St. Bernard once remarked, ” He who lives according to rule, lives according to God”. It is important that our seminarians form the habit to live according to a schedule and to have a rule of life. One day as priests, they will have many cares and responsibilities and by means of a daily routine they will use their time well and accomplish all that is required of them. Our seminary has been very well regulated by a definite schedule. Day in and day out, year after year, the seminarians follow the same routine for rising and retiring, their prayers and studies, their manual labor and for their meals and recreation. Thus they learn that time is precious and that there is no time to waste in the service of God.
As important as the seminarians’ classes in Philosophy, Latin, Dogmatic and Moral Theology, Canon Law, etc., their spiritual formation is most important. We need holy priests who are meek and humble of heart after the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We need zealous priests who burn with the love of God and zeal for the salvation of souls. Daily Mass, weekly confessions, recitation of the Rosary, meditation, and spiritual reading provide the necessary graces for our seminarians. Our seminarians will one day leave the security and comfort of the seminary to join the ranks of our religious and secular priests. Now they must lay down a solid foundation, especially in their spiritual life, for it is only by the grace of God that their priestly work will be blessed.
Our spiritual exercises begin with morning prayers and meditation, followed by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, with the thanksgiving and the Little Hour of Prime afterward. After breakfast and classes, at noon, we pray the Angelus and the Little Hours of Tierce, Sext, and None, followed by midday meditation and examination. After lunch, afternoon classes, and recreation, we pray the Rosary and the Holy Hour of Vespers, followed by a half hour of spiritual reading. In the evening time, before retiring, we have night prayers, final meditation and examination, and the Holy Hour of Compline. All of these spiritual exercises are in the Presence of Our Divine Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, which is the center of our lives.
Prayer Schedule
The daily prayers which are recited at the seminary consist of the following:
• Daily Mass and Holy Communion
• Divine Office
• Weekly Confession
• Weekly Benediction
• Half-hour of meditation in the morning
• 5 minutes midday examination of conscience
• Rosary
• 30 minutes of spiritual reading
Daily Schedule
6:00 a.m. Rise
6:30 Morning Prayers
7:00 Holy Mass, Thanksgiving, & Prime
8:15 Breakfast
8:30 Personal Time
8:45 Classes
12:30 p.m. Angelus, Little Hours, & Particular Examen
1:00 Lunch
1:30 Classes
3:00 Personal Time
3:30 Recreation
4:45 Personal Time
5:00 Rosary & Vespers/ Benediction on Wednesdays
5:30 Spiritual Reading
6:00 Angelus; Supper
6:40 Dishes
7:00 Study or Personal Time
8:45 Night Prayers & Compline
9:10 Personal Time or Study
10:30 Lights Out (Grand Silence)