Old School Rules: Preserving Purity in the Seminary

Many think mistakenly that seminary life is very dull, and yet our experiences inside those walls make really great stories up until today. Today I am writing about how we kept the virtue of purity inside the seminary. In a place where you have more than 100 hormone-raged teen-agers, trouble could really happen if the superiors were not prudent. We therefore had some of the strictest rules that were aimed at preserving purity back then, whether we knew their real intention or not. If many of you would find the rules a little too harsh, or perhaps even comical and outrageous, take note that I went to the seminary back in the 90s. Imagine what they did back in the 60s, 70s and 80s!

Parents, teachers and educators, and those involved with the formation of the young should take note. Weird as the rules might be, they got the job done!

1. No Green Jokes - This was one of the first of the unwritten rules in the seminary I learned the hard way. I cracked a green joke the first time and I didn't even get to finish it as I noticed the Brother assistant gave me the dagger look. It's not that there were no green jokes being passed around, but it's not being said out in the open, and those who spread them lived in infamy as the "bad talk" guys, long after they have stopped telling green jokes. Trust me on this.

2. Pants - We covered our legs like we were ladies with killer legs. Seriously, the only time we wore shorts were during games. After games, we had study period for the rest of the afternoon and evening, and still we were asked to wear pants. It used to be a rule too, that you can't wear shorts at night - yes, you have to wear pajamas, and the mosquito net was a necessity. They drove away mosquitoes, and did not give others a clear view of the person inside.

good thing we didn't have to wear a banana suit back then.

3. Dorm Rules - There were no rooms where you could close the door and not be seen by the assistant. Instead we had a big dorm that could accommodate 40 or more beds at a time. There was a dim light in the dorm during sleeping times, dim enough so you could sleep, and at the same time keeping the dorm lit enough for the assistant to see everyone. We were also taught to use our towels as "tapis" for cover whenever we pulled down our pants to change into sports gear or pajamas or to head to the showers. Strictly no showing of underwear.

There is also this rule about one's private space, the space between your bed, in front of your small cabinet, and the next bed; that is your personal space, a space which cannot be trespassed by any person except during cleaning time. We also had what we call a Sacred Silence in the dorms. Basically we kept the silence in the dorm like we kept the silence inside a church, which meant that we didn't talk nor converse with one another there. The only time we did was during times of necessity, like when you run out of toothpaste or shampoo and have to ask your neighbor to give you some, and even then the transaction was done whispering, without invading any personal space.

4. Fast-paced Spartan Lifestyle - Seminary schedule was tight, as we followed the mantra: " Idleness is the workshop of the devil." There were very few moments where we did nothing. We were woken up at around 5, we had mass at 6, breakfast and chores at 6:30, classes at 7:15. After lunch, no siesta, as the Salesians would always say that Don Bosco himself never took naps, and there were 2 or more hours of manual work instead. Games follow, then showers, then study until the evening. Shower time was fast - only 15 minutes to take a bath, do your laundry, and get dressed for study period. The first time I went home after living in the Juniorate for some months, my mom laughed at how I was able to take a shower in under 3 minutes.

I heard from my former seminary superior that the seminarians in the 60s had it even stricter. The boys would all go inside the shower cubicles at the same time, and there was only one shower faucet which the assistant controlled, and he would turn the water on, then off for the boys to soap, then on again, then off for the shampooing, then on again - very precise, like clockwork, shower was over in under 3 minutes. Whether true or not, I am thankful we weren't that structured in the 90s. The rationale was that shower time was the time many young boys masturbate. Less shower time, less chance to do it.

We were taught to walk the "Salesian Walk" which was a brisk walk more than a leisurely pace, and we did this all the time. Food intake was regulated, as it is believed that mastery of the appetites was a way to increase spiritual fortitude against temptation. And it's not like you're allowed to keep food for yourself too, much less hide them. I remember being so hungry once that I feasted on a contraband sachet of ketchup from McDonald's as there was no other edible item around.

Ketchup. Yum.

5. No Touching Whatsoever - It's one thing to have a close friend, but it's another to put your hands on the guy. That's a big no-no. We weren't allowed to touch another person unless it was a hi-five or a handshake. Another taboo was to put your arms around another guy, as harmless and innocent it may look. In dealing with issues of purity, sometimes nipping things in the bud is the best way to go.

6. No Particular Friendships - this means you have to spend time with everyone, and not be friends with just one guy. This is a standard seminary rule, and the rationale was that everyone was supposed to be equally friend and brother. Having particular confidantes or allies was feared to cause factionalism. Besides, if you spend too much time with just one buddy, chances are you will be under suspicion that there is funny business going on between the two of you. This rule also avoided the danger of homoerotic temptation. There is also the rule of small boys (1st and 2nd year high school) were not allowed to mingle with the big boys (3rd and 4th year), for fear that the big boys would take advantage of the small boys' relative innocence. 

7. The Culture of Excellence in Sports -  Why? Because engaging in sports made us manly, and the more we played the less idle we were. When were freshmen, we literally worshiped the guys below. 

Don Bosco Juniorate Football Team, '93-94

The Juniorate was full of stories about our predecessors' exploits and excellence in sports, especially in football; how the older batches played a variety of opponents in football, including the army and some expats who regularly visited the Juniorate if they wanted a real challenge. We looked up to the varsity members and strove for our own excellence in sports initially by patterning our skills with the older aspirants we idolized. Heavy rains were not an excuse to not play - instead we played War Games, a modified version of dodge ball, under the pouring rain. There were very few of us who did not look forward to game time in the afternoon.Sports took our minds away from any temptation the devil prepared for us, and re-channeled whatever sexual feelings we had into something more appropriate for our age and situation. 

8. No TV, No Radio, No Comics - This was enforced so as to detach us from the worldly secular media. Absolutely no comics either. And if you brought a book with you from home, you have to let your superior read and inspect it first. During our time - the nineties - it was particularly difficult to not listen to music. The Eraserheads were becoming famous, as well as other famous bands, foreign and local, like Nirvana, The Cranberries, The Teeth, etc. Who could forget the ass-chewing we got from our principal, Fr. Osial, after he heard Michael Sacay sing "Pare Ko" - the cussing version?  

The song everyone was secretly singing.

9. Priests are always ready for your confession - This is one thing I have gotten so used to: the availability of our Salesian priests to hear your confession. Fr. Balocco waiting outside the study hall during study period for aspirants who wanted to go to confession was a familiar sight. Fr. George Schwarz was always ready for your confession, and no matter how busy he was, he will put aside what he was doing in order to attend to the needs of your soul. The Salesians walked the talk when it comes to Don Bosco's familiar quote: Give me souls, take away the rest.