Sending a priest from a diocese with limited resources—such as Uganda or Vietnam—to study in Europe presents an enormous financial challenge. The annual cost of comprehensive training, which is around €20,000 including tuition, room, and board, is unaffordable for the vast majority of regions in the Global South. To prevent money from becoming a barrier to vocation and ecclesiastical development, the  CARF Foundation  has been working for almost four decades to fund the comprehensive education of international religious and seminarians.

The foundation was laid in 1989 under the impetus of Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, successor of Saint Josemaría Escrivá as head of Opus Dei. The purpose was clear: to support candidates with great aptitude but without financial means so that they could access institutions of excellence, such as the then recently inaugurated  Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (PUSC)  in Rome, or the  Ecclesiastical Faculties of the University of Navarra , in Pamplona.

A vocation without borders: thousands of students from 85 countries

Today, the initiative benefits nearly two thousand students from five continents. In the last year alone, classrooms welcomed students from 85 different nations (25 from Africa, 25 from Europe, 13 from Asia, and the rest from the Americas). Looking at its history, CARF has supported candidates from 130 countries, encompassing more than 1,200 dioceses and 300 religious orders.

Beyond purely academic learning in disciplines such as Theology, Philosophy, Social Communication, and Canon Law, students are enriched by international life in university residences like  Bidasoa  in Pamplona and  Sedes Sapientiae  in Rome. This human and spiritual formation is considered vital so that, upon returning to their home communities, the priests can amplify their positive impact. This legacy was captured in the documentary  *Witnesses* , released in 2025 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Pontifical Catholic University of Santa Cruz (PUSC) and screened during the annual meeting of benefactors.

A model based on the sum of small efforts

One of the most striking features of the CARF Foundation is its complete independence from the state: it receives no public funding whatsoever. Its driving force is its more than 5,200 annual donors, the vast majority of whom make modest but consistent contributions. In 2025, they raised over €10.4 million through donations,  bequests, wills,  and income from assets.

To ensure the project’s continuity in the face of economic crises, the foundation manages an endowment fund . At the end of 2025, this fund reached €36.2 million, managed according to conservative investment criteria and social responsibility. In that year alone, the fund injected more than €620,000 directly into scholarships, representing 10% of the total aid awarded.

Quantifiable results and an incalculable impact

The success of this work is clearly reflected in the academic data: 66 doctoral theses defended and 55 books published in the last year alone, adding up to more than 2,700 theses and 2,200 volumes throughout its history.

Further evidence of CARF’s reach is the pastoral evolution of its alumni. Since the foundation’s inception, 129 former scholarship recipients have been appointed bishops or archbishops, and four have been created cardinals. A recent example is Simón Bolívar Sánchez Carrión, a native of Ecuador, who in 2025 was ordained archbishop and appointed apostolic nuncio to Honduras. However, the greatest achievement is the profound sociocultural and spiritual impact these priests have on thousands of parishes at the local level, becoming true role models for their communities.

The “backpack” that travels to the peripheries

Before returning to their dioceses to be ordained, the future priests receive a very special gift: the ” Sacred Vessels Backpack .” Made and prepared with prayers by volunteers from the Social Action Foundation, it includes everything necessary to celebrate the Eucharist, such as a chalice, paten, and a custom-made alb. This tool is essential, as many return to regions where there are no resources to celebrate Mass with the necessary dignity.

To finance this liturgical kit and other assistance projects —such as medical aid for displaced priests—, the Board organizes events such as the traditional Solidarity Market, which in 2025 celebrated its 29th edition in Madrid, also adding editions in Zaragoza.

In gratitude for all this effort, hundreds of priests pray daily for the work of the foundation and its benefactors at Masses celebrated around the world and in a parish in Madrid. As Fernando Martí Scharfhausen, president of the institution, emphasizes: “Every prayer and every donation will leave a profound mark on eternity.” A reminder that this charitable investment does not seek fleeting benefits, but lasting and universal fruits.