Member-only story
Guess what happens inside a Priest school?
The life and the way of a former Seminarian
I was 11 when I was sent to the seminary, an all-boys school designed for young men towards a path to priesthood. Part of the reason I signed up was because my friends were persuaded to join. The Seminary and Church’s efforts in the recruitment campaign was highly effective, drawing many of us in.
The process was quick. I took the entrance exams, passed, took a personality test, and interviewed, and then boom, the next thing I knew, I had all my clothes packed up, ready to leave my family and the life of a normal kid behind.
The first day was awkward, aside from my two friends, I did not know anyone. I observed the entirety of the dormitory as I was unloading my suitcase and noticed the other kids around me. They all came from different corners of the province I lived in, far removed from the city kids I had known throughout my elementary education. Many of them were the sons of farmers, fisherfolk, overseas laborers and church workers. Unlike my former schoolmates who were children of wealthy families, politicians and businesspeople, these kids came from humble backgrounds.
Some of them were so financially challenged that the local clergy, supported by the priests and church sponsored they’re arrival and enrollment into…
