Adrienne studied Institutional Communication for NASA.

The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross not only trains seminarians, priests and religious. It also trains professionals who work in the field of communication not only in ecclesiastical institutions, but also in academic institutions.

This is one of the objectives of the PUSC, and especially of the School of Social and Institutional Communication: to prepare people who work in radio, television, cultural entities or governmental and scientific organizations, as is the case of Adrienne Alessandro O'Brien.

Head of Communications at NASA

After obtaining a Bachelor's degree from the School of Communication at the University of the Holy Cross (between 2007 and 2008), Adrienne Alessandro O'Brien worked in the NASA, The U.S. government's space agency, as communications manager for the Goddard Space Flight Center.

It is a NASA research laboratory that has the largest organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to expanding knowledge of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe via space-based observations within the United States and is instrumental in developing and operating unmanned scientific satellites and directing scientific research, space development and operations, and many NASA and international missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the Explorer program, the Discovery program, and many others.

From indecision to St. Peter's Basilica

Gerardo Ferrara interviewed Adrienne to learn about her experience as a student in Rome.

Gerardo Ferrara, GF. And when did you understand more clearly that you were called to your mission as a wife, mother and communicator?

Adrienne Alessandro, AA. -After many years of indecision about my vocation, and unfortunately after a time when I turned away from God, I finally found a place where I felt at peace: St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

I was in the eternal city for a semester of studies. On one of the guided tours, I saw the resting place of the bones of St. Peter: a man who had walked with Christ and embraced his Body. I thought that the first Pope had understood the true meaning of vocation. He said yes to God again and again, even after he had denied him. So, I asked God (again) to end my vocational confusion. Immediately afterwards I felt a profound, literally otherworldly peace: I finally saw my vocation to marriage clearly illuminated and never had any doubts about it again.

GF. -To study something that would impact the world. After this experience in San Pedro, you returned to Washington.

AA. -Yes. I spent two years doing clerical work for political nonprofits in Washington, D.C. Endless hours making photocopies and booking co-workers' flights slowly choked the creativity in my soul. Professionally, I had always wanted to be a writer and communicator and now I was at a dead end. I wanted to do something that would impact the world. That's how I came to the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

GF. -Why did the University of the Holy Cross catch your attention?

AA. -Basically because I was in Rome, but the academic offer of the Faculty of Communication, the warmth and kindness of the professors, in particular Professor Arasa and Professor La Porte, made me feel immediately at home.

Academically, I loved that the Holy Cross program was so hands-on. I learned how to use a video camera, write commercial scripts, and edit audio files-I loved it all! The media training classes were my favorite because they challenged me to anticipate and explore arguments against the faith and create rational and appropriate responses. The friendships I made were irreplaceable. These are memories I will always treasure.

GF. In addition, you discovered the universality of the Church in Rome. 

AA. -Yes, and also its fragility. It was a turning point in my life when I asked myself: what could I do, on a personal level, to be a stronger and holier member of the Body of Christ and help heal this beautiful, broken Church? I still think about these questions to this day, especially in light of the sex abuse scandals around the world that have caused many others to question their faith. And I believe that the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross gave me the tools I need, personally and professionally, to help address it.

"I believe that when preached with honesty, understanding and conviction, the message of Christ remains fresh and compelling, even to young people, who are hungry for answers to life's most important questions."

Woman, Catholic and at NASA

Adrienne Alessandro O'Brien was born in 1983 in Wilmington, Delaware (USA). She is the mother of two young children and one on the way. After graduating from the School of Social and Institutional Communications at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (2007-2008), she worked at NASA, the U.S. government space agency, as communications manager for the Goddard Space Flight Center.

At one point in his life he asked himself: What can I do, on a personal level, to be a stronger and holier member of the Body of Christ and help heal this beautiful Church?

For her, women, with their unique (if not exclusive) ability to foster interpersonal relationships, play a key role. "But we all need support. We need strategic, engaging and outreach grassroots campaigns, supported by our bishops and leaders, to engage and catechize both the faithful and the far-flung," she says. 

GF. Did you work for NASA? Was it difficult for you as a woman and as a believer?

AA. -We were only a few coworkers, but I always felt incredibly respected and appreciated by my team. However, I was very self-conscious at first. I was working with men and women who had managed the missions to upgrade and repair the Hubble Space Telescope. They had just begun to develop technologies that would enable the refueling and repair of robotic satellites in orbit. What on earth could I offer these geniuses? I wondered

GF. -Well, communicating for ordinary people. Tell us how you developed your work.

AA. -As time went on, I gained confidence in my abilities, both as a communicator and as a woman. As brilliant as my co-workers were, they needed someone who could capture their technical idea and communicate it in a way that “ordinary” people could understand.

