Mark O'Dea -- Son of Mary

The way I see it, I have two different types of days in a week: school days and apostolate days. The latter of the two would be what most people call a “weekend.” I minister with the other 1st-year candidates at the Don Bosco Youth Center on Friday nights, and I co-teach a CCD class on Sunday mornings. But the core of the dichotomy are the four days (Mon.-Thurs.) that I’m at Seton Hall University (SHU).

A day usually begins with me getting out of my bed at 6:40 AM after turning of the alarm clock that I had set for 6:20 AM. The community here has morning prayer at 7:00 AM, followed immediately by Mass; both will together be around 50 minutes. Everyone eats breakfast together, typically consistent of cereal, milk, bread, bananas, etc. Nothing fancy; we’ve got to be out of the house by 8:10 AM in order to make it to class on time.

I’m typically on Seton Hall campus from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Some choose to walk or bike home earlier, but most of us will ride home in the vans at 4 o’clock. My classes are scattered throughout the week, but Mondays and Wednesdays are the busiest. My courses for the semester are History of Philosophy I, Philosophical Logic, Roman Catholic Doctrine, Intermediate Spanish I, Journey of Transformation (CORE), and University Life (CORE).

Most days on campus, I'll go to classes for the day, then use the interims to do some homework, study, say the Rosary in the chapel, enjoy some down time, and maybe play some frisbee or racquetball with the guys.

We’ll get home at maybe 4:10 PM, and evening prayer is generally around 4:45 PM, so we basically have half an hour's downtime. I typically use this time to practice guitar, juggling, diabolo, or chess; either I practice something or sit down and read. Y’know, do something useful with the time, right? Anyway, we’ll have evening prayer, 10-15 minutes of spiritual reading, and the Salesian "Good Night" from one of the Fathers here. Once that's over with, we have around 15 minutes left until dinner. Some guys take that time to walk around the neighborhood together and say the Rosary. I used to do that, but since I typically say my Rosary earlier, I just take a 15 minute nap.

We have dinner at 5:30 PM and end at 6:15 PM. From there, most guys usually shoot off to do their chores; it's tacitly understood that the 15-30 minutes after dinner is "chore period". My chores this month are keeping the pre-novice’s classroom, the pantry, the workout room, and the boiler room in good order.

From then on, it's "free time". I do more homework, write papers, read, and am more or less studious during this time. If I'm ahead in my schedule, I relax. TV, juggling, guitar practice, web browsing, community-building (I.E. talking with the guys, playing chess with them, interaction) are just some of the things that goes on in my rest time. I usually end my night with a prayer, a song dedicated to Mary, Help of Christians: “Mother, Friend, and Guide.”

Rinse, and repeat.