SANO ……….. A VANISHING BREED?
Yayes basares
There was much discussion, sometimes heated, at the Alumi Tambayan of olpseminarista@blogspot.com after a recent picture of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Seminary refectory was published showing a dismal number of present seminarians of our beloved OLPS. (The site is linked to other web sites of different batches of former seminarians: olpsbatch86, batch 87, 83, 81 among others, where each member of the batch gets in touch with one another sharing their achievements, reflections and insights.) The refectory is one place in the seminary where at a given time you can find all the seminarians. It is our dining hall. In the seminary we live a community life, eat together, sleep together, pray, study, work and play together. If a picture paints a thousand words, that picture wails a bucket of tears. The deluge of comments both from the alumni and Sano was unprecedented but was not surprising.
The gist of the comments and feedbacks seems to point to two itchy questions: (1) Is priesthood not that attractive anymore?; and (2) Is Sano a vanishing breed?
What is so special about priesthood is not for me to answer. I am sure as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the afternoon the clergy would claim to be in a better position, by whatever mandate they clout themselves with, or imagine themselves with. To deny them this is to invite the lightning and thunder.
What is special with being a seminarian is easier for me to answer. A simple question demands a simple answer. FOR EVERY SEMINARIAN LIES A POTENTIAL SANO.
The feeling of loss shared by many sano (alumni or not) in the present predicament of OLPS, at least in terms of number of enrollment, at worst on the chances of the diocese of producing more priests, and at an even worst scenario of OLPS closure, as some would suggest, lies on the ever-burning flame of affection, sincere gratitude and deep respect in every SANO for the indelible effect seminary life and training left in all of us.
OLPS existence is defined by its purpose–-to produce priests for the diocese of Sorsogon. Young minds and young hearts answering that call live there in deep understanding and practice of the tenets and principles, the doctrines and teachings of the catholic faith. The irony exists perhaps that this happens at a time when these young minds and young hearts entering their puberty with all the psychological and physiological enigmas thereto attached are trying to embrace and accept a life demanding for sacrifices of earthly pleasures too hard to resist. Thus, it is no wonder that “mortality” in each class is high. While other batches can boast of higher numbers, our batch, batch 86, produced only one priest. Whether that is good or bad news for the diocese is our pleasure to discuss every reunion. The road is too long ridden with too many crossroads and too many doors offering too many pleasures too hard to resist. Whether or not those who made it are holier than us at the most or better than us at the very least remains the other pleasure we have for discussion during reunions.
With this in mind, it is safe to surmise that gathering all the names of former seminarians from the first day of OLPS existence and to date, SANO far outnumbers the clergy.
Every SANO failed to become a priest. YET SANO IS NOT A FAILURE. Our vocation simply took a different color, our response a different tenor. In whatever field you find a SANO, in each of them, you find the unmistakable trademark of OLPS : the discipline, the faith, the character.
ORA, STUDE ET LABORA was not a failure. It continues to guide us. More than the rituals practiced and doctrines professed, it can be glimpsed in the lives of SANO in their deep respect for the institution they once dreamed to belong to and the personalities representing the institution. It is mirrored over and above, behind and beneath the successes and wealths accumulated by most, and also in their families united by filial love and living simple lives. Sometimes I wonder if SANO better understood the essence of the vow of poverty than most clergy. It can be gauged on the work ethics displayed, making them reap their successes and triumphs. All of these have their roots in the values and the formation OLPS gave.
No, don’t close OLPS-–too many orphans it will have.
Us ….. SANO.
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