That was something I could do. I loved participating in strategy sessions, where I could help the team identify their target audience and formulate effective ways to reach them. I found that my person-oriented, person-centered background coupled with my feminine characteristics helped me intuit and identify some of the human issues and pitfalls the team would face, long before the technology-oriented team could recognize them.

GF. -What did you find most useful in your education at the University of the Holy Cross?

AA. -Two lessons have always stuck with me: first, earn trust and build a solid relationship with the executives on your team if you want to be a effective communicator and accurate. And second, always, always! keep your audience in mind.

During my seven years at NASA, I created and executed communications campaigns for robotic experiments that were to be launched into orbit and operate on the International Space Station; designed the team's website from scratch; conducted media training sessions for television and written interviews; conceived and managed educational video productions; gave tours of our robotic facilities to politicians and scientists; and acted as a strategic public relations advisor to my team's senior leaders.

GF. -And how did being Catholic help you?

AA. -For, throughout my career, my identity as a Catholic woman was fundamental, with the characteristics that our faith can add to any profession: kindness and consideration for the time and unique talents of others, respect, always working for the good of my team....

GF. -What I see in your human and professional history is a positive vision of what a Christian can do when he lives his faith well and truly in all aspects of his ordinary existence.

AA. -I do not see the Western and secularized world as an obstacle to evangelizing, especially to youth. I believe that when preached with honesty, understanding and conviction, the message of Christ remains fresh and compelling, even to young people: a group hungry for answers to life's most important questions.

Obstacles to evangelization

GF. -EIn your opinion, what is the greatest obstacle to evangelization?

AA. -I believe these are the crises that are growing within the Church itself. We cannot transmit what we do not have, and in many parishes and communities we have lost the true knowledge of our Catholic identity: who we are, what we believe and what it means to be Catholic in daily life.

Today's generations of Catholics can no longer explain the basic teachings, including the Eucharist. We can either blame others or we can look inward and consider whether I, personally, have raised my voice lately to witness to Christ in the public square or with my neighbor.

GF. -Today we talk about the role of women in evangelization....

AA. -Each of us, in our daily interactions with others, is called to share faith. The women, with their unique (if not exclusive) ability to foster interpersonal relationships and build community, have a critical role to play. But we all need support.

We need strategic, attractive and outreach grassroots campaigns, supported by our bishops and leaders, to engage and catechize both the faithful and those furthest away. In particular, we need to be willing to talk to young people and get to know their challenges and their hearts.

While young people may be skeptical or resistant to broad, impersonal messages, accompaniment is helpful in answering their questions and fostering an understanding of Christ's love and purpose in their lives.

"We should strive, as much as possible, to identify personal wounds and seek God's healing in our lives, either through accompaniment or therapy, especially in young people."

Adrienne estudió Comunicación Institucional para la NASA
Adrienne during a lunch with teachers and friends in Rome.

GF. Everything you say presupposes a greater awareness and responsibility on the part of Catholics....

AA. -Undoubtedly! None of these efforts will do as we address, for example, the sexual abuse crisis. So far, many have felt that the church's response has been inadequate.

In the wake of new horrific stories, some dioceses in the United States have issued statements shrouded in protective, stale and evasive legal language: words that fail to capture the depths of repentance and atonement that our own Catholic faith demands. The nature and depth of these sins cry out and demand a humble and unconditional response.

How can we claim to proclaim the Word of God when our own actions and public relations efforts fall so far short of embodying what God called us to do? Abandoning the purely legalistic mindset and returning to our authentic Catholic identity in handling this crisis will allow us to regain our credibility and proclaim Christ to a world that desperately needs our message.

The challenge of Catholics in the United States

GF. The United States has been particularly affected by this plague. We are seeing an increasingly internally divided American society. Might this not be a good challenge for U.S. Catholics?

AA. -That's a really difficult question to answer, since also the U.S. Catholics are very divided on many issues, attacking each other on social networks and all in the name of... Jesus! Perhaps therein lies not only the root of the problem, but also a hint of the cure.

In my opinion one of the most destructive elements of today's society is our collective addiction to mobile devices and social media platforms, and the resulting discourtesy they foster. We are constantly entering a field of virtual indoctrination filled with secular conceptions and virtue-free responses, and many of us (myself included) often forget to put on the armor of Christ before going online.

GF. -Sometimes you have to close one, two, three, thousands of virtual doors to find a little peace.

AA. -Yes, and that is precisely why I believe that our hope lies in reclaiming our Catholic identity beginning with these small victories on a personal level.

Let us live the Gospel and remember our ultimate goal. When Christ described the final judgment, He did not mention political affiliation or verbally “destroying” someone in the nets. Rather, He said that He would ask each of us: when did you feed me, give me to drink, house me, or clothe me?

Our hearts would be much calmer if we could remember this before every encounter with a human being, even faceless strangers online. The virtues of humility, gentleness, understanding, charity: these are means that can transform our behavior and ultimately uplift society.

