A typical day starts 5:00 o’clock in the morning where you will hear the porter ringing the bell from all the four corners of the building. Everyone will rush to brush their teeth, wash their face and go directly to the chapel. Welcome to the seminary life!
Another 10 minutes, you are expected at the chapel for the Morning Prayer and next the Holy Mass. You don’t want Father Superior to visit your quarters and wake you up, because that will mean only one thing – you will be the next “porter”. That is the last task that you would want to be assigned. If you are the porter, you are expected to ring the bell every morning and after siesta. That only means that you will be deprived from sleeping in the afternoon because after lunch time you will be receiving guests of the priests or your fellow seminarians. There are exemptions of course, if you have a class, then the Superior will assign someone to cover your duty. Still, I would not want to be on that task because you will have more time reading news paper and all the spirituality books in the library.
Breakfast is served after the Holy Mass and everyone is expected to be at the mess hall. Usually we do not have a heavy breakfast. The mess hall has served us a lot of good foods and great memories. We celebrate our birthdays here, feasts and sometimes heated debates stirred by the seniors who are taking Philosophy. Our Nanay cook is not the best but we love her because she is really sweet to all of us. It is maybe because we missed our very own mother that’s why when we have free time we go to the kitchen and have a nurturing advise from Nanay while she busies herself cooking.
Here in the outside world, we love Fridays very much, you know what I mean. Inside the seminary, Friday can be both stressful and rewarding. The food every Friday is fish and vegetables only. The best thought is, every Friday we visit Elsie Gaches Village across Alabang Town Center. We help the sisters there in feeding our brothers and sisters with Down syndrome after the mass. My first encounter with them was a bit fearful because I do not know if they would be as welcoming as what I have in my mind. I still have a clear recollection of my first encounter; I was really frightened to see a large group of young adults running towards the Seminary Service Van most of them were screaming. I didn’t have the kindest thoughts because my roommates told me a different story about them. I was about to ask Father Superior if it was okay, I would like to stay inside the van. Well, this is part of the calling that you wanted to answer so I said to myself, “I don’t care what happens to me today. I said a lot of prayers already and faith will take me to where I should be.”
When you get the hang of living your life as an aspiring priest or brother, everything will just come into place. God indeed has made a lot of miracles for me inside the seminary. Don’t be too imaginative about it like there were showers of rose petals or Mama Mary appeared while I was cleaning the chapel. There are many miracles that we don’t consider as such because we are expecting too much from God that even sometimes you thought that God is a magician. That is the worst thought you could have about God.
After breakfast we all gather in the kitchen to help wash the dishes, clean the mess hall and dry the plates and utensils. Then after that we have to go to our assigned areas to clean. I was assigned in the library once (I hate inventory), comfort room, garden near the Grotto plus the love birds “propagation” (they were not reproducing anymore) and the chapel. In my three years of stay, those were the assignments that I have to attend religiously.
Once the bell rang after the cleaning time, everyone should prepare for school or should be at the library to study our lessons. It is not allowed to talk inside the library and most of the time there is a brother or a priest that will check if everyone has a book to read. We were not allowed to own or even use a mobile phone back then. According to them, it does not represent poverty. Remember the three vows – poverty, chastity and obedience.
Well, it has to come from the bell again so that we will know its lunch time. Then after that is siesta until 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon. Isn’t that the best life on earth? We never worry about our clothes because we have another Nanay who do the laundry and pressing for us. That is why it is very important to label your shirts and pants to help her organize it in the shelves where we pick-up the “finished product.”
Inside the seminary is not always about prayers, studying and eating. We have our own sports or recreational activities. I tried once playing basketball, but I guess I am not meant to play that game after seeing one player accidentally bitten by the opponent. That was gross and I wonder how it happened. Now I don’t ask why basketball players don’t smile while playing. The game that sometimes caused a rift amongst us was volleyball. It was all because of a Coca Cola bet or Silver Swan. But of course we kept it a secret as betting can be a serious offense inside the seminary.
During my first year inside the seminary, it was really hard coping with homesickness. I found a way to the rooftop and usually I would go there alone (sorry father) and think about my family in the province. Sometimes if I have a problem or questioning myself why I am still inside the seminary, the rooftop will be my place of refuge.
After the Angelus, we say the rosary and after that we have a period of meditation or if it’s Thursday or Sunday – Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Usually we play the “Lauds” - very nice background especially if you are contemplating on certain spirituality. Music really helps a lot in achieving the right mood.
Dinner is served and the mess hall is once again noisy as it can be. We are allowed to talk during these times and joke around with our fellow seminarians. You should not be too sensitive because I have seen a lot of seminarians who were very sensitive left for good. Everyone can be as stupid as they can be and sometimes feel that they have a talent in singing that they would present themselves as experts every Saturday and Sunday afternoon for the choir practice. Please avoid playing around with the musical instruments because once the Superior caught you. You are obliged to play the organ on Sunday mass. That is why most of us had a crash course in playing the piano.
Before lights off, we say the final prayer of the day – Night Prayer. This is where the critical seminarians say their last words before leaving the seminary. If you happen to hear someone planning to leave the seminary, usually he will volunteer to read the verse at the podium. It is good as goodbye already. I have seen lots of exit speech on that podium where I was not able to say mine.
Seminary life has made me realize many things in life. It must be the greatest teacher for me. Even if I was not able to profess my vow, what matters now is that by heart, the Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception has made me a better person. I have my share of falling short but I was able to accept my fault and strengthen my weaknesses in life. I am very much grateful for the years I spent inside the congregation for you have renewed me physically and spiritually. Molto bene grazie Blessed Luigi Maria Monti.
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