Freddy Arigo Llerena Guerrero  is a 36-year-old priest from the Diocese of Ibarra, Ecuador. He was ordained on June 25, 2016, and his story exemplifies the real impact that a solid formation can have on the life of a priest and on an entire community.

Last year he returned to Pamplona to complete his  Licentiate in Biblical Theology  at the Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra. Today, back in Ecuador, he dedicates himself daily to living a true vocation of service to others and to the Church.

Her testimony takes on special relevance in a country marked by enormous contrasts. Ecuador, a diverse nation rich in culture and resources, is experiencing the political mismanagement of recent decades that has fostered the expansion of drug trafficking, organized crime, extortion, and kidnappings, leading to a serious increase in insecurity.

Added to this is the fact that, as in many regions of Europe, Central America and South America, the number of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life in his country has also decreased.

“Despite everything, our people keep hope alive .”

However, neither the Ecuadorian people nor their priests have lost hope. Freddy sums it up this way:  “ Despite everything, our people keep hope alive.  There is a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a profound love for the Virgin Mary, expressed in many manifestations of popular piety. This simple faith allows many people to continue looking to the Church with confidence, even in the midst of their weaknesses, recognizing her as their mother and guide in difficult times.”

Freddy is one of the many priests who have received a solid and comprehensive formation with the help of the benefactors, partners, and friends of the  CARF Foundation . Thanks to this preparation, he is now better able to respond to the pastoral challenges of his homeland, accompany the faithful in difficult times, and strengthen Christian life where it is most needed.

On the other hand, Freddy also highlights the hope he has gained from witnessing the spiritual awakening of many young people in Spain during his formative period in Pamplona, ​​a sign that faith continues to bear fruit in different parts of the world.

A campaign to transform countries

Like Freddy, thousands of aspiring priests need support to receive the necessary training. That’s why the CARF Foundation has launched the  “Make the Pope’s Dream Come True” campaign,  with a clear objective:  to provide a solid and comprehensive formation for seminarians and diocesan priests worldwide .

Pope  Leo XIV  recently recalled this with simplicity and depth in his apostolic letter  A fidelity that generates the future : “the identity of priests is constituted around their being  for  and is inseparable from their mission.”

The campaign reminds us that many young people have heard the call to the priesthood and wish to serve, accompany, administer the sacraments and bring God closer to their people,  but they do not always have the necessary financial means to prepare themselves adequately.

Since its inception, the CARF Foundation has supported seminarians and priests from  130 countries , enabling them to return to their dioceses better prepared to serve and, in turn, train others. For this reason, the Church places special emphasis on the formation of future priests so that they may be well-rounded men, prepared humanly, spiritually, and pastorally, capable of accompanying their communities and serving people wherever they are most needed. The CARF Foundation has been doing precisely this since 1989.

In many countries around the world, there are people with a vocation to the priesthood where  faith is strong, but resources are scarce.  That’s where your help makes a difference.

The dream continues

Behind every supported vocation there is a story, a family, a community and a future priest willing to give himself to others.

Today, the story of Freddy Arigo Llerena Guerrero puts a face to that dream: that no young person with a vocation is left without training due to lack of resources and that the Church continues to have priests who are prepared, approachable and dedicated to serving people.