Personal holiness may not be an instant solution, but exercising some additional graces is the most powerful tool we Catholics have to bring about change.

Mother of three children

GF. -Besides your work, the most important thing for you is your family.

AA. -With two children under the age of three and one more on the way, my husband and I often feel like we are in survival mode!

However, personally, in every interaction with my children, I try to remember that I am more than just a mother to them, that I can be two things: either their first and foremost experience of God's love, understanding and forgiveness; or, conversely, I can establish myself as a model of how a beloved authority can judge them harshly, punish them, break their spirit and betray their trust.

Sometimes I wished I had been a mother in another era, a time when neighborhoods were safer, social contrasts weren't so stark and the porn-filled Internet didn't exist. But each decade has its own challenges and obstacles. I try to trust that God will give me the wisdom and words I need to shepherd these little ones through life to heaven.

GF. -Thank you for your testimonial. Any final message for our readers?

AA. -It has been a pleasure for me. If I could encourage one thing in general, it would be to strive, as much as possible, to identify personal wounds and seek God's healing in your life, either through accompaniment or therapy, especially in young people.

God has given us both spiritual and human tools to be at peace. Let us take every opportunity to be healthy and whole people so that we can respond appropriately to his call and share his love with others.

GF. -Thank you very much, Adrienne.

Acknowledgments to the CARF Foundation

It is very nice to continue celebrating with stories like this one the Faculty of Social and Institutional Communication of our University, a Faculty that Blessed Álvaro del Portillo insisted on having, and that would not have been possible without the contributions of all the members, friends and benefactors of the CARF Foundation.

St. Philip Neri used to say: «who does good to Rome, does good to the world». And with the stories of our students and former students we realize more and more this truth: the smallest contribution of our friends and benefactors has helped our students to bring not only a good formation around the world, but a true human and Christian wisdom, which is what the world needs.

Gerardo Ferrara
BA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East.
Head of the student body at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

Aram Pano, Iraqi priest: a vocation of war

Gerardo Ferrara, responsible for student affairs at the PUSC, interviewed Aram Pano, a priest from Iraq, who took part in a meeting of CARF Foundation. In his speech he addressed the social, cultural and religious situation in Iraq, as well as the impact of the Holy Father's visit on the country.

Aram Pano, AP. - «The visit of the Holy Father was a great challenge to those who want to destroy the country and showed the true values of Christianity in a nation where Christians are rejected; all this, in the light of the encyclical Fratelli tutti. Iraq needs fraternity. That is why the trip changed something: socially and at the level of the people there will be changes; at the political level, however, I don't think it will change much».

Aramaic, the language of Jesus

"Thank you for inviting me to speak to our Spanish-speaking friends!Shlama o shina o taibotha dmaria saria ild kolwhich in Aramaic means "peace, tranquility and God's grace be with you all," greets Aram.

Gerardo Ferrara, GF. -Unbelievable! Unbelievable! It is shocking to hear Aramaic, the language of Jesus... And above all to know that it is the common language of many people, after two thousand years.

AP. Yes, in fact Aramaic, in the Eastern Syriac dialect, is my mother tongue and the language of all the inhabitants of the area where I was born, in northern Iraq, which is called Tel Skuf, which means Bishop's Hill. It is located about 30 km from Mosul, the ancient city of Nineveh, in the Christian heart of the country.

GF. So the whole village where you grew up is Christian.

AP. Yes, a Catholic Christian of the Chaldean rite. Life there was very simple: almost all the inhabitants are peasants and live by cultivating their fields and taking care of their livestock. People exchanged the products of the land and each one had what they needed to live. In addition, it is present the custom of offering the first fruits of the harvest, each year, to the Church, to support the priests and so that they too can take care of those most in need.

I remember that the houses were big enough for a family to live in... And for us, family is something quite extensive: children, fathers, mothers, grandparents... They all live together in these typical oriental homes, white and square, with a courtyard in the center, like a garden, and the rooms around it.

GF. -But this idyllic peace only lasted a few years....

AP. Well, in fact it never existed, because when I was born we were in the last year of the Iran-Iraq war, a war that lasted eight years and resulted in more than 1.5 million dead. My father and three of my uncles fought in the conflict and it was a very difficult time for my grandmother and mother. They hoped and prayed for their loved ones to come home. And they did, thank God, my father and his brothers came back.

GF. -And in 1991, another war broke out....

AP. We stayed in our village only until 1992, when the First Gulf War ended, between Iraq on one side and Kuwait and the international coalition on the other. We moved to a large city in southern Iraq, Basra, the third largest city in the country after the capital Baghdad and Mosul. Most of its inhabitants are Shiite Muslims and there are not many Christians there. I still remember the salty water, the heat, the palm trees... A very different landscape from what I was used to. Also, the number of oil wells and refineries everywhere... But the people were and still are very generous and welcoming.

