The Catechism of the Catholic Church answers this question. It is quoted below without footnotes [1]:
633 Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, "hell" - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the Redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into "Abraham's bosom": "It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell." Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.
Second question: What were the apostles doing while Christ was in the tomb?
It is reasonable to assume that when a leader is gone, the followers would feel a bit lost. Since Christ was hunted down and killed, they probably feared that they too could be next. They probably wanted to blend in with the crowds so that they would not be recognized, or they might have gone into hiding together or perhaps separately. One thing that united them on this day was likely silence, silence as a result of fear, of sadness and of an uncertain future for some of them.
Third question: What some lay Catholics may be thinking today?
Christ is dead. He descended into Hell. He is not around. When the Teacher is away, children do whatever they want. Here the Teacher Himself is the Light of the world. When the Light is gone, there is only darkness. The children realize that in darkness nobody can see clearly so that they would not have to be accountable for their actions. Tactical night vision goggles are useless here since this darkness is metaphoric.
Some Catholics may consider today as a holiday from God, released from the chains of fasting and abstinence during Lent, so they indulge in drinks, food and pleasure to make up for lost time and opportunities.
Fourth question: What are some clerics and seminarians thinking of and doing today?
Who really knows exactly? Are they putting themselves in the position of the apostles? Has that even crossed their minds, being numb to the repetitiveness of their daily (and annual) obligations? Is it just another day where they simply recall doing what they are supposed to do as a matter of routine in contrast to doing the same with love of God in their hearts and on their minds? Do emotions overcome them and tears well up in their eyes when they visualize the agony of Christ laying there helplessly while nails were being pounded into His hands and feet, and the unbearable pain of His loving Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, must have felt seeing it all and suffering in silence? Or are these scenes just a part of their cold intellectual recollections?
As one holy priest said during his homily in persona Christi, "If you love me, show me."
If all Catholics lived their daily lives loving Christ with this simplicity, the world would be a better place.
[1] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p122a5p1.htm
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