By: María Ximena Rondón
Inflation gives no truce in Argentina and not even seminarians can escape it. This was stated by the Archbishop of Corrientes, Andres Stanovnik, in an interview granted to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec) of Argentina, in October 2022 the annual variation rate of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was calculated at 88%. It is estimated that by the end of this year it will reach 100%. Prices have risen stratospherically in the areas of water, gas, electricity, housing, in addition to everyday consumer goods.
Bishop Stanovnik said that in Corrientes, in the northeast of Argentina, the Catholic population stands out for its solidarity, reverence and respect for the liturgy and a devotion expressed in music. However, he continued, the northern zone is «economically the most depressed with respect to the center. So we find ourselves with communities that are in very needy, very poor regions».
This reality has affected the interdiocesan seminary «La Encarnación», where 20 young people between the ages of 23 and 24 are currently in formation. Of this group, eight only come to study and reside in the Redemptoris Mater Seminary, of the Neocatechumenal Way.
They live «in an Argentina that from the economic point of view is quite disastrous, with an inflation rate that is among the highest in the world, not to mention Latin America. This, of course, has a great influence on the salary capacity of the people».
The Archbishop of Corrientes explained that at the interdiocesan seminary «La Encarnación», inflation «affects the same as it affects a family. That is to say, suddenly one makes a budget for a month and during the month, well, prices change. Money is not enough. That’s the reality.»
«Every day one earns less, so the population is getting poorer. And we are part of the population and the same thing happens to us with the seminary. That is to say, the effort for solidarity is greater and greater to try to sustain the formation and life of our seminarians,» he said.
The needs of the seminary range from food, clothing, teachers’ salaries to the maintenance of the infrastructure.
For that reason, «it is very difficult to make a budget and we have to face this situation in different ways. Among others with the great help provided by Aid to the Church in Need,» said the Prelate, who expressed his deep gratitude to the benefactors who made possible the formation of the 20 seminarians.
«He who gives, does an enormous good, he who gives himself and shares what he has does an enormous good to others, but receives in response an even greater good because it is by giving that one receives. Therefore, dear benefactors, do not be discouraged and also remember us constantly so that we do not forget to be grateful and at the same time to keep you present in our prayers.»
Inflation is not the only challenge for vocations
Bishop Andrés Stanovnik told ACN that most of the seminarians are from Corrientes and that before entering the seminary, they undergo a period of discernment that lasts a year and are accompanied by a specialized team, which includes doctors and psychologists.
In addition, the profile of the seminarians is not the same as it was 15 years ago. He indicated that the formators must guide a postulant who comes from a youth culture «bombarded by individualism, by permanent distraction, for example from the screen; so sexualized, so marked by ‘do what you like’, because that is the criterion of truth.»
They are also facing an «ideological attack» against the Church that seeks to «disqualify Catholics.»
Therefore, stressed the Archbishop of Corrientes, «it is important to support the seminarians because they are preparing to become priests. That is, they will be the pastor of a Christian community in a diocese. Priests are needed for that community that does not have someone to accompany them, to celebrate the sacraments, to care for the sick, to baptize children, to form the Christian community, especially the children, in the faith.»
«To ACN we thank you for the help you are giving us to form the seminarians, it is really precious,» he concluded.
On the occasion of Christmas, the pontifical foundation ACN has launched a campaign to financially support seminarians around the world. As it happens to the seminarians in Argentina, many of them face various difficulties to complete their formation. Therefore, we invite you to learn more about this campaign and help the future of the Church in the world: