“There is a lot of thirst for God,” says Carlo Alexis Malaluan Rollán, a 24-year-old Filipino seminarian from the diocese of Imus, a diocese that pastors more than 4 million people.
His bishop sent him to the Bidasoa International Seminary (Pamplona) to receive comprehensive training, thanks to the benefactors of the CARF Foundation.
A Filipino with a happy and full life
Carlo Alexis studied psychology in the Philippines and as a young man wanted to be a psychiatrist, but things changed when he became increasingly involved in the volunteer work of the Church, with young people and students.
«He collaborated with priests, religious men and women. Somehow, I sensed the joy of their lives, lives full of joy despite difficulties, lives willing to serve despite the demands of sacrifice. “I felt like it was a happy and full life.” Little by little, he noticed a great joy in the work he was doing, a joy that could not be found anywhere else.
In this environment and in one of his confessions, the priest, whom he barely knew, told him: “I’ve been waiting for you to come to me for a long time!” That was the true turning point for him, the moment when he felt in the depths of his being that it was really the Lord who had been calling him to continue his work in the vineyard.
Vocation is always a gift from God
Carlo entered the seminary in 2019 at the age of 21, a few days after his graduation from the Psychology Baccalaureate.«The vocation is always a gift. It is a gift that we have received from a generous God and that is destined to also be given as a gift to his people.
In a secularized world, young people like Carlo Alexis, who leave everything to be priests, produce a wake-up call of hope. Therefore, for him, “a young priest of the 21st century must always have the heart of a Good Shepherd.”
Philippines and the world, with a great thirst for God
For Carlo Alexis Malaluan Rollán, this is what the heart of a priest should be like: “a heart always young and animated, a heart that not only hears, but listens; a heart that welcomes and embraces all people from different social conditions; a heart that walks with the pilgrim people that God has entrusted to it. We live in a world thirsty for God. In a society saturated with secularism and materialism, we have lost the sense of God.
«We have a Filipino people who yearn more than ever for the sacred. In a pessimistic world, that is where the priest comes in, who shows us – with his words and his works, with his life itself, his prayers, his virtues and his apostolic zeal – the presence of God who never abandoned us as the beloved apostle who recognized the Lord in their midst by the Sea of Tiberias, Dominus est!”, beautiful words.
The Church of the Philippines is alive
The Philippines has just celebrated the fifth centenary of evangelization, one of the most Catholic countries in Asia. The Catholic faith is, and always will be, a great heritage that Filipinos have received and treasured throughout the ages. The Church in the Philippines is truly alive and vibrant in the sense that many people continue to faithfully practice their faith, which has been passed down through children and grandchildren. It has become ingrained, so to speak, in the Filipino identity.
However, in recent times, the influence of other non-Christian sects, including Freemasons, has increased. How can we witness to the Catholic faith and evangelize in the Philippines? Carlo Alexis gives us an answer: «Given the rise of different confessions and churches in the country, the response of the Catholic Church must be through its witness as a single body of Christ.
I believe that the Filipino people, especially Catholics, continually bear witness and faithfully adhere to the truths of the Church. In its long history, the Church of the Philippines has steadfastly borne witness to evangelical truth and charity.”
In the Philippines, there are no divorces or abortions
For this young seminarian, these are some reasons why there are no divorces or abortions in the Philippines, “because we value life as the most precious gift from God. Churches are always overflowing with people of different social status. There is no distinction between rich and poor. “We participate as one community.”
Carlo further notes that Filipino Catholics are active in building social communities that help people in the peripheries achieve a dignified and holy life. These are Catholic values – values that are centered and deeply rooted in Christ. And through this, evangelization takes place – the same Gospel that we have received and embraced, the same Gospel to which we bear witness.
The cry of the young people of the Philippines
Regarding Filipino youth, Carlo Alexis provides significant data: “In the synodal process, one of the most surprising responses we have received from young people is a clamor, a cry for inclusion. Today’s youth are too alienated, from their own homes and even from themselves. It is one of the harsh realities that we have to face in this century, there is a great thirst for God.
Therefore, in his opinion, young people look for their ‘home’ in different places and sometimes even in the wrong places.
To counteract this search, the Church offers itself as the ‘true home’ where, in the words of Pope Francis, everyone is welcomed. “I believe that young people need to feel part of a family, which is the Church, a family that welcomes all people despite their differences. The Catholic Church is for everyone. This is the beauty of faith, that we are all loved and welcomed. It is the truth that we have to make young people understand. Christ loves you very much and welcomes you. It is our role as a Church,” explains Carlo.
Pastoral needs of the Philippines
With the hope of being well-trained in the Ecclesiastical Faculties of Pamplona, and returning to his country to serve his diocese, he tells what the main evangelization needs of his diocese are: we have many emigrants who come from different parts of the country looking for a decent and stable job with which to support their families in the province. “It is one of the realities, not only in my diocese, but throughout the country, that we have to face as future pastors.”
Faced with this circumstance and in a diverse and varied cultural environment, for Carlo Alexis, the unifying factor is the Good News, the Good News that transcends all barriers, encompasses all realities, touches all hearts and opens all paths to communion. It is through and with the Good News that the Church can walk with people from different walks of life and encourage them to collaborate and commune together as one body of Christ. And especially in the peripheries, where one does not always hear about the Gospel.
Preaching the Gospel in modern Filipino society
Carlo Alexis concludes his story with the urgency of preaching the Gospel in all places.«The Gospel must not be limited to the walls of the parish, but be proclaimed in the streets, in schools, in families, in workplaces, in agricultural and coastal areas. There is an urgent need to make the Word made Flesh really and effectively present in the midst of modern society, and that happens through the joint work of the priests and the people, which is why there is a thirst for God.
