Some priests in training grew up in religious conditions while others found their hope in faith later on in life. What they have in common is their training in the National Seminary.
When one decides to go into the priesthood it often means a radical lifestyle change. In many cases, friends and family don’t understand, at least not at first. They ask why he’s doing this and he may feel unsupported.
He will find support and camaraderie, however, with others following the same path of training and the teachers preparing him for Church life. In total, the seminarian takes 8 years in priestly formation.
There are currently around 120 men in the classrooms of the National Seminary. It’s a boarding school and the men typically visit their families for a few hours on Sundays. The rest of the week they are in classes, the recreation spaces, doing chores, or visiting churches. After 8 years of training, the men leave with two baccalaureates, one in philosophy and another in theology.