Aram Pano, sacerdote irak
Aram, in the courtyard of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tel Kaif, a Christian city near Mosul, northern Iraq.

"In 2004, two nuns were working with the U.S. Army in Basra. One day, when they returned home, a radical Islamic group killed the sisters in front of their house. This event spread throughout Iraq and my country became the epicenter of terrorism. In 2014 ISIS came and destroyed many of our churches and our homes. There is a plan to destroy the history of Christians in my country as they did in 1948 with the Jews," he says.

The Call to Serve the Lord

The city of Basra has two parishes that are part of the Archieparchy of Basra and the South, with 800 faithful. In 1995 he received his First Holy Communion and it was then that he first felt the call to serve the Lord.

GF. -And how did it go?

AP. -The parish was like my home. I loved to go with the group of children to play with them but also for catechesis. But the idea of entering the seminary became clearer to me when I was in high school.

GF. In the third war of your life you were sixteen years old. What are your memories of the Second Gulf Conflict?

AP. led by the United States. It lasted almost 4 months and the last city to fall was Basra, where I lived. I remember seeing American planes coming in and bombing, and we were afraid, because many of the state buildings were close to our house. I remember one night I was sleeping and I woke up to the sound of a missile hitting a building about 500 meters away from us. We went out into the street, people were running and the Americans were throwing their sound bombs to strike terror into us. It was then that I could distinguish more clearly the call of the Lord.

GF. It is moving to think that, although the voice of the Lord is not in the noise of missiles and sound bombs, it is heard, in all its sweetness, in the midst of this horror.

AP. Yes, indeed. And also, if we hadn't suffered the terror of the bombings, my father wouldn't have asked the bishop for shelter: the church was very close to where we lived, but there, in the house of the Lord, we felt more secure. So, my father began to serve in the kitchen to reciprocate a little for the generosity with which we were welcomed. I, meanwhile, learned to serve at the altar with the priest. At the end of the war, our bishop chose me to go with him to a town called Misan.I was able to see the city of Basra, about 170 km northeast of Basra, and what I experienced there encouraged me to make my decision.

GF. -Do you want to tell us what happened to you?

AP. When the bishop asked me to accompany him to Misan on his pastoral mission, my family first said no, they didn't want to. But I was very determined to go and I succeeded. When we arrived, I was amazed to see the faithful entering the church on his knees and without shoes. They knelt before the altar, in front of the icon of the Virgin Mary, weeping, praying, pleading.

Later, when the MassLater, when the mass began, officiated by the bishop according to our Chaldean rite, I noticed that the faithful did not know the prayers or when to sit or stand up. This impressed me very much and I thought that they were like sheep without a shepherd. And immediately I looked at the bishop who was older and the thought crossed my mind as to who could replace him and help so many families.

GF. It is impressive to see how Jesus is moved in front of the multitude who are like sheep without a shepherd. 

AP. -Precisely! So, with this thought, I continued my studies at the Vocational Institute school and, in 2005, I entered the seminary in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. There I studied philosophy and Theology for six years and graduated in June 2011, and on September 9, 2011 I was ordained a priest.

"In Iraq there is a plan to destroy the history of Christians in our country."

After almost 10 years as a priest, Aram Pano, sent by his bishop, studied Institutional Communication in Rome at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

«The world needs each one of us to contribute to evangelization. And especially in these times, to proclaim the Gospel, We need to be aware of the digital and communication culture. I have great hope for the future: we can all work together to spread our faith through all possible channels, while preserving our identity and our originality,» he says.

One chase after another

GF. Aram reminds Christians in the West not to forget their brothers who suffer persecution in countries like his own, Iraq, where he has lived through one conflict after another. After the last war, social life in Iraq has changed a lot.

AP. "There has been a commodification of man. In the land where civilization was born, where man built the first cities, where the first legal code in history was born, everything seems to have ended in destruction: the strongest kills the weakest, corruption hovers over society and Christians have been suffering persecution for 1,400 years." persecution.

"Before 2003 Christians numbered 1.5 million and today we are 250,000. Persecution is not only something that has to do with physical survival: it extends to the social and political level, to job opportunities and even to the right to education," he says.

The visit of Pope Francis

GF. -What are the problems in Iraq today and what was the significance of the visit of the Papa?

AP. The lack of honesty and willingness to rebuild the country means that Muslims have separated, the government thinks more about being loyal to neighboring countries than about the welfare of its citizens... And all this in the eyes of the United States. There is not one problem but many complicated problems.

I believe that politics, the service to the citizen, no longer exists, because it is in the hands of others from outside Iraq. However, the fruit of God's work is not within our reach and we pray that through this journey peace, Christ's love and unity will be announced to a people who can no longer bear it.

GF. -A people, moreover, where Christianity has left deep roots, especially the Chaldean Church.

