Author Topic: Life as a Seminarian was like movie Platoon (Read 50039 times)

Matthew · « **Reply #65 on:** August 14, 2014, 09:14:03 AM »

Quote from: poche

Is this autobiographical?

Can you read, poche?

I said at the very beginning that I'm not Canadian or athletic. In short, that this story isn't mine. There are about a million clues in the story that it's not me. Did he ever mention getting married and having 5 kids? I guess you're not very observant or a very good detective -- maybe that's why you're still Novus Ordo?

I will admit, though, that he was a friend of mine at the Seminary. One of my classmates, actually.

And somewhere in this thread, I quoted the part where he's talking about me -- the seminarian who got "name dropped" 3 months before he was sent away for no apparent reason. That was me. I was at the very beginning of the "purge" which would eventually reduce our class from 10 remaining seminarians (at the beginning of 3rd year) to 1 seminarian (ordained in 2007).
Our class originally had 20 at the beginning of Humanities ("zero") year, not counting those who joined during 1st year. True, some of them did NOT have vocations -- but a 95% attrition rate? Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Ladislaus · « **Reply #66 on:** August 14, 2014, 09:33:43 AM »

Quote from: Matthew

True, some of them did NOT have vocations -- but a 95% attrition rate? Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Absolutely. If I recall, 3 were ordained from my original class of 22. Something definitely NOT RIGHT there. Admittedly I left on my own for theological reasons, but none of the others did. Not only that, but almost all of those who were kicked out or forced out left as basket cases.

Elizabeth · « **Reply #67 on:** August 14, 2014, 09:43:46 AM »

The stress of people just disappearing, but nobody knows why or dares to ask.

Wondering, "Am I next?", not knowing whom to trust. Never understanding the unspoken rules until it's too late. :shocked:

Ladislaus · « **Reply #68 on:** August 14, 2014, 10:12:56 AM »

There were some practices there which made some of us wonder out loud about whether there wasn't some cult-programming stuff going on.

Elizabeth · « **Reply #69 on:** August 14, 2014, 07:11:05 PM »

Quote from: Miseremini

Didn't Jean Vianney have a similar seminary experience (with his teachers) with the addition of uncharitable fellow seminarians.? Also Father Damian if I remember correctly had it really rough in seminary. Maybe some things never change.

If I understand some of the author's points, the change is that so few candidates for the priesthood ended up being ordained.

It's one thing to go through an enormous supernatural work which ends well, but quite another when people are left shattered.

(I'm not critical of your thoughts, Miseremini--just adding my 2 cents)