I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at St. Andrew’s College Seminary. I knew in one sense that it would be like a typical college experience. You take a variety of classes, both related and unrelated to your major, while pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
But much unlike the standard college experience, those at seminary are being formed to be good Catholic men. Not knowing what a typical day would be like, I was quite happy once the semester began and I was able to spend a few weeks at the college seminary.
Almost every day starts early in the morning. We wake up and say Morning Prayer together. This is a part of the Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours, a prayer intended to dedicate each hour of the day to God. Next is daily Mass. This will generally be celebrated by one of the three resident priests, with the other two concelebrating. Seminarians are responsible for various parts of planning for the Mass. This could include selecting hymns, making sure the proper readings are ready or preparing items in the sacristy.
After Mass, men will typically eat breakfast and socialize at the house before leaving for the day. This is a great opportunity for seminarians to interact with their peers as well as some of the priests before classes.
The classes are a mixture of philosophy, theology and some general core classes. The evening, with few variations, will consist of a Holy Hour, Evening Prayer and possibly a community dinner, with the day ending around 9 p.m. in Night Prayer.
Seminary is a place to study for and discern if God is truly calling you to the priesthood. There are many Catholic men out there who think they may be called to enter but are hesitant to take the next step. I can now say from personal experience that seminary is a great place to both improve yourself intellectually as well as spiritually. I would recommend any man thinking about the priesthood to contact their vocations director or local parish priest to get more information.
Jacob Simila is first college, the College Seminary of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Andrew’s Hall, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
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