AP. -Of course! In fact, the Christianity arrived in Iraq with the apostles St. Thomas and Bartholomew and their disciples Thaddai (Addai), from Edessa, and Mari in the second century. They founded the first Church in Mesopotamia and, thanks to their missionary work, they reached as far as India y China. Our liturgy comes from the oldest Christian Eucharistic anaphora, known as the Anaphora of Addai and Mari. The Church at that time was within the Persian Empire, with its own Eastern liturgy, its own architecture and a way of praying very similar to the Jewish liturgy.

The theology of our Eastern Church is spiritual and symbolic. There are many very important fathers and martyrs, such as Mar (Holy) Ephrem, Mar Narsei, Mar Theodore, Mar Abrahim of Kashkar, Mar Elijah al-Hiri, etc.

GF. The Chaldean Catholic Church, which is in communion with Rome, was born as a result of a schism within the Church of Babylon, because of a rivalry between patriarchs, in particular, because one current wished to unite with Rome.

AP. Our tradition, however, is typically oriental and has deep roots in the country, where traces of the millenary Christian presence can be found everywhere, with sanctuaries, monasteries, churches and very ancient traditions.

I hope that my stay in Rome will allow me to work on preserving this identity and this rich and long history, also using the tools and means that modernity allows us to have today.

The Holy Cross School of Communication

This interview was conducted with other reports at the Faculty of Communication of the University of the Holy Cross.

Aram Pano during his training period in Rome.

Throughout all these years, hundreds of students from all over the world, different languages, identities, histories, problems... have passed through the Faculty.

It is a Faculty of Communication, where we learn that in this Babel that is our world, barriers and walls can be overthrown, as Pope Francis tells us, and we can truly be all brothers and sisters.

In this task, the CARF Foundation -Centro Académico Romano Fundación-, has committed itself in a very important way, providing study and maintenance grants for students The aim of the project is to help them - seminarians and diocesan priests, lay people and religious men and women - from all continents, without distinction, and to enable them to use all the most modern tools by financing the theoretical and practical activities that take place at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, so that they can then return to their countries and plant there the formative seeds they have received in Rome, fostering the growth of fruits of peace, high-level formation, unity and the ability to understand each other better, not only among Christians, but with people of every religion and identity.

Gerardo Ferrara
BA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East.
Responsible for the student body Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

Haitian priest: «in the past, in some communities, they used to go months without the Eucharist».»

The Catholics in Haiti often experience a situation that is surprising in other parts of the world: they are communities of the faithful who spend months without being able to celebrating and living the Eucharist. Hugues Paul, from the diocese of Jacmel, has known this reality since his childhood. However, today in Haiti there are so many priests who can go to other countries on mission.

That experience was decisive in his life. «In these church communities, sometimes almost a year can go by without the celebration of Holy Mass,» he explains.

It was precisely this shortcoming that awakened in him the vocation. He grew up in a small community that in Haiti is known as the chapel, a church attached to a parish where, in the absence of priests, the faithful keep the faith alive with celebrations of the Word led by lay people.

God called him to help as a priest in his vineyard.

«Normally there is a pastoral agent, whom we call the chapel director, in charge of presiding over celebrations of the Word in the absence of the priests». In the midst of this reality, Fr. Hughes Paul felt God's call: «It was in this context that I felt God's call to lend a hand in his vineyard, to help his people to encounter him and to live the faith in a deeper way where the Eucharist was at the center».

Hugues Paul was ordained priest the June 26, 2021 and now has 39 years old. He comes from a large family with two brothers and five sisters, and is grateful that his parents are still alive.

He received a solid Catholic education at home, although his academic formation took place in Christian centers of other denominations: he studied elementary school in a Catholic school. protestant school and secondary school in a center of the Episcopal Church of the Anglican Communion.

His adolescence was marked by an intense participation in the life of the local Church. «I lived a very joyful and active adolescence, participating in groups and in the chapel choir, until I finally entered the seminary.».

That simple community, where faith was sustained with few resources, but with great conviction, was the place where he matured his priestly vocation.

Hugues Paul, sacerdote al servicio de los católicos en Haití.

Concerned about the island

Today it continues its priestly formation in Spain. The June 30, 2024 thanks to the support of the CARF Foundation and other institutions, and is currently completing a bachelor's degree in Biblical Theology, The final phase, already in its final phase, in the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarrein Pamplona.

From a distance, he observes the situation in his country with concern. Haiti is going through a deep crisis marked by violence and insecurity. «Life has become very difficult, especially because of the insecurity that affects almost the entire territory, especially the capital,» he explains.

However, even in the midst of that context, faith remains one of the living force. «Despite this, the people continue to believe: many people take risks to find a place to live their faith and participate in the celebrations.».

