CARF receives testimonies from priests and seminarians who tell us about their experiences during the confinement of their priests and seminarians for the coronavirus. One of the letters is entitled: "The priesthood is not quarantined during this period. pandemic.
Another group of priests tells us how every day at 8 p.m., they go out on the balcony to applaud the health professionals and, guitar in hand, sing and share a little joy with the neighbors. Some of them have written to thank them for their songs "full of hope". They are priests in the face of the coronavirus.
In the midst of these events that we are experiencing due to the Covid-19 crisis, inevitably we stumble upon the most intimate reality of our existence: the fragility and expiration of our life that dislocates us and threatens our desires and dreams. A pandemic that pushes us to participate in a real drama: hopelessness.
However, we cannot forget that our limitation is not an obstacle to fight and to embark on different paths. There is something divine in us that always moves us to give the best of ourselves, especially in the most difficult moments. And this is very important.
Therefore, in these days of quarantine, despite the sadness and mixed emotions that we may experience, we cannot ignore our inner calling which gives light and is a source of hope for others and for ourselves. As biblical wisdom affirms: "There is more joy in giving than in receiving" (Acts 20:35).
In my house we are sixteen priests from various Latin American countries who, thanks to CARF, are doing specialization studies in the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra. In addition, in this time of quarantine, we try to give hope to others.
So, one day after having gone out to applaud like everyone else at 8 p.m., to pay tribute and show our support for health professionals, it occurred to us to take advantage of this moment in which we had the opportunity to show our support for them.e are all out on the balconies to sing and share some joy with the neighbors. We wanted to make our closeness visible in these moments of sadness and uncertainty.
At first they looked at us with a surprised look on their faces. They smiled and some applauded. But, thank God, more and more neighbors have been joining us every day, little by little, creating, from the balconies, a family atmosphere of mutual supportwhere we are no longer distant because we are very close, in the same building or on the same street.
It is certainly a very simple gesture, since we are not professional singers. However, we sing with our hearts in tune, because we are not professional singers.e try to sow hope and stand united in this truly difficult situation.
In addition to this moment of neighborly fraternity, our prayer does not cease. As Benedict XVI affirms: "Prayer is the power that silently transforms the world". Thus, every day we celebrate the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours and offer our personal prayers asking God for the end of the pandemic. Because in our prayer we remember the health professionals and all the people who suffer from this disease.
And, as we do every day, we commend, with gratitude and affection, all the benefactors of CARF, who make our formation possible, so that God may keep them in his love.
P. Francisco Javier Rivas Tobal (Here you can see the video)
This group of priests received a letter from some neighbors that reads as follows: "Dear Fathers, first of all, thank you very much for your songs. It is a great encouragement and joy for all the neighbors, especially in these difficult times. We are three neighbors who live in the block above. Every day at 8:00 p.m. we look forward to going out to applaud and listen to your songs full of hope.
We would like to ask you a favor. Our daughter is turning 8 years old and if you would sing happy birthday to her, we would cry with emotion! I hope you can do it, for her it will be a surprise and she will remember it all her life. Since we can't celebrate with the family, I hope we can do it with the neighbors, thanks to you. A big hug to all of you, thank you and thank you a thousand times, courage and strength!
Priests singing in the balcony.
There are 45 student priests living at the Colegio Mayor Echalar, Headquarters II. (and some professors) of the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra. One of the most outstanding characteristics of these faculties is the diversity of nationalities of the students and in Echalar II we have 45 priests from 18 countries.
Some are "new" to the ministry and others have been priests for more than 20 years. Several have parish experience, others have dedicated some years to the formation of priests or to mission work. All this combination means that our academic formation is enriched by the pastoral experiences we share with each other.
However, these days we are experiencing, like many, many people, a totally new reality due to preventive confinement as a containment measure in the face of the current pandemic.
A virtual classroom.
It has certainly been necessary to "reprogram" ourselves in many ways during these days, because limiting our activity to a specific and delimited space is something few of us are used to. But this way of functioning has become an a new learning experience, in a context full of challenges and lessons for the future.
For example: faced with new circumstances, some of us have participated for the first time in a videoconference, others have sent their first video message to their diocese, and others are strengthening their artistic skills.
To tell the truth, our quarantine is far from being synonymous with inactivity or boredom, because we continue to do practically the same things, but in a different way: we have maintained our academic activity, now making more use of new technologies, with many online classes and various activities via the Internet.
Instead of soccer games, we do "marathons" of going up and down the seven floors of our house; and we change the walks for conversations on the terrace, where jokes and laughter abound.
In addition, we have started discussions in English and Italian, and are in the process of forming a small choir for liturgical celebrationsWe also screen movie classics to enhance cultural education.
Concelebration of the Mass of St. Joseph.
We could also say that the work of evangelization has different forms, since our work as pastors must now be concentrated, first and foremost, in our families and friends, with whom we communicate constantly to convey tranquility, peace and joy.
In addition, there are many people we have approached "virtually" with a word of encouragement, with a joint prayer via computer or cell phone, and why not, with an exchange of funny messages that we then share with each other.
The most important thing is that we continue to live our ministry with joy, realizing that the ministerial life can be materialized in the most varied ways and always maintaining a common denominator: the constant search for our configuration to Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
So, in the midst of confinement, we continue to celebrate the Eucharist daily, we have more time for personal prayer and doctrinal formation. But, above all, we remain united to the Pope and to all those who are suffering directly from the effects of this crisis, because, beyond the external circumstances, we are united to the Pope and to all those who are suffering directly from the effects of the crisis, the priesthood is never quarantined. Priests in the face of the coronavirus.
P. Jorge Castro, Canon Law student from Navarra. Diocese of Santa Marta, Colombia.
