity. Schools and social pastoral care complete an evangelization that unites faith, education and human promotion.
The vitality of the Church in Soroti coexists with a demanding reality: there is a lack of priests to serve very large territories and numerous communities.
«We need more priests and a training Samuel explains, »There is a constant need for catechists and lay leaders to accompany young people and those who are suffering. Even so, his outlook is hopeful: faith continues to be strong, joyful and communitarian.
Evangelizing today: witness and closeness
Samuel is clear that evangelization today is not about imposing, but about proposing. «Evangelizing today requires closeness, witness and authenticity. It is not enough to transmit ideas; we have to show the face of Christ with our lives».
Concrete keys to the priest you dream of being:
Listen before you speak.
Accompany processes with patience.
To bear witness to a coherent and joyful life.
To create spaces of encounter and mercy.
Use language that connects to real life.
«Evangelization is not to impose, but to propose with love and conviction». Samuel dreams of a profoundly human and profoundly God's priesthood. A priest who is close, available, well trained, merciful and missionary.
«The priest of the 21st century must unite tradition and creativity, fidelity and openness, prayer and service,» he says.
Seminarians attend Theology classes in the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra.
Challenging stories
Samuel Ebinu's story is that of a young Ugandan boy preparing for the to be a priest; It is an invitation to ask ourselves how we care for vocations and how we support, even from afar, those who respond to God's call.
The same is true for the Gerald Emanuel's story, another Ugandan seminarian who resides with him in Bidasoa and with whom he shares studies in Pamplona.
From Uganda to Pamplona, the seed has already germinated. Now, it needs to be nurtured.
Marta Santín, journalist specialized in Religion.
Table of Contents
St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor
St. Thomas Aquinas (1224/1225-1274) is one of the most influential figures in the history of the Church. A Dominican priest, his life and work show that love of God and intellectual rigor call for each other. The Church has recognized in him a perennial model for theological, philosophical and spiritual formation, especially in the formation of priests.
Born in Roccasecca, in the Kingdom of Sicily, into a noble family, Thomas received his early education at the Benedictine abbey of Montecassino. He later studied at the University of Naples, where he came into contact with the texts of Aristotle and the newly founded Order of Preachers. Against his family's plans, he decided to join the Dominicans. This choice would definitively mark his life.
A life dedicated to study and to God
The biography of St. Thomas is full of episodes of fidelity, work and prayer. After entering the Order of Preachers, he was sent to study in Paris and Cologne, where he became a disciple of St. Albert the Great, one of the great scholars of the 13th century. There he was trained in philosophy and theology, with a method that integrated human reason and Christian revelation.
His family, opposed to his religious vocation, even held him back for a time to dissuade him. Thomas remained steadfast. This episode, far from being anecdotal, shows an essential trait of his character: the serenity and deep conviction with which he sought the truth and fulfilled the will of God.
Once ordained a priest, he developed an intense academic work. He taught at the University of Paris and in various Dominican studies in Italy. He was an advisor to popes and actively participated in the intellectual life of the Church of his time. However, he never understood study as an end in itself. For Thomas, study was a form of service: to serve the Church, preaching and the salvation of souls.
The spirituality of St. Thomas is sober and profound. A man of prayer, he celebrated the Eucharist with great recollection. In his Eucharistic hymns -still used today in the liturgy, such as the Pange lingua or the Adoro te devote- a deep faith, centered on Christ, is perceived, which complements his enormous intellectual rigor.
He died on March 7, 1274 in the abbey of Fossanova, on his way to the Council of Lyon. He was about 49 years old.
He was canonized in 1323 and proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1567. Later, the Church would declare him Common Doctor, recommending his doctrine in a special way for theological formation.
St. Thomas Aquinas and his work for Christian formation
The greatness of St. Thomas Aquinas is manifested above all in his extensive and systematic written work. Among all his writings, two stand out for their importance and their lasting impact on the life of the Church.
The Summa Theologica is his best known work. Conceived as a manual for the formation of theology students, it is structured in a pedagogical way: each question is posed with objections, a central answer and the final replies. This method seeks to teach how to think. Thomas accepts difficulties and questions, because he trusts that the truth can be known and expressed with clarity.
In the Summa addresses the great themes of the Christian faith: God, creation, the human being, the moral life, Christ and the sacraments. Everything is arranged with a clear criterion: to lead man to his ultimate end, which is God. This integral vision explains why the Church continues to recommend this work as the basis for ecclesiastical studies.
The Summa contra Gentiles, is more apologetic in character. It is designed to dialogue with those who do not share the Christian faith, showing that many fundamental truths can be reached by reason. It is a work especially relevant today, in a pluralistic cultural context, where the Church is called to dialogue with contemporary reason without renouncing revelation.
One of the central contributions of St. Thomas is the harmony between faith and reason. For him, there can be no contradiction between the two, because both proceed from God. Human reason has its own field and a real dignity; faith does not annul it, but elevates it. This principle has been explicitly assumed by the Magisterium of the Church, especially in documents on priestly formation and Catholic education.
It is also essential to contribute to the Moral Theology. His explanation of the natural law, of the virtues and of human action remains a solid reference for understanding Christian morality as a path to fulfillment, not as a simple set of norms. Morality, for St. Thomas, is a free and reasonable response to the love of God.
St. Thomas Aquinas proposes five remedies of surprising efficacy against sadness.
1. The first remedy is to indulge yourself.
It is as if the famous theologian had already intuited seven centuries ago the idea, so widespread today, that chocolate is an antidepressant. It may seem a materialistic idea, but it is clear that a day full of bitterness can end well with a good beer.
That something like this is contrary to the Gospel is difficult to prove: we know that the Lord gladly participated in banquets and feasts, and both before and after the Resurrection he gladly enjoyed the beautiful things of life. Even a Psalm affirms that wine gladdens the heart of man (although it is necessary to clarify that the Bible clearly condemns drunkenness).
2. The second remedy is crying.
Often, a moment of melancholy is harder if you can't find an escape route, and it seems as if the bitterness builds up until it prevents you from carrying out the smallest task.
Crying is a language, a way of expressing and undoing the knot of a pain that can sometimes suffocate us. Jesus also wept. And Pope Francis points out that "certain realities of life can only be seen with eyes that have been cleansed by tears. I invite each of you to ask yourselves: Have I learned to cry?.
3. The third remedy is the compassion of friends..
The character of Renzo's friend comes to mind, in the famous book "Los novios", who, in a large house uninhabited because of the plague, recounts the great misfortunes that have shaken his family. "These are horrible events, which I would never have thought I would have seen; things that take away the joy for life; but talking about them among friends is a relief".
It's something you have to experience to believe. When you feel sad, you tend to see everything in gray. At such times it is very effective to open your soul with a friend. Sometimes all it takes is a short message or phone call and the picture brightens up again.
4. The fourth remedy against sadness is the contemplation of truth.
This is the fulgor veritatis of which St. Augustine speaks. Contemplating the splendor of things, in nature or in a work of art, listening to music, being surprised by the beauty of a landscape... can be an effective balm against sadness.
A literary critic, a few days after the death of a dear friend, had to speak on the subject of adventure in Tolkien. He began thus: "To speak of beautiful things before interested people is for me a real consolation...".
5. Sleeping and bathing.
The fifth remedy proposed by St. Thomas is perhaps the one that one would least expect from a medieval master. The theologian states that a fantastic remedy against sadness is to sleep and take a bath.
The efficacy of the advice is evident. It is profoundly Christian to understand that in order to remedy a spiritual evil, bodily relief is sometimes necessary. Since God became Man, and thus assumed a body, the material world has overcome the separation between matter and spirit.
A widespread prejudice is that the Christian vision of man is based on the opposition between soul and body, and the latter would always be seen as a burden or obstacle to the spiritual life.
In reality, Christian humanism considers that the person (soul and body) is completely "spiritualized" when it seeks union with God. To use the words of St. Paul, there is an animal body and a spiritual body, and we will not die, but we will be transformed, because it is necessary that this corruptible body be clothed with incorruptibility, that this mortal body be clothed with immortality.
For all these reasons, St. Thomas Aquinas is a figure who is particularly close to the mission of the CARF Foundation, which supports the integral, intellectual, human and spiritual formation of seminarians and diocesan priests from all over the world. His life is a reminder that the Church needs well-formed pastors, capable of thinking with rigor, teaching with clarity and living their teachings with coherence.
