Throughout the month of August, the parish of Marchamalo has been fortunate to have the service to the church of Father Paul, a Nigerian priest who is currently completing his academic training at the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra, thanks, among other support, to the work carried out by the CARF Foundation in favor of the training of priests and seminarians from all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His presence during these weeks has been much more than just occasional help for the parish. Father Paul has seamlessly integrated into the daily life of the community, sharing with the faithful the celebration of the Eucharist, prayer, pastoral care, and also some of the more delicate moments that are part of the life of any parish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that summer is ending and it's time to say goodbye, in Marchamalo they wanted to thank him for his presence and, above all, let him know that his time in the parish has left a mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CARF Foundation makes it possible for numerous priests to expand their training<\/a> theological, human, spiritual and pastoral in centers such as Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra, in Pamplona.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of these priests come from countries and dioceses with limited economic resources and, during the summer months, do not always have the opportunity to return to their places of origin. This circumstance also allows them to collaborate temporarily in Spanish parishes while continuing their formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For these communities, the arrival of a priest from another country also represents an opportunity to encounter other realities within the Church. During the summer, when priests must balance the regular duties of their communities with camps, pilgrimages, trips, and other pastoral activities, these student priests can collaborate with them and gain firsthand knowledge of the life of other Christian communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And this summer, that opportunity has come to Marchamalo thanks to Father Paul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The experience of August allows us to understand in a very concrete way the meaning of priestly formation. Behind the studies, the university enrollment, or the financial aid, there is always a person and a vocation. And behind that vocation, there are also many other people who receive the fruits of that service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Marchamalo, those fruits have been visible for a whole month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One month being just another member of our parish<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout August, Father Paul has integrated himself completely naturally into the daily life of the parish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masses, celebrations, prayer, attending to the faithful and all those services proper to a priest have been part of a month in which he has ended up becoming one of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, one of his last services before saying goodbye was officiating at a funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And perhaps it has also been a good way to summarize what has been seen during these weeks: a priest exercising his ministry with affection, serenity and deep respect for the liturgy and for each of the people he serves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It has been especially beautiful to see how Father Paul has been able to accompany delicate moments such as the death of a loved one, showing closeness to the families without ever losing the deeply Christian meaning of the celebration and the care of each of its rites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are small details that may go unnoticed in everyday life, but they show something much bigger: the importance of having well-trained priests who are deeply committed to their vocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because a priest's service unfolds precisely in those everyday moments: in the celebration of Mass, in shared prayer, in conversation, in accompanying a family going through a painful time, or in attending to someone who needs to be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is what Marchamalo has been able to experience during this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A daily appointment at ten in the morning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If there is one group that will especially miss Father Paul, it is the one that meets every morning for the Lauds prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At ten o'clock in the morning, a group made up mainly of elderly people meets daily to begin their day by praying the Church's prayer together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And during this month of August, Father Paul has not missed a single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The consistency of this daily meeting has allowed a special bond to form between the priest and this group of parishioners. It wasn't an extraordinary activity or a major event. It was simply meeting each morning to pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it is precisely there, in that simplicity, that affection has grown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps that's why they wanted to be the ones to star in a simple but heartfelt farewell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After his last parish service, they accompanied Father Paul to the hermitage of Our Lady of Solitude in Marchamalo. There, under the protection of the Virgin of Solitude, they prayed the Holy Rosary together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then came something much simpler, but surely just as important: sitting together around a coffee, accompanied by some typical pastries from Marchamalo, chatting and giving thanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not much more was needed. A farewell intended to be a "see you soon"\u00ab<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The meeting at the hermitage and the subsequent time shared around a coffee also served to make a request to Father Paul that has practically become an obligation: that he return to Marchamalo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Easter, Christmas, or any other academic holiday period will be a good excuse to return and lend a hand again in a parish that, after this month, already feels Father Paul is one of the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the memory it leaves doesn't come from grand events or extraordinary celebrations. It comes precisely from the everyday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be. And it is precisely this daily presence that has made a priest who arrived from Nigeria become, for a few weeks, a close person for a community of around 6,000 inhabitants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the formation of a priest becomes service<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Father Paul's experience in Marchamalo allows us to see firsthand the fruit that the formation of a priest can produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CARF Foundation works to provide academic, human, and spiritual formation for priests and seminarians from numerous countries. Many of them come from dioceses with limited financial resources and need assistance to access these studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the story doesn't end