Young Marcus is enamored of all things life, as evidenced by his own evolution, from working as a biologist to entering the seminary and becoming a priest. Living beings, all created by God, remain fascinating to Him, but it is now man, God’s masterpiece, who truly focuses His attention and whom He now helps to understand His Creator.

A member of the clergy of the Brazilian diocese of Nova Friburgo, in Rio de Janeiro, Marcus currently has a fundamental mission as a format or in the diocesan seminary, specifically in the preparatory course, a key stage for young men discerning and evaluating their vocation to priestly life.

The family, key to being ordained a priest

In this interview with the CARF Foundation, the young priest, ordained in 2021, recalls that he comes from a Catholic family that actively participated in the pastoral activities of his parish.  “My parents were teachers of faith for my brother and me. Even as a child, I played at celebrating Mass. I lived with many priests who came to my parents’ house, but I never thought of being one of them,” he says.

However, everything changed when he had the opportunity to visit his diocese’s seminary, after the vocation ministry delegates visited his parish one day. Marcus admits that this was the first moment he considered becoming a priest, although there was a major obstacle: “I was already working; I had my job and my financial independence.”

“But even though I had everything,” this priest adds, “nothing I had been enough. I was missing something important, something that made my life meaningful and worth living. The parable of the rich young man spoke to me deeply,” Marcus notes. And so, in 2014, that inner struggle finally came to an end, and he entered the seminary to begin his formation.

Good training for the present

Barely a year later, another life-changing moment would arrive. His bishop sent him to Spain to continue his formation and philosophical and theological studies. He says of this experience, “I will never forget the years of formation and prayer in Pamplona. They were much more than academic preparation for the exercise of the priestly ministry; they were an experience of the universality of the Church.”

He describes this time as “unforgettable years,” marked by his time at the University of Navarra and the Bidasoa International Seminary, where he was blessed with “a unique opportunity to obtain excellent human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral preparation.”

If there’s one thing Marcus has learned from these years, it’s that his education in Navarra has been “good preparation for what God has entrusted to me today.”

Currently, Marcus is a parish administrator and seminary formator. “When I was appointed by the bishop, while still a deacon, as formator for the Propaedeutic, the introductory stage of the seminary, all I wanted was to offer those now preparing for the ministerial priesthood the same thing I received in Pamplona,” he confesses.

To be a good priest: a lot of prayer life

As he tells us, “At Bidasoa, we learn that love for God and the Church drives us to give the best of ourselves. Today, between the parish and the seminary, I seek to give the best of myself, to dedicate myself to the souls the Lord entrusts to me.”

The world needs priests who dedicate themselves to God in a world often hostile to the Christian faith. Therefore, Father Muros is convinced that “the priest needs a soul in love with the Lord and available to faithfully serve all people. These are not easy times, but all difficulties help us trust in Christ and in his power. We are in his hands, insufficient instruments, but ones the Lord desires for the fulfillment of his work.”

But in addition to a soul in love, he considers it essential to “have a profound life of prayer. Those who don’t understand that being a man of God requires a deep life of prayer are incapable of sacrifice. And it is intimacy with Christ that makes us understand that we are not only celebrants, but also victims who offer ourselves every day for the love of the Beloved.”

Thank you for your help with training

Finally, Marcus would like to extend a special thanks to the CARF Foundation’s benefactors. I was always struck by their generosity in donating without expecting the benefit to their diocese or country, but rather to the universal Church.

“Thank you for providing us with the means to help our dioceses and the Church. Thank you for your openness of heart. May the Lord grant you and your families many blessings,” he concludes.