![\"House](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/liftoffnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/20150117_073335.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>After the Liturgy of the Hours, the guys either return to bed or head toward the kitchen to start their day. Like many facilities that house a close to a dozen college men, the House of Formation has enough food to support a small army. Some guys prefer to grab a quick bowl of cereal or a banana, but a lot of the guys like to cook pancakes or a variety of egg dishes. Alex Booth (\u201908) loves to make omelets and knows a special trick to making a huge one, just like the IHOP kind. \u201cMy secret is adding a little bit of pancake dry mix. It\u2019s how IHOP does it. You could say I know some secrets of the world,\u201d said Booth. He may have the biggest egg dish in the house, but there is much dispute on who the best cook is.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy eggs are definitely the best; Monsignor [Oswald] loves my eggs. It just comes naturally to me. I don\u2019t add any secret ingredients; I\u2019m just that good. Alex is also a very slow cook,\u201d said Omar Galv\u00e1n when a dispute broke out over who was to make breakfast one morning.<\/p>\n During breakfast the guys act just like anyone else: they read the newspaper, joke around, cram in some studying, debate different topics and even compete in intense games of the popular app Trivia Crack. They all begin their day with a certain peace and brotherhood that seems\u00a0to radiate the presence of the Lord within them.<\/p>\n After breakfast, most of the guys leave for their classes if they have any. Like most college students, they like to schedule their classes in the morning so they can use the afternoon as they please. Some days they will have the whole day with no classes, but this is not too common. Along with their core classes at UALR and Pulaski Tech, the seminarians must complete extra courses in the newly renovated classrooms in the old Good Counsel school building. Mr. Thomas\u00a0Handloser and Mr. Edward Dodge drive over after school to teach a Latin course and a \u201cGreat Reads\u201d course.\u00a0 Since UALR and Pulaski Tech are both secular colleges, the seminarians attend philosophy classes at St. Gregory\u2019s University in Shawnee, Oklahoma over a webcam and Smart Board.\u00a0 Booth said, \u201cIt\u2019s really cool. The teachers can zoom in on us with the camera if we have questions and we can see all his work on the Smart Board. It\u2019s just like we are in class with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Along with all these classes, the seminarians are required each semester to perform charity work and be active in the community. \u201cThis helps the men discern their call and spread the love of God.” Seminarian Vince Kozlowski said, \u201cAs seminarians, we do ministry. It all depends what our formators want, but we help the people. We visit\u00a0the sick and distribute communion, we do things for Catholic charities, help run free clinics for the people who cannot afford them, and other things around parishes like PRE and things like that,\u201d said Kozlowski.\u00a0 \u201cHelping the community helps me to discern because it helps me see God in the face of people. Actually being able to be with them and see them is great way to grow. I love being able to help the people we are going to pastor in the future. It helps me get closer to God because I feel I’m not helping myself, but others.\u201d<\/p>\n Even though they are usually quite busy, the seminarians do have free time and they each like to spend it separately. The living room in the House of Formation has a flat screen television connected to a DVD\u00a0player, an Xbox 360, a Wii, and a set of speakers. The bookshelves are filled with a wide variety of movies, including Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail<\/span> and The Princess Bride<\/span>, books, CDs, and a collection of video games ranging from Just Dance to Halo 4.\u00a0 There is also a computer room which includes two computers donated by the Sara Club. The seminarians are allowed to bring their personal computers, consoles, and games; a lot of the guys like to play in their rooms. At certain times during the day, the halls are filled with faint sounds of intense battles against dragons, high speed car races, and episodes of That ’70s Show.\u00a0 Seminarian and Eagle Scout Ben Riley (\u201912) likes to spend his time a little differently. When he has time, he goes to his parents\u2019 house and works on an machine\u00a0that draws three dimensional pictures.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s called a harmonograph, and it\u2019s used to make three dimensional drawings. It does this by using three pendulums that oscillate in different frequencies. I saw it on YouTube and thought it would be a fun project. It\u2019s almost complete, but I\u2019m still fine tuning it. It was a fun thing to do while my work load was relatively light,\u201d said Riley<\/p>\n The guys end their day as they started with the Liturgy of the Hours. After this, they all head toward the dining room to sit down and eat together with Bishop Taylor, Msgr. Oswald, Msgr. Friend, and Father Quinteros. Since they do have very busy lives, there is a cook who comes in and prepares dinner and all they have to do is warm it up at dinner time.\u00a0 Sometimes the guys will go out to eat, on their own, with friends, or occasionally all together.<\/p>\n On Saturdays, the seminarians are allowed to sleep in and Mass isn\u2019t until 9 a.m.\u00a0 After Mass and breakfast, the guys are each assigned a chore to do and a part of the house to clean. When all chores are done, everyone is set free for the day but must be back in the House of Formation by midnight. Once a month there is a free weekend and they will have the whole weekend to do as they please.<\/p>\n The life of a seminarian is not one full of dull, endless prayer, but instead it is one like many college students. There are many challenges to living it, more than that of a normal college life, but there are many benefits to it. They live a life a full of joy and peace, living not for themselves, but for the will of God. When asked about if he ever felt alone, or if there were every times he wanted to do something else with his life, Kozlowski said, \u201c Honestly, this is the happiest I\u2019ve ever been in my life. It\u2019s amazing following the path Christ wants me to follow, because I know it will always be the right one. Yeah, I sometime I think about what if I had a family, wife, or kids, but in the end I know this is what God wants and in the end I will be happy beyond belief. And there is always a chance God calls me away from becoming a priest, and if that is the case than I will be happy, because that is what He wants.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>