{"id":194506,"date":"2024-03-22T17:13:10","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T16:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.fundacioncarf.org\/?p=194506"},"modified":"2026-09-24T16:32:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T14:32:56","slug":"francisco-eusebio-diacono-angoleno-en-roma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/francisco-eusebio-diacono-angoleno-en-roma\/","title":{"rendered":"\"Rome is the eternal city not because it never dies, but because it eternalizes you.\""},"content":{"rendered":"

Francisco Eusebio Vinumo, Angolan<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>In Rome, he views the eternal city with awe, like an unimaginable dream. Because for him, it truly is: "It is a city with a centuries-old Christian history.". To be here is to touch the roots of our ancestors, our patriarchs in Christianity.<\/strong>You get to live and socialize with saints, martyrs, popes, and all those who have left their mark on the history of Christianity. Being here is an incomparable experience, because you marvel at everything you see; you touch things handed down by the apostles and the saints.... In short, to be in Rome is to experience the universality of the Church\". \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A family of six siblings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But until we get to Rome<\/strong><\/a>, Francisco Eusebio went through various trials and choices. He grew up happily in a large family. He is the youngest of six siblings, from a family well protected and cared for by his mother, Mar\u00eda Teresa de Jes\u00fas, who instilled in her children a love for the Lord.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Francisco-Eusebio-Vinumo-Seminarista\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His life passed normally. And so he explains that his vocation had nothing extraordinary about it, \"like the biblical vocations of Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Samuel and those of some priests and nuns, which had a kind of magic touch\". Perhaps, however, that 'magic touch' Francis speaks of was given to him by his beloved mother in the course of an ordinary, everyday life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maria Teresa, the African mother who educates and cares<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maria Teresa, as an African mother who welcomes, educates and cares, encouraged her six children (three boys and three girls, and a seventh in heaven) to participate in religious activities, such as catechesis and the rosary that they sometimes prayed as a family and, most importantly, attendance at Holy Mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a disciplined and traditional family of Africa<\/strong><\/a>, They received some punishments if they did not participate in religious activities, something that is not recommended, but which Francis remembers without trauma, as something "funny in the Christian life of our family, funny because of its unusualness, but which was very significant for our religious formation.".\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, going to Mass and catechesis was an obligation for the children and, if they did not participate, they were punished without a meal and washing all the dishes. And as his story will surely miss, Francisco qualifies with a smile: \"A mother's love is so great that, to those punished, in the end she always kept some food for us, even if it was not a full meal\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pedagogical punishment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Francis insists that these types of punishments, however inadvisable they may seem, both he and his brothers remember them with nostalgia and gratitude, because, just as God corrects his children with love, This punishment was educational, because our mother<\/a> He always wanted what was best for us and wanted to see us on the right path<\/strong>. And thanks to these punishments my vocational adventure began.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between pedagogical punishment and attendance at Mass<\/strong><\/a>, An interest was sparked in him: to observe the priest closely. "His way of celebrating Mass captivated me, especially when he sang. In the immensity and diversity with which God calls people to his vineyard, I felt called to serve him in those moments."\u00ab.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Francisco<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His seminarian brother<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another figure no less important in the discovery of his vocation was his brother, who by then was already a seminarian and now a priest. His testimony greatly influenced his choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So she began attending the vocation group of her parish, led by the Sisters of the Most Holy Savior, and then joined the group of altar servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the process of entering the seminary was not easy. First of all, the pastor had to make a choice, because the number of altar boys and vocations is greater than the number of vacancies. Fortunately, he was one of those chosen. But the battle was not over yet, as he had to go through another admission test at the minor seminary. Once again, the number of applicants was enormous. As they say: \"when God calls you, insist until you get it<\/strong>\". <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the test, a few days later, he discovered with enthusiasm that he was one of those admitted. So, at the age of 14, in 2011, I entered Our Lady of Mercy minor seminary, in the archdiocese of Huambo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges and difficulties<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As in every journey, there have been difficulties and challenges in his seminary career, but today he feels more and more mature in his priestly vocation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab"In the seminars I've attended, both in Angola<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>"Just like here in Rome, at the Sedes Sapientiae seminary, everything has come together so that my faith, my love for God, for the Virgin Mary and my perseverance in my vocation have grown and become stronger and stronger," he says enthusiastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Your experience in Rome<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And from Africa to Rome<\/a> And from Africa to Rome, which, as he said at the beginning, his stay in the city of the Tiber is causing him such amazement that he has no words to describe it. Or maybe he does: a \"unique, singular, unrepeatable and enriching\" experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because for him, coming into contact with a reality different from the one he was used to is always enriching, especially when it is a new culture and a new way of life. modus vivendi<\/em> totally different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"I am living this exciting reality because being in Rome, the capital of Christianity, is a unique occasion and opportunity. Not only do you come into contact with a new culture, but with a variety of cultures, meeting people from all over the world. This is experienced in the living together in the seminary and at the university, but also in the environment of the city of Rome and of Italy, where we interact with the world,\" he says. young Angolan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The feeling of catholicity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Among the variety of people from different countries and cultures, for Francis there is one thing that unites them: Christianity, and especially Catholicism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab"This experience makes you truly see and live the nature of the phrase 'One, Holy ..., Catholic<\/a> and Apostolic of the Church,<\/strong> and thus be united in diversity. Living in Rome is a continuous learning, a unique and unrepeatable richness, and I am savoring it. I really see the beauty of the Church in its universality. I dare to say that Rome is the eternal city, not because it never dies, but because it eternalizes you\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gratitude<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And for this wonderful experience that he is living in his beloved Rome, in the Sedes Sapientiae International Seminar<\/strong><\/a> and in the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross<\/a><\/strong>would like to conclude with a sincere and heartfelt thank you:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab"Today, as a priest, all I have to say is: thank you, thank you, gratias tibi Domini<\/em>, And thanks to the benefactors, partners, and friends of the CARF Foundation<\/strong><\/a> for giving me the immense opportunity to train as a seminarian and priest in the Eternal City of Rome!\u00bb.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Gerardo Ferrara<\/a><\/strong>
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Table of Contents<\/strong><\/h3>