The consequences of the great earthquake

The Jacmel diocese, located in the southeast of the country, is in a relatively more stable situation than in other regions, but the consequences of the great earthquake of 2010 remain visible. «We are still awaiting the completion of the reconstruction of the cathedral and many destroyed parishes.".

The lack of sufficient resources and aid has delayed for years these works, which for many communities are essential.

Catholics in Haiti, more than 60 % of the population

The Catholics in Haiti represent between 60 and 66 % of the population. In the diocese of Jacmel there are about 80 priests for 36 parishes, and in the country as a whole - adding the ten dioceses and the religious - it is estimated that there are between 800 and 900 priests. The universal Church has been a fundamental support in these difficult years. «We have received great support from the universal Church, especially through Aid to the Church in Need.».

Spain: the beauty of churches and their secularization

His experience in Spain has also made him reflect on the differences between the two ecclesial realities. What has impressed him most positively is «the beauty of the churches». However, he is concerned to see temples with few young people. «I am struck by the fact that the Church seems to be made up mainly of older people, with very little presence of young people and children in the celebrations».

Hugues Paul, together with a group of priests in Bidasoa.

In his opinion, Spanish society is undergoing a profound process of secularization. Even so, he believes that there are also opportunities to revitalize the life of the Church. In particular, he thinks that Spanish Catholics could draw inspiration from the way the liturgy is lived in Haiti. «Spanish Catholics could learn from Haitian Catholics enthusiasm for sung celebrations, The new programs, which help to make them more lively and participative».

Close and consistent with the faith

Looking to the future, Hugues Paul is clear about what kind of priests the Church needs in the 21st century: «to be close, empathetic and coherent with his faith; a good communicator, open to dialogue, sensitive to social problems, with a solid spiritual life and capable of accompanying without judging».

He considers this same attitude essential to approach those who today live far from the faith. «To evangelizing young people and those who are far from God, I consider it fundamental to listen to them with respect, to give testimony with one's own life, to use current language and digital media, to create welcoming spaces and to show that we are all in the same place. faith answers the real questions of today's world».

Hugues Paul's story is a reminder of a reality that often goes unnoticed: in many parts of the world Christians spend many months without Eucharist and await the arrival of a priest to celebrate Holy Mass.

Precisely from this waiting, new vocations are also born, ready to serve. All the members, friends and benefactors of the CARF Foundation pray for them, promote their good name throughout the world and find financial resources so that they can receive an integral formation in Rome and in Pamplona, as in the case of Hugues Paul.

Marta Santínjournalist specializing in religion.

«We Christians in Pakistan have hope for a better future.»

Abid Saleem is a priest of the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate congregation studying at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. The Christians of Pakistan at many times discriminated against and persecuted, they have the hope “of a better future,” she recounts in her testimony.

A Catholic family of eleven siblings

"I am Abid Saleem, son of Saleem Masih and Mukhtaran Bibi. I was born in Toba Tek Singh, Pakistan, on June 26, 1979, in a Catholic family of eleven siblings (eight males and three females). I am the youngest of all. My parents are already in heavenly life (may their souls rest in peace).

When you reflect on your vocation, recalls all the events that helped him discern about her. «First of all, I feel it was a desire since my childhood. I used to go to church very often and I used to be an altar boy. In school, whenever I was asked what I would like to be, my answer was only one: to be a priest.

Once he finished his compulsory education, in 1996 he was thinking of enrolling in university. It was the month of July. Then, something happened that marked his life: «I met an Oblate novice of Mary Immaculate who shared with me and explained the charism of his congregation».

When she was about to enroll in the University, she made a vocational retreat with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

A retreat to discover my vocation

It was to be organized a vocational program that lasted three days and Abid Saleem, without a second thought, I said yes, I wanted to participate. «Along with me, four others attended the retreat. We all enjoyed the program and loved the Oblate spirituality as well as their way “to evangelize the poor”.».

After the program, they returned home and after a few days, four of them received a letter of invitation to join the seminary. Abid Saleem and a friend entered, but after a year of discernment his friend discovered that it was not his vocation and withdrew, while Abid continued his formation, which was a very enriching time for him, with many meaningful experiences.

Oblate Mission Station

During the first year of seminary formation, among some of the activities we did, one was especially interesting. We went to Derekabad, an Oblate mission station. It is a desert area where the Oblates have built a beautiful grotto there.. The work of these brothers in the grotto was inspiring to me.

Another event that touched me was participating in a priestly ordination of a brother of the congregation, the first ordination I had ever attended. This celebration really strengthened my vocation as well.

In 1998, he was able to begin studying for a career in Philosophy and then he was sent to Sri Lanka for his pre-novitiate and novitiate, another beautiful experience of internationality.

He took his first vows in 2003. After returning to Pakistan, he completed his theological studies at the National Catholic Institute of Theology. He took his final vows on August 22, 2008 and was ordained a priest on August 22, 2008. deacon the next day.

