BINMALEY–Not many of them eventually became priests, but all of them cherish their time as teen seminarians and credit the Catholic formation they received for who they have become.

That period in their lives — characterized by mischievousness in the midst of the seminary’s rigid routine life — is celebrated in the book “Neither Angels Nor Scoundrels: Confessions of 12 ex-seminarians“, launched recently in Dagupan.

The 179-page book sketches the life of class 1974-1978 at the Mary Help of Christians Seminary (MHCS) as told by 12 of its members. It is a story, on the whole, of a group of young boys who rose to the disciplinary challenges of priestly formation even as they stayed true to their humanity.

“It’s the first in the country about the memoirs of ex-seminarians,” said Fr. Oliver Mendoza, one of the book’s 12 authors and currently the parish priest of St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr church in San Fabian,

“One thing is common to all of us, ex-seminarians, as we recalled our memories inside the seminary: We are all grateful to the MHCS for what we have become,” he added in an interview with The PUNCH.

The book’s other authors are Mark Bautista, Oscar Justin Domantay, Emmanuel Fernandez, Tito Galvez, Emmanuel Laforteza, Renato Jose Lopez, Rafael Perpetuo Macaranas, Froilan Reside, Rolando Reyes, Efren de Vera and Joseph Visperas.

The class was originally composed of 64 boys, of whom only 22 graduated and eight eventually became priests. Others in the batch became a police colonel, navy commander, some engineers and accountants, a nurse, a diplomat-sociologist, a hospice chaplain/spiritual psychotherapist, two book authors, a town mayor and a host of successful businessmen and corporate executives, according to Emmanuel Laforteza.

The batchmates reconnected through the internet and in their e-group hatched the idea of writing a memoir to inspire parents to send their boys to MHCS as well as give people a glimpse of how life is within the seminary’s confines.

Among the most unforgettable narratives in the book is how the boys would climb the seminary’s towering walls, not to escape tasks or prayer periods, but for the simple joy of having a banana-cue.

Dr. Emmanuel Fernandez narrates that the consequence of getting a “C” grade for conduct when caught “didn’t deter many of us from doing what it took to get hold of that ‘forbidden fruit’. On the contrary, precisely because it was forbidden, it became all the more feverishly desired.”

The “notoriously bad” food served at the seminary is also a recurring theme making them look forward to the Thursday evening visits of their families who brought their favorite dishes.

Saturday nights were particularly challenging as dinner had to be eaten in silence while a spiritual book is being read.

Mendoza recalled that much as he wanted to listen to the spiritual readings, he was constantly distracted by more mundane concerns such as how to ask for more rice without talking to his tablemates before everyone finished it.

Fr. Mark Bautista recalled, “My snoring was legendary, so much so that no one would like me to be his neighbor in the dormitory. I guess I was everyone’s enemy at bedtime,” he said.

Oscar Justin Domantay viewed his stay differently. “We were like PMA (Philippine Military Academy) cadets where all our moves were numbered. We had time for prayers, study, recreation, household chores,” he said.

“For some, seminary was a boredom and a prison. No wonder others left, if they were not kicked out,” Fr. Joseph Visperas said.

Lopez, in the prologue, summed up their seminary years as a period of valuable formation.

“In the final analysis, it did not matter much what each one brought with him to May Help of Christians Minor Seminary. What mattered and continues to matter is what each one brought with him when he left.”

(MHCS first opened its doors to seminarians in 1930 under the administration of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). Proceeds of the book’s sales will be go to the school.)

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