{"id":228329,"date":"2026-03-03T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/?p=228329"},"modified":"2026-03-02T10:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T09:43:16","slug":"angola-seminarista-mariano-capsu-ser-como-papa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/angola-seminarista-mariano-capsu-ser-como-papa\/","title":{"rendered":"Mariano Capusu, from Angola: \u00abwhen I was a child I wanted to be like the Pope\u00bb.\u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The story of Mariano, a young seminarian from Angola, is marked by a process of discovery and progressive discernment at the hand of his parish priest. He is now improving his formation by studying theology in order to become a priest.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His spiritual life was well covered: his parents, from a Christian family, enrolled him in catechism classes when he was a child and he also studied in a Catholic school, although at that age he did not show much interest in the things of the Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2009, he had a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Angola, fortunately, Mariano personally received the blessing of the Holy Father.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00abAt that time I was 8 years old. When I came home, I told my parents that I would like to be like the Pope, something typical for children. Eventually, that happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u00abWELL, IT&#039;S YOUR VOCATION, GOD HAS CALLED YOU\u00bb.\u00bb\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6UFgPezd-Ps?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"la-preparacion-para-la-primera-comunion\">Preparation for First Communion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The key moment that brought him back to church life through service as an acolyte was the preparation for his First Communion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After some time, it was time to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist. The parish priest indicated that only those who belonged to a youth group could receive it, in order to integrate them more into the Church. Mariano did not belong to any of these groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00abI thought about becoming a scout, but the parish priest called me and told me I had to be an acolyte. There everything started all over again: the close contact with priests and bishops awakened something in me that I didn't understand, but that fascinated me. Then I remembered my childhood desire to be like the Pope, although I didn't know that the Pope was also a priest. <a href=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/sacerdocio\/que-es-un-sacerdote\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/sacerdocio\/que-es-un-sacerdote\/\">priest<\/a> and bishop. As I discovered these things, I felt more strongly that the Lord was calling me to it.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015039.webp\" alt=\"Mariano Capusu Songomba, seminarista de Angola\" class=\"wp-image-228381\" style=\"width:793px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015039.webp 1000w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015039-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015039-150x113.webp 150w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015039-768x576.webp 768w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015039-16x12.webp 16w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"el-descubrimiento-del-seminario\">The discovery of the seminar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some years went by and he noticed that some of the acolytes of the parish, after a period of academic formation and accompaniment by the priests and vocation teams, were going to a place called \u00abseminary\u00bb. Mariano did not know what it was, but he began to wonder and to feel that maybe that was his place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00abSo when I was finishing my elementary studies, I became much more active in church activities, attended groups, helped whenever necessary in the sacristy services and even became one of the formators of the acolytes.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00abGradually a closer relationship with the parish priest developed. I often accompanied him to different communities to help with the Masses and with the purchase of materials for the sacristy, the vestments and, at those times, he would talk a lot with me explaining what the seminary was and what the priesthood consisted of and being a priest of God for others.\u00bb.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mariano Capusu began to identify with this vocation. He spent more time and felt better at church helping than at home or in the neighborhood. In his neighborhood there were hardly any Catholics and his time was almost always reduced to the world of soccer or other activities or matters of little interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"el-descubrimiento-de-la-llamada-y-la-decision-de-entrar-en-el-seminario\">The discovery of his vocation coupled with a lack of priests<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The decisive moment and the key to the whole process came when he realized the shortage of priests everywhere. He discovered that there were communities of the faithful who only celebrated Mass once a month, or even every two months, due to the lack of priests. He then understood that he had to <a href=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/servir-a-la-iglesia\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/servir-a-la-iglesia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">serving the Church<\/a> with the ministry of the priest to bring Christ to those who also needed that presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When he was in his last academic year, his pastor spoke to his parents to see if they were in agreement that he should enter the seminary. They were opposed. Without Mariano's knowledge, his father wanted to check if this was really his vocation and suggested that he apply for some civil formation scholarships to pursue other studies that had nothing to do with the priesthood. Mariano turned them down without hesitation, thus confirming his decision to enter the seminary. He spoke with his parish priest, took the admission tests and was accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00abI completed the three years of secondary education and then went on to study philosophy, which I completed in another three years. After those three additional years, at the end, my spiritual director told me: \u201cNow begins the stage of configuration. If you feel that the Lord is calling you, go ahead; if not, it is better to stop and choose another life\u201d. After a time of reflection and prayer, of thinking and praying, I confirmed in my heart what the Lord was asking of me and I applied to study theology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sedes Sapientiae (sub. Spanish)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZgfRFshe3jw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"una-beca-para-estudiar-en-roma\">A grant for training and study in Rome<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>During the first year of Theology, in the second semester of the course and in the middle of the exam period, your pastor - who had just returned from Rome after studying Social Communication at the University of Rome - was asked to take an exam at the end of the year. <a href=\"https:\/\/es.pusc.it\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/es.pusc.it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pontifical University of the Holy Cross<\/a> (PUSC) thanks to the support of the partners, friends and benefactors of the <a href=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CARF Foundation<\/a>- Emilio Sumbelelo, the bishop, asked him for the documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00abMany days passed. The pastor called my parents to inform them that there was a scholarship to study in Rome and that the diocese had thought of sending me. They accepted, but did not tell me anything. I had already forgotten about that visit and, besides, I thought that it was just an update for having finished the first year of theology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He continued his pastoral work in the diocese normally and without thinking about that situation again. But some time later, the bishop called Mariano and informed him that he had to move to Rome to complete his formation at the PUSC, thanks to a grant for formation, room and board financed by the CARF Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00abWhen I received the news, I was bewildered and in a <em>shock <\/em>I accepted, convinced that it was a gift and an undeserved design of God's providence for my life and my education. I accepted, convinced that it was a gift and undeserved design of God's providence for my life and my formation. Thus in the future I could better serve my diocese and the universal Church, and to configure myself more fully as a model priest according to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, being here in the heart of the Church of Christ\u00bb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was even a great gift for Mariano to be the first seminarian in the diocese to receive <a href=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/sacerdocio\/formacion-de-sacerdotes\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/sacerdocio\/formacion-de-sacerdotes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">priestly formation<\/a> abroad and in Rome at a Pontifical University. In addition, he has had the opportunity to live in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sedessapientiae.it\/?lang=es\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.sedessapientiae.it\/?lang=es\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">international school <em>Sedes Sapientiae<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1010\" src=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015053-scaled-e1771600969175-1024x1010.jpg\" alt=\"seminarista mariano capsu seminarisa angola sacerdote teolog\u00eda\" class=\"wp-image-228401\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.0138805069402534;width:792px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015053-scaled-e1771600969175-1024x1010.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015053-scaled-e1771600969175-300x296.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015053-scaled-e1771600969175-150x148.jpg 150w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015053-scaled-e1771600969175-768x758.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015053-scaled-e1771600969175-1536x1515.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015053-scaled-e1771600969175-12x12.jpg 12w, https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1000015053-scaled-e1771600969175.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"agradecimiento-a-la-fundacion-carf\">Deep gratitude to the CARF Foundation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mariano expresses his deep gratitude, on behalf of his bishop, Don Emilio Sumbelelo, his diocese and himself, for the generosity of the members, benefactors and friends of the CARF Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00abYou can always count on our daily prayers for you, for your families and for your work and projects. All this good and support is not only for me, but for the Church which I wish to serve today and tomorrow with zeal, love, dedication and devotion, thanks to the magnificent formation I am receiving thanks to your generosity.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u00abGOD BLESS YOU TODAY AND ALWAYS. MY PRAYERS IN YOUR FAVOR, ALWAYS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH\u00bb.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"gerarado-ferrara-licenciado-en-historia-y-en-ciencias-politicas-especializado-en-oriente-medio-responsable-de-alumnado-universidad-de-la-santa-cruz-de-roma\">Gerardo Ferrara,<strong> BA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East.<br>Responsible for students at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#la-preparacion-para-la-primera-comunion\">Preparation for First Communion<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#el-descubrimiento-del-seminario\">The discovery of the seminar<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#el-descubrimiento-de-la-llamada-y-la-decision-de-entrar-en-el-seminario\">The discovery of his vocation coupled with a lack of priests<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#una-beca-para-estudiar-en-roma\">A grant for training and study in Rome<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#agradecimiento-a-la-fundacion-carf\">Deep gratitude to the CARF Foundation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&quot;My vocation to the priesthood began when I was 2 years old,&quot; GON\u00c7ALVES CACOMA CAHINGA, seminarian from Angola.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FzDWemqhXmI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mariano Capusu Songomba is a young seminarian of the diocese of Viana, Angola. He was born in Huambo on February 24, 2001. He is in his third year of Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross thanks to the help of the partners, benefactors and friends of the CARF Foundation.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":228402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[145,126,121,356],"class_list":["post-228329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-historias","tag-angola","tag-roma","tag-seminarista","tag-teologia"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228329"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228544,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228329\/revisions\/228544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fundacioncarf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}