Becoming a priest is the dream of this 25-year-old from the Philippines. He was born into a family of six children and entered the seminary despite his family’s initial opposition. He is now in his seventh year of training as a seminarian in Rome (Pontifical University of the Holy Cross), thanks to a grant from the CARF Foundation.

How did you discover your vocation to the priesthood?

— I didn’t grow up in a religious family. We weren’t the kind of people who went to church every Sunday, although we did attend Mass on special occasions.

I suppose my vocation was born from my desire to be an altar server. When we went to Mass, I longed to wear the vestments altar servers wear, but I didn’t know how to begin. I didn’t know who to talk to or who to consult about this matter, so for many years, it remained a dream in my heart.

When I was a senior in high school, there were some unusual activities taking place at our school, and we were all required to attend Mass on Sundays. I went with my friends. After attending Mass for several weeks in a row, a friend invited me to join them in youth ministry.

After a while, my parish priest asked me if I wanted to be a priest in his congregation, but I refused. The question was repeated several times, and some parishioners also challenged me, but I consistently responded with a negative response.

However, one Saturday night I told my parish priest, “Father, I won’t be able to go to Mass tomorrow because I’m taking the seminary entrance exam.”  He was stunned, but supported me nonetheless. At the time, I didn’t tell my parents I had gone to the seminary because I was sure they wouldn’t approve. But in the end, when I received the exam results, I told them I had passed.

What was the reaction of your family and friends when you told them you wanted to be a priest?

—When I told my family about my decision, they didn’t agree. They told me I could do whatever I wanted, but they wouldn’t support me.

I went to the seminary alone, with no one accompanying me, unlike my other classmates. But I stayed and remained firm in my decision. As my investiture date approached, I told my parents they had to come, but that day was also my grandfather’s funeral. I thought I wouldn’t see them, but ten minutes before Holy Mass, they appeared still in their funeral robes, which gladdened my heart.

My parents burst into tears, and that’s when they accepted my decision. They hugged me tightly and from then on, they visited me at the seminary. When I returned home one day for a visit, the entire community in my town already knew I was a seminarian.

How would you describe the Church in the Philippines?

—With the grace of God, I would say that the Church in the Philippines is alive in the religious and devotional sense. Although not all Filipinos know the faith or delve deeply into the doctrines and dogmas of the Church, the faith is alive and active.

The Filipino Church is a Church that loves processions. Devotions to the Virgin Mary and other devotional practices sustain its faith in God.

The challenges facing the Church in your country

—I think there are two challenges facing the Church in the Philippines. The first and most important is the lack of religious vocations. The second challenge, from my perspective, is that many other denominations that call themselves Christian use the name of the Catholic Church or act as such to gain profit.

People clothe themselves in the trappings of the Catholic Church and create their own churches. Because of their imitation of the Church, the faithful can easily become confused, and some fall into these false religions.

What you appreciate most about your education in Rome

—Going to Rome to pursue my theological studies was part of my dream when I entered the seminary. In fact, it was a surprise to me when my bishop asked me to go to the Eternal City.

Rome and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross offer education not only through books, but also through the reality of life.

I remember on my first day here in Rome, during my Italian class, the teacher told us that we don’t just learn theology in the classroom, but also in the city itself, because the center of Catholicism is here.