On the outskirts of Pamplona, in the Navarre town of Cizur Menor, there is a unique place called the Bidasoa International Seminary. It has very specific characteristics that make it truly special.

All the residents are on a path of discernment and formation for the priesthood, as in all seminaries, but here, only international residents are admitted. They are sent from various dioceses worldwide to receive formation at Bidasoa. The existence of the Faculty of Theology at the prestigious University of Navarra explains Bidasoa’s appeal. Many future priests recognize the exceptional human, spiritual, and intellectual formation offered there, and as proof of this, the seminary is always at full capacity, with no room for more. The maximum capacity of Bidasoa is one hundred residents.

Another difference is that, unlike other seminaries where human and intellectual formation is provided within the seminary, the classes are held at another location—the Faculty of Theology, which is about a forty-minute walk from Bidasoa.

Don Juan Luis Bastero, the first rector of Bidasoa, recounts that “students come from all over the world, and when they finish, they are ordained, work, and live in their dioceses.” Bastero notes that “students almost always have limited resources, and Bidasoa takes care of finding foundations to support their formation so they can serve the Church.” Since its foundation in 1988, more than 1,200 students have been residents of the seminary; of these, 900 have become priests.

Regarding financial aid, Bastero clarifies that “the aid was an honor loan; if they could, they would repay it, and they have done so.” He adds, “It was a loan to the individual student, the seminarian, to cover their expenses, not to Bidasoa, which only acted as an intermediary.” The foundations inspired by Luis Valls have supported the seminary since its inception, and interestingly, he never personally visited Bidasoa. All he ever asked was, “They are good priests who pray for me and my brother Javier.”

The testimony is enriched by Don Jesús María Larrea, the bursar of Bidasoa, who lists the 19 countries represented by the seminary’s students. Larrea explains that a seminary is a place to discern who truly has a priestly vocation and who does not. This explains the difference between the 1,200 students and the 900 who were ultimately ordained.

Not only did the foundations inspired by Luis Valls help this unique seminary. José María Chueca Recalde, a Basque businessman, paid for the entire seminary “down to the last teaspoon” through a foundation he created, as Don José María points out. A bust of him presides over the entrance to the facilities.

The bursar assures that Bidasoa’s secret is that “it is a family” and that “there is great freedom.” Larrea concludes his account by stating, “It is a miracle that 900 priests have come out in 30 years.”