During his stay in Spain, this priest served the Filipino community residing in Barcelona. He studied in Pamplona thanks to the study grants financed by the CARF Foundation. When he analyzes his career, he believes that the great challenge for priests is to receive a continuous and doctrinally sound formation that allows them to respond to the great questions of today's man.
Don Anthony Laureta could have been an engineer, although in reality he now also designs and builds, but helping God as a priest in his work with humanity. "Maybe he could have been a good engineer in the Philippines.My father saw potential in me, but God also has His own plan to be what He wants me to be," she says.
The reality is that faith has always been an element that has been present in his home in the Philippines, so much so that his parents had no qualms about supporting him in his decision to become a priest, sacrificing what - in their opinion - would have been a good career path.
"The deep faith, hope and love of my family has contributed a lot to my vocation; from our grandparents who used to take us to church every Sunday, praying the Rosary every day before bedtime, to the observance of all traditional Catholic devotionsespecially during the Christmas and Easter seasons," says Anthony.
His story is a way of trusting in God even in the most complicated situations, precisely when many, instead of embracing faith, turn away from it. In this way, he recalls, "it was hope in providence that molded in me the quality of being attentive to the needs of others, particularly those of the poor, the needy and the needy. when our city of Imus had been devastated by typhoons and natural disasters". Moreover, he recalls that it was his mother's prayers that awakened his heart and mind to trust God in the midst of helplessness and vulnerability.
It is not surprising that growing up in such a religious environment awakened in little Anthony this call to be a priest. His home was very close to the diocesan seminary and the cathedral. so many of the neighborhood's activities were linked to Catholic devotions and traditions. "This kind of environment helped to awaken my consciousness of wanting to become a priest since my childhood," he adds. That thought that awakened in him as a child accompanied him during his adolescence in the Philippines.
Anthony recounts that the Somascan brothers accompanied him in his discernment until he joined the congregation, but in a new journey of discernment he finally saw clearly his call to be a diocesan priest, specifically in his home diocese of Imus.
This priest from the Philippines, once ordained, was sent by his bishop to the University of Navarrain Pamplona. He was there between 2018 and 2020 studying for a degree in Moral and Spiritual Theology.
"My stay in the community of priests in Zizur Mayor, Barañáin and at the University of Navarra was very fruitful and significant in my priestly life. The experience that I lived with priests of different nationalities.We are also in close contact with the laity and priests, as well as with our teachers, spiritual directors, confessors, mentors and friends, contributed greatly to renewing and reshaping my perspective on priestly life and mission."confesses Anthony.
His experience in Pamplona, he says, deepened and broadened his understanding of the global reality of the Church. "I was really helped a lot by my experience of community life with priests. We came from different parts of the world, but we lived as one community. In fact, it is an experience of how beautiful the Church is. Unity in the midst of diversity can be real and true, and this renewed my spiritual, pastoral and missionary life as a priest," he adds.
In addition, it considers that this time was crucial to grow spiritually and to enjoy the importance of ongoing formation for priests.. In this ever-changing world, his studies in Pamplona helped him to better understand the various challenges he faces every day in his pastoral work.
However, lhat struck him most during his formative stay in Spain was the care for priests that he experienced in Navarra. "It was a 'coming home' experience, like the first years of seminary formation, where you are taught, guided, accompanied and brought out the best in you. But, this time, it was a different environment because all my companions were already priests. It was a space of awakening and deepening more about what priestly life is and how to truly be a priest," he says.
Since his ordination in 1996, almost half of his priestly ministry has been focused on the formation of seminarians in his diocese.He has worked with many young people who are now members of the presbyterate and are performing very well in their respective ministries in the diocese. According to him, it is a very rewarding work because he has accompanied many young people who are now members of the presbyterate and are performing very well in their respective ministries in the diocese.
But in his career he had another interesting Spanish adventure. For five years, between 2013 and 2018, just before arriving in Pamplona, he ministered pastorally to Filipino immigrants living in Barcelona. About that experience he recalls, "Walking with the migrants is really like a 'pilgrimage'. Not only did I walk with them, but I was also touched by the way they walked with me, in all circumstances and moments, whether it was joy, pain, loneliness, laughter... I also saw how love unfolded in their lives as they worked very hard for their families".
Asked about the challenges facing priests today, Anthony is clear and speaks primarily of the urgency of ongoing formation for priests. "Priestly ministry in our time requires great courage, a grace that we must receive and embrace.as the apostles had in their missionary work; therefore, having the opportunity to take time for study and ongoing formation is, in fact, a grace," he explains.
For this reason, he believes that the CARF Foundation is clearly responding to this great challenge of the Church by making this concrete effort that is so beneficial for the integral formation of priests. And that is why te has a special remembrance for the benefactors of the foundation, to whom he says he is truly grateful for their sacrifices for the Church. by helping it to send priests from all over the world to continue their studies in Pamplona and Rome.
"Your participation in the formation of good, prepared and holy priests is truly a gift to the Church. You are a blessing to the Church! I pray that your apostolate and ministry will continue to be blessed, and that the Good Lord will send more good and faithful servants to embrace the vision and mission of the CARF Foundation," he concludes.