And finally, on February 17, 2009, I was ordained a priest at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore. My formation period was excellent. I thank the Lord for all those formators and teachers who formed me to be the true servant of God.

Pastoral work and service in the diocese after ordination

After its management, His bishop sent him to work in different parishes, first as an assistant and then as pastor. He has worked with youth and many other groups. He has also collaborated in the Catechetical Commission of his diocese. He started the office of the catechetical commission in the Vicariate of Quetta.

Another of the tasks I performed was to manage a small religious articles store in the same office. On the other hand, organized many programs for teachers of religion and for the people of the country. and worked as a liturgist in the Vicariate. I have been the Master of Ceremonies at the liturgy of many priestly ordinations, deaconates and candidacies.

In 2016, I passed my B.A (Bachelor of Arts) from Punjab University, Lahore. I also worked as the Rector of the Oblate Juniorate for the last three years. This was another enriching experience, though difficult, but I tried my best to accompany the students in their spiritual journey to discern about their vocation.

«In our country there is a lot of work to be done, since God's flock continues to grow, but there are few workers to tend it.

Cristianos de Pakistan

The official name of our congregation is Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and its motto is “Evangelizing the poor”. It was founded by St. Eugene de Mazenod in 1816 and approved on February 17, 1826 by Pope Leo XII.

The founder of the OMI mission in Pakistan is a German priest, the Reverend Father Lucian Smith, who was then the Provincial of the Province of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was he who sent three Oblates to Pakistan in 1971. There were many Oblate missionaries from all over the world, but basically from Sri Lanka.

Pakistan's Christians facing a Muslim majority

Pakistan is the ninth largest country in Asia. It shares a border with the Arabian Sea, China, Afghanistan, Iran and India. Mohammad Ali Jinnah is the founder of Pakistan which gained its independence on August 14, 1947.

The country covers a total area of 881,913 square km and is divided into four provinces, namely Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The national language of the country is Urdu and English is the official language. Pakistan has a population of approximately 211,819,886 citizens. 

Muslims are in the majority with 95 % of the population. But the Christians are one of the largest religious minorities in Pakistan with 2 % of the population, approximately half are Catholic and half are Protestant.

Very poor conditions

has a long history in South Asia, although many of Pakistan's Christians are descendants of low-caste Hindus who converted under British colonial rule to escape caste discrimination.

Christians in Pakistan are, for the most part, very poorThey have also been involved in menial jobs such as cleaners, laborers and harvesters. Despite this, they have made significant contributions to the development of the country's social sector, especially in the construction of educational institutions, hospitals and health centers throughout Pakistan.

However, like other religious minorities, Christians have faced discrimination and persecution throughout history.The Christian communities are still suffering from selective violence and other abuses, including land grabbing in rural areas, kidnappings and forced conversion, and vandalism of homes and churches. Today, they continue to suffer targeted violence and other abuses, including land grabbing in rural areas, kidnappings and forced conversion, and vandalism of homes and churches.

«Despite all this, we Christians in Pakistan are hopeful for a better future,» Abid Saleem confided. We pray that Almighty God will bring peace and harmony to this country and that people will enjoy the fullness of life.

«Christians in Pakistan today continue to suffer targeted violence and other abuses.».

Oblates in Pakistan

They worked in parishes and distinguished themselves by setting up the Basic Christian Communities. Later, they also thought of starting the formation program. Now we have three main formation houses: juniorate, philosophate and scholasticate.

We work mainly in eight poor parishes in five dioceses. Christ invites us to follow him and to share his mission through word and work. Our main objective is education in schools, with young people, and especially reaching out to people who are far from God.

Training in Rome for missionary work

Now his superior is sending him to Rome for further studies in Liturgy. «My future goal is to work as a missionary».

For this great opportunity to be formed at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, to then return to his country and share all the good he has received, he can only thank the benefactors of the CARF Foundation: «May God bless you for all you do for the Universal Church, but also for us, the little ones, who are seeds in the hand of the Lord, in countries where the mere fact of calling oneself Christian can cause death».

Gerardo FerraraBA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East.
Responsible for the student body of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

«Priest to serve and live always for the Church.»

The priest Tadeo Ssemanda is from Uganda, but part of his heart is already Spanish. He speaks perfect Spanish and the customs he has learned during his years in Spain have marked both his life and his priestly ministry.

This young priest of the Diocese of Kasana-Luweero did not have an easy life. His parents died when he was only two years old, but it was the dedication of his aunt, who took him into her home, that would make him know God deeply, to the point of deciding to give his life completely to Him.

«I have clearly seen that my aunt's prayer has helped me to to be a priest. She has offered every day, and still does today, the Rosary for me. And thanks to his support and prayer I have grown a lot in faith and I can be a priest,» explains Tadeo to the CARF Foundation. In fact, he tells us how from a very young age he helped him when he wanted to be an altar boy and took him to Mass at seven in the morning every day so that he could be an altar server. That seed that was sown has sprouted to germinate into a very fruitful vocation.