in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After formation comes service. There is the life of each parish. There are the people who need a priest to celebrate Mass with them, to pray with them, to accompany them in moments of joy and also in moments of sorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During this month of August, Marchamalo has been able to experience precisely that reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behind every scholarship, university tuition, or residence allowance, there is a person. There is a vocation. There is a priest who then celebrates Mass, hears confessions, accompanies, teaches, comforts, and transmits the faith wherever he may be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During this month that person has been called Father Paul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their presence in Marchamalo makes clear how aid intended for priestly formation can also translate into concrete service to a community. Aid that begins with formation and ultimately reaches the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The church is universal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Marchamalo is a town of around 6,000 inhabitants. It's a community where priests continue to have an important and necessary presence, and where the testimony of someone who came from Nigeria to dedicate his life to the priesthood also serves as a reminder of something essential: the Church is universal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Different countries, cultures and languages, but one same faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Father Paul's presence this summer has allowed the universality of the Church to be not just an idea, but a concrete experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Nigerian priest spent a month living in a Spanish parish. He prayed with the parishioners, celebrated Mass with them, offered support to those in need, and participated in the daily life of the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, at the same time, the community of Marchamalo has also been able to welcome and accompany a priest who is far from his place of origin while he completes his training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It's a simple encounter, but full of meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Father Paul came to help us for a few weeks and ends up leaving after having also left something for us: his example, his joy, his availability and his way of living the priesthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A priest trained to serve the Church<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The story of Father Paul in Marchamalo allows us to understand in a very concrete way what it means to give. service to the Church<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a month, a priest in Spain completing his formation dedicated his time, knowledge, and vocation to serving a specific community. He celebrated Mass, prayed with the faithful, comforted a family in their time of grief, led the morning prayer of Lauds, and was available to assist the parish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n None of this is extraordinary in the life of a priest. And, precisely for that reason, it is so significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the formation of a priest is not solely about acquiring knowledge. Academic, human, and spiritual formation prepares the priest to better fulfill his mission wherever the Church needs him. The CARF Foundation helps priests and seminarians from numerous countries receive this formation in Rome and Pamplona, with a focus on the service they will later provide in their dioceses and communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does it mean to serve the Church?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Serving the Church means being at the service of God and the people who are part of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a priest, this service takes shape in many dimensions of daily life: celebrating the sacraments, accompanying families, listening, teaching, comforting, preaching, praying with the community, and being close to those going through difficult times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, a good priestly formation must encompass different dimensions. The CARF Foundation supports a holistic formation that includes academic and theological preparation, but also the human and spiritual dimensions. The goal is that those who receive this support can then return to their dioceses with a solid foundation that allows them to better exercise their ministry and serve their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Father Paul's time in Marchamalo is a small example of this reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His formation doesn't end in the classrooms of the University of Navarra. It becomes a lived experience when he serves a parish. It becomes prayer when he leads Lauds with a group of the faithful. It becomes companionship when he is with a family that has just lost a loved one. And it becomes fraternity when, at the end of his stay, the parishioners want to accompany him to the hermitage of Our Lady of Solitude to pray the Rosary together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That's where training becomes truly meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Training to better serve communities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The CARF Foundation works to enable priests and seminarians from different countries to access training that, in many cases, they could not afford with the resources available in their dioceses. Candidates are sent by their bishops or religious superiors to complete their studies at academic institutions in Rome and Pamplona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra, where Father Paul is currently studying, courses are offered in Theology, Philosophy, and Canon Law, among other areas of ecclesiastical sciences. This preparation is part of a broader process in which intellectual development is combined with human and spiritual formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ultimate reason for all this effort lies in the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A well-trained priest can then put that knowledge at the service of his diocese. He can help his parishioners better understand the faith, accompany them on their Christian journey, and respond to the needs of the community entrusted to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, Helping to train a priest is also a concrete way of serving the Church<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The support of CARF Foundation's benefactors makes it possible for this chain to continue: one person helps in the formation of a priest; that priest returns to his community; and his training is put at the service of many other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, the benefits of aid given today can reach much further than we initially imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was this small group's way of saying thank you.
Thank you for getting up every morning to be with them.
Thank you for praying with them.
Thank you for celebrating.
Thank you for joining us.
And above all, thank you for being a priest among us.
Serving the Church also means serving each of the people who are part of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To pray.
To celebrate the Eucharist.
To accompany a funeral.
From talking with our elders.
To attend to those who need it.
Simply to serve as a priest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n