He spent five years in parish ministry in Rome before beginning his formal formation with the Little Brothers in Foligno, Italy. He did his novitiate in Nazareth before returning to Italy and making his profession as a member of the order.

As a Little Brother, he served at Italian parishes in Limiti and in Foligno and, at the recent general chapter of the order, presented a report on what it means to be a Little Brother of Jesus in a parish.

Quoting part of the report, the order's website focused on Father Faraghini's reflection on "presence," on "just being there."

"To imitate Jesus in his daily life in Nazareth is to be in a place and share the life of those who are there," he wrote.

The ministry of Blessed Charles, who lived among the Tuareg in the Sahara desert of Algeria, was simply to make friends with the local people, he continued. "Humanly speaking, it was a waste of time and pastorally, according to our criteria of evaluation, a failure. After all, even Jesus was not a great pastor, if we consider the results: his 12 pupils betrayed him before the cross, the crowd that sang 'Hosanna' wanted him condemned to death. But if we look on the side of love, Jesus was the shepherd who gave his life for the sheep."

The Little Brothers' website announcement said Father Faraghini "is not an extraordinary priest, but is one who always tries to do his best. He doesn't love social networks because he prefers one-on-one encounters with people, whether great or small, close to or far from the church."

"He is a not a big fan of 'pastoral plans' because Charles de Foucauld held that 'you must let yourself be guided by the circumstances and the help of God.' Pope Francis knows all of this," the order said, "but he didn't bat an eye, saying that a priest must know how to live in brotherhood, pray and love people. The rest will follow."