How God was preparing you

This process was not easy. In addition to the suffering generated by the absence of his parents, there was the economic precariousness of his family and the effort that his aunt made so that he could respond to this call.

«I have seen the hand of God in my life, I have seen the way in which he has been guiding me, making me overcome very complicated barriers and so much suffering. In short, I have perceived how God was preparing me so that I could become a priest,» he adds.

After a first few years in the seminary in Uganda, Thaddeus was sent by his bishop to study in Pamplona, University of Navarra and to train at the University of Navarra. Bidasoa international seminar, where he lived an experience that would change his life, as he has been in two stages in Navarra, first as a seminarian and then as a priest.

In this way, he points out that in Pamplona there is “a different atmosphere” to any seminary in the world due to the universality that is breathed there. «It was a rich experience because I lived with people from all continents and you see how people are and how they live their faith, and this was a great learning experience for me,» he says.

Tadeo, sacerdote de Uganda en su graduación en la Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona.
Tadeo with two classmates on his graduation day.

Ugandan priest trained in Pamplona

From these years he has drawn important lessons for his life, some of which are now fundamental and on which his priestly work is based. Tadeo assures that the first thing was to see the true face of the Church, where “we are all one”, to perceive a communion, both with the priests and with the bishop, because “in Pamplona I learned to be obedient to the bishop and to listen to him«.

Another lesson from Pamplona was to learn to live in a “serene and friendly atmosphere”, something he says he took back to Uganda and which has helped him later on in his coexistence with other priests and in the communities where he has served.

On the other hand, Tadeo emphasizes the fundamental value of prayer. In Pamplona,« he adds, »they taught me to value a life of prayer, to have time for God. And that has helped me a lot to live knowing that there has to be time for everything, but, above all, for God".

But he learned even more lessons from his time in the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarre. Tadeo talks about the one that perhaps helps him the most. «We were always taught to be there to serve, serving the Church, We are always serving the people for whom we are there and always living for the Church,» he confesses.

There have been many trials in which he has had to show this service. He recalls that after his return to Uganda as a priest he had neither the means nor the facilities that existed in Spain. With no money and no car for more than a year, but having to attend to widely scattered communities and villages, this experience of joyfully putting himself at the service was always very present to him. «For me, arriving in Uganda and having nothing, but being happy to do God's will, was very fulfilling,» he says.

Not to be distracted from the mission

Now he is back in Spain, specifically in Valencia, finishing a doctoral thesis in Dogmatic Theology, but even here this experience continues to help him. He is a hospital chaplain and on many occasions he receives calls in the early hours of the morning to spiritually assist a sick or dying person. When the temptation to complain arises, Thaddeus remembers that phrase, “we are here to serve”, and so he goes ready to give comfort to those in need.

Asked about the many dangers for today's priests, Thaddeus Ssemanda is clear that the most important thing is «to be very attached to the Lord and recollected in Him, because there are many things that distract us and can make us forget that we are priests. It is easier to lose our way today than in the past.

«One can be a priest and live as if he were working, as if he were a teacher or a bus driver. But our work has to be one of service, of dedication, of giving life and love».

In the face of these dangers, he encourages us to walk holding the hand of the Lord and the Virgin Mary.

To conclude, Father Tadeo Ssemanda remembers with special affection the benefactors of the CARF Foundation., He was able to receive help first as a seminarian and then as a priest to obtain a degree in theology.

«Even though I left there many years ago, I pray for them a lot. I want to encourage them to continue to do this service of supporting seminarians and priests who are trained, because in this way they can participate in some way in the work of a "prophet". Our Lord said that when you help the prophet to fulfill his mission, he also receives the blessings of the prophet. I think that by helping in this way they will receive the graces that this entails», he said.

Documentary Witnesses

The CARF Foundation works to facilitate the integral formation of seminarians and diocesan priests, with the clear objective that they return to their dioceses of origin and put at the service of their communities what they have received during their years of study.

The help The Foundation is not an end in itself. It is oriented to strengthen the intellectual, theological, spiritual and human preparation of those who have been called to the priesthood, so that they can exercise their ministry with solidity, responsibility and a sense of service.

Each seminarian and priest supported assumes the commitment to return to his local Church. There, in their own diocese, they give back in the form of human and pastoral dedication, accompaniment and formation what they have received thanks to the generosity of the benefactors.

The CARF Foundation therefore works with a long-term vision: to form today to serve tomorrow in every diocese in the world.

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.

Conoce la vocación sacerdotal en Perú del padre Christiam Anthony Burgos Effio

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.

Padre Christiam Burgos con monaguillos en una parroquia de los Andes del Perú.
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 Pontifical of 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.