Truly the Best Seminary

Tomasinong Bol-anon! Boholano Centralites at the UST Arch of the Centuries
with the Rev. Fr. Ramon Jose Oncog, JCL, former Rector
of Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, Tagbilaran City, Bohol

When I was in the last year of my philosophy studies, my classmates and I began to scout for the various theological seminaries we could choose from. I decided to take all the entrance exams to the theological seminaries available to us save but one (in which my classmates had “barred” me from taking.) Though I already had an initial choice, I hadn’t actually fully made up my mind which theological seminary to enter. So I took the exams of St. John Mary Vianney Theological Seminary in Cagayan de Oro City, Seminario Mayor de San Carlos in Cebu City, St. Augustine Major Seminary in Tagaytay City, San Jose Seminary in Ateneo de Manila University, and finally, University of Santo Tomas-Central Seminary. It wasn’t exactly cheap, going to these places to take the exams and do the interviews. But I wasn’t really satisfied with merely hearsays. I wanted really to see and experience for myself the atmosphere of these seminaries.

       Towards the end of the school year, the results started coming in. Two seminaries accepted me but suggested that I was better off in another seminary which offered more academic opportunities. Another, I found the atmosphere too lonely for a very big seminary and somewhat suffocating, so I opted it out. One judged that I their seminary won’t be the kind I would be happy in, so my application was rejected. The last was something that had already given me the feeling beforehand that I would one day walk down its halls but was at the same time situated in the heart of the city—so it was hot, noisy and populated—something that I really didn’t want.

      Experiencing their “inner cultures” for myself even for brief periods, I found how different and divergent these seminaries were from each other. Although all of them were geared towards teaching theology and forming seminarians more fully as they were nearing towards their goal, the priesthood, each had a different emphasis in formation. Most boasted of “responsible freedom”, some of a more liberal or conservative theology. Some claimed to be “pastoral” and “truly holistic” in their formation, while not a few claimed to be the best theological seminary in the country. Two can attest to have been founded in the 1600s and whose formation have been tested through the years.

      Because I found myself passing four theology seminaries out of five, I found myself in a dilemma. I couldn’t find the “best seminary”. There was something that I liked and wanted in each and at the same time, something that I didn’t like in them. If only I could fuse certain elements of each seminary together, I would actually get and choose the best seminary there is. But unfortunately, that was impossible and unrealistic. I even asked priests and some counsellors which seminary would actually cater to my needs and help me and form me. Although I had already bought a plane ticket for the seminary I had initially chosen, I still felt restless. My heart was simply not in it. I knew I really had to make a choice—fast.

      Fr. Clarito “Boy” Rara, a resident priest at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, asked me something that would tip the scales of my discernment. He asked me one simple question, “Did you consider asking God which seminary you should enter?”

Official Logo of the UST Central Seminary

      I was thrown off guard. For almost the entire year of searching, I had only considered what I wanted in a seminary. I had only listened to my noisy wants and don’ts. I had not listened to that tiny Voice within that was trying to tell me where God was calling me, to which seminary I would truly find a new abode, a new home, and a new family. When I finally let that Voice speak to me, I finally realized where I was meant to be.

      I let my scheduled flight go without me. Despite my initial reservations, I made a firm choice to enter the UST Central Seminary. As I passed through the Arch of the Centuries, I officially became a Thomasian and a Centralite. I could not help but laugh at myself, at my indecision and hesitancy. Here I have found not only the kind of seminary life that I yearned but also the perks of academic and university life.

      The UST Central Seminary will always be the best seminary ever—not because it truly is, but because it was God’s choice for me. One thing I realized is that there will never be a perfect seminary. Each seminary will have its strengths and its weaknesses. Each seminary will, as much as it can, cater to the formation and academic needs of a budding priest. As long as we cooperate with the formation and most especially with God’s grace, we will truly grow and achieve our true potential as priests after the heart of Jesus. The best seminary will always be the one that God wants for us because ultimately, doing God’s will is always the best for us. Whichever seminary we enter, as long as we are conscious that it is where God wishes to send us, that will truly be the best seminary ever.

This article was originally published in Sidlak Issue 2, the official publication of Seminaristang Aktibo sa Diyosesis sa Tagbilaran (SADIOSTA).