Lived at the International Seminar Sedes Sapientiae from Rome between 2017 and 2020, coinciding with the coronavirus pandemic. He gave an interview to the CARF Foundation to tell us how the 83 seminarians from 23 countries lived locked inside the seminary, barely able to go out, as happened to almost all of us.
Hello, Laerth! Thank you for sharing this testimony of yours and your colleagues with us....
You are welcome, it is a pleasure. Both the rector of the Sedes Sapientiae Seminary and us seminarians living in Rome we want our benefactors to know that we were very well and that it was a time when we prayed a lot and especially for them and their families.
How long were you locked up? Almost a month. It all began at the beginning of March, when an emergency situation was declared throughout Italy because of the epidemic. Since then, didactic activities at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross have ceased, and the seminarians and formators have had to remain on the premises of the Sedes Sapientiae Ecclesiastical College, wishing to collaborate as much as possible with the authorities to prevent the spread of the virus.
It's been a long time, for young and very active people... And it's difficult? Well, quite a lot. However, the seminarians of Sedes Sapientiae in Rome, although physically isolated, have been accompanied by many people, and continue to be so, since the beginning of this situation: there have been numerous calls and almost countless messages from all over the world interested in our health and well-being.
Relatives, friends, priests, former seminarians of the Sedes Sapientiae seminary, benefactors, people we met during our pastoral work in Italy... and, of course, our bishops, all promised us their prayers.
Everyone turned and still turns to us, and we always try to reciprocate by praying more generously for those who most needed it at that time and offering for them the inconveniences that resulted from the confinement.
What were you doing all day? Above all, we took care of each other, which was a school of life and helped us to grow, since the atmosphere at the Sedes Sapientiae Seminary is one of study and formation, but also of a big family and an atmosphere of serenity. We stuck to a fixed schedule of work, assignments and moments dedicated to prayer, which set the tone for every day and helped us to make the most of our time.
What happened to your university studies, did you drop out? No, not at all, since many professors at the University of the Holy Cross taught their classes. onlineWe quickly became familiar with the platforms on which we could ask questions: YouTube Live with your chat, Skype y Zoom were some of the most used platforms.
Although there are also teachers who preferred to record their lesson on a simple mp3: it is always possible to contact them to clarify doubts or for further information. Since there is no shortage of teachers who have taken advantage of the circumstance to ask us to do some written work, the conclusion is that we are probably spending more hours studying than we would normally do.
Well, great! Looks like you were busier than before.... Yes, also because we were praying moreespecially for our benefactors and their families. In addition, there are those who have set out to improve their own cultural education by reading a valuable book, watching a higher quality film, making virtual visits to museums...
In this line, the seminar even offered us the possibility to participate in front of the screen in an interesting lecture given by an expert. online on his specialty: climate change and global warming. Thus, we were able to change topics and thoughts, forgetting about the health emergency. We seminarians at Sedes Sapientiae in Rome made the most of our time in this situation.
What spaces did you have available for sports and entertainment? The Sedes Sapientiae Seminary does not have a large garden - there is a price to pay for our location in the historic center of Rome - but we do have a smaller one that was used by joggers, who laid out a route that allowed them to burn off energy on a daily basis.
Others have done the same in the gym, with the help of some exercise bikes and weight machines. Along with that, work in the sacristy, gardening, housekeeping, regular cleaning of the windows, washing dishes and preparing the dining room, and other chores are also helping us to stay busy and serving others, which is perhaps especially healthy at this time.
You were telling us earlier that you have intensified prayer Of course! Neither the formative activity nor our spiritual life ceased. Being in Rome, in the heart of the Church, we followed very closely the words that the Holy Father repeatedly addressed to Catholics and to everyone in this situation.
We second the invitations of the Vicar of the Diocese of Rome to offer a day of fasting on Wednesday, March 11, and of the Pope and the Italian Bishops' Conference to offer the prayer of the rosary for Italy on March 19. We also seek to unite ourselves wholeheartedly to the pastoral exhortations of each of our bishops. And we continue to unite ourselves to all that the Pope asks of us and has asked of us. Pope Francis.
Almost a praying heart in the heart of Rome and of the Church This is how it is.... We try to abandon ourselves into the Lord's hands so that, with his grace, these humanly difficult circumstances may mean for each one of us an interior growth in faith, hope and charity. In this precarious situation for the whole world, we try to help through the communion of saints so many of our brothers and sisters who are suffering in this beloved country that welcomes us and in other parts of the world.
Text: Gerardo Ferrara and CARF Foundation.
Photographs: lectorate 2024 of seminarians from the Sedes Sapientiae seminary.
