- I know that when I was thinking about going to seminary, I had no idea what seminarians do all day long. In my head, they prayed exactly fifteen hours every day and read big, dusty, old books. So, after getting questions from all sorts of different people about what I actually do all day long, I decided to give you a snapshot into my daily schedule. I don’t always keep to this, and sometimes super random stuff will come up, but this is something of an “average” of the daily/weekly schedule. Enjoy! 5:30am – (Otherwise known as “stupid early”) wake up and put the coffee on so that the upcoming holy hour doesn’t turn into a “St. Joseph Medition” (i.e. a nap). Take a shower, get dressed, and sit down in my favorite chair. 6:00am – While sitting, consume a cup of coffee while meditating on the Mass readings for the day and some spiritual reading (i.e. books on prayer, writings from the saints, etc.). 6:30am – Head down to the chapel for Holy Hour with the other seminarians. I’m spoiled to have daily adoration a 45 second walk from my bedroom. I’m also waaay too protective over “my spot” in the chapel. It’s becoming a problem, please pray for my conversion. Good thing for me that there’s Confessions available during Holy Hour. Pray the Office of Readings. 7:15am – Morning Prayer and Benediction. Plenty of incense from the thurible just as the sunrise is streaming through the stained glass. Mmmmhmm. 7:35am – Head back to my room to pack my bag and grab my jacket before heading off for the day. 7:45am – Breakfast in the cafeteria across campus. Try to sit with seminarians I don’t normally sit with in order to get to know them. 8:15am – Start of first class. This semester, depending on the day, it is either Synoptic Gospels (i.e. Matthew, Mark, and Luke) or Introduction to Sacraments. Get floored by some good theology, and drink from the fire hose that is the wisdom of the seminary professors. 9:45am – Short break between classes. This spring, we’ve been tossing a football around outside in order to get the blood pumping again. 10:00am – Start of second class. This semester it’s either Church History II, or Christology. Keep crushin’ it. 11:30am – End of second class. Drop off my bag at my room and head to the Chapel. 11:45am – Daily Mass. Best part of the day. I’m super spoiled. 12:30ish – After a prayer of thanksgiving and privately praying Midday Prayer, head over to lunch with other seminarians. Once again, feel super spoiled that breakfast and lunch are prepared for us every day. Enjoy some good conversations, especially when the priests and faculty are able to join us at the lunch tables.
1:00pm – End of lunch, and beginning of the “afternoon chunk” [This is the part of the post that’s a little more difficult to put into a “schedule” format, so I’ll just paint broad strokes].- Start off with a bit of leisure reading and personal time
- Do at least 10 minutes of practicing Spanish so I don’t lose a bunch of progress
- Spiritual direction session once every two/three weeks
- Individual formation session once every two/three weeks
- Meeting with my men’s group once every two/three weeks
- Other random meetings that come up
- Answering emails
- Oh yeah, a bunch of studying, reading, writing for coursework
- Writing for MSP Catholic
- Go bug the seminarian down the hall
- Run some errands
- Take a nap if I’m really feeling sluggish
5:00pm – Chanted Evening Prayer in the chapel with the other seminarians, priests, and faculty of the seminary. Great way to close the “workday” and transition into the evening. Give whatever fruit from the day over to the Lord. Beautiful Marian hymn at the end of Evening Prayer. 5:30pm – Most days, a great time for a workout. Go for a run, hit the weights, play some basketball very badly, etc. On rest days, try and go for a walk. 6:30pm – Get cleaned up and start making dinner. Reconnect with other seminarians or friends and take it easy. 7:30pm – Hopefully, having finished the day’s to-do list in the afternoon, this is a great time to leisure, either by visiting with friends, watching a movie, or playing music. Unfortunately, some days require using this time to catch up on additional homework, reading, emails, or other to-do list items. Some nights, we have an intentional time of fraternity in the evening, or a dedicated time of praise and worship. 9:15pm – Start making my way towards the chapel for individual Night Prayer and a bit of spiritual reading. 9:30pm – Get the coffee prepped for tomorrow morning, because it’s bedtime. (Same wakeup and prayer/liturgical schedule as class days) 9:00-11:00am – Wednesday morning formation: a time to sit down with my classmates and participate in a presentation about some aspect of priestly life. This semester, it has been a mixture of presentations about prayer, fraternity, and the call to chaste celibacy. Absolute gold. 3:00ish – Head over to Bloomington to serve at my Teaching Parish: Nativity of Mary. Meet with the pastor and/or other staff members to check in. 5:00pm – Usually, a dinner with a family from the parish. Always super joyful and meaningful. 7:00pm – Teach faith formation or similar events at the parish. Great “behind-the-wheel” experience for future priesting. (Same wake up schedule as class days) 8:00am – Saturday morning Mass with the men in deacon formation. 8:45am – Leisurely Saturday breakfast with the other seminarians. Usually there’s bagels involved. 9:30am – Chore time. I always seem to be on for kitchen cleaning duty. Afterwards, clean my room and run some errands if I have to. Eventually, get around to study and reading; this is usually the time for the lion’s share of study. Nothing a cup or two of coffee can’t help. Also, random stuff seems to crop up on Saturdays too, go figure. [3:30pm – Once a month, head out to the Teaching Parish for the weekend, serve at the Masses, meet and greet the parishioners.] 6:00pm – Close the books and the to-do list, because it’s time to get cleaned up for dinner with the Companions of Christ. Great time of prayer, fraternity, a leisurely meal, and a great way to bring in the day of rest. Take a leisurely evening with good brothers that gives life and restoration. 6:00am – Wake up (you get to sleep in a little bit, lucky you!) have some coffee, pray a holy hour. [Once a month, out at the teaching parish, prepare for and attend the morning Masses.] 8:15am – Exercise, usually a long run followed by some breakfast. 9:00am – Get cleaned up, do some spiritual reading. 10:00am – Sunday Mass at the seminary. Pull out all the liturgical stops. 11:00am – Grab an early lunch. 5:00pm – Head on over to casa de Vance for dinner with my parents and siblings. Try not to get too angry at my sister’s cat who seems hell-bent on trying to kill me. Ask my grandma how it is going with one of the neighbors to a weekly Holy Hour. 9:00pm – Make sure you’re back at the seminary in time for chanted communal Night Prayer.
There it is! I have to guard the times of prayer in the morning, because I know that if I sleep in or let other things happen first thing in the morning, my prayer won’t be as fruitful. With all this, know that I don’t keep this schedule perfectly, random stuff will always come up, and sometimes I have to be a little spontaneous and switch things up, but I’ve found the regular rhythm of it all to be a vitally fruitful part of seminary formation. Blessings on all of you!Nicholas Vance is a seminarian studying for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. A West St. Paul native, he came back to the Faith his freshman year of college, and became involved with Saint Paul’s Outreach and the Catholic Studies community. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2018 with degrees in Communications & Journalism and Catholic Studies. A rueful marathoner, a Röpke-Wojtyła Fellow with the Catholic University of America, and a once-upon-a-time youth minister, he loves hiking, reading, playing music, and the delightful first sip of coffee in the morning. He proudly calls Transfiguration in Oakdale (“the rockin’ East Side”) his home parish, and is in seminary formation at the Saint Paul Seminary.
