Casey LaMotte

Propaedeutic Year
Saint John Vianney Seminary

Hello! My name is Casey LaMotte, and I’m blessed to call Saint Robert Bellarmine my home parish. I am the oldest of two children, and I’ve lived in the same house in Omaha my whole life. I attended Mary Our Queen grade school, then went to Skutt Catholic High School. At Skutt, I was active in Choir, Band, and Guardians, an all-male prayer group. Through all three of these activities, the Lord surrounded me with amazing people when I didn’t even realize it. When He made his presence and love known to me, I had a perfect group around me to help cultivate my new fire for the faith, and that fire illuminated a desire for something more, and I felt a call to the Priesthood.

I discerned that I needed more time to allow the Lord to define the call he was giving to me, so I attend the University of Nebraska Lincoln, joined Phi Kappa Theta, an amazing Catholic fraternity there, and was active at the Newman Center. I loved the community and spent time altar serving, adoring Christ in the Eucharist, or even just having conversations in the lobby, I even became a Janitor there! Through my Fraternity, I was shown authentic Catholic masculinity and had such an amazing group of men who were all walking toward God together, supporting each other along the way. The priests and students at the Newman Center helped me learn how I am viewed by God, as His  beloved son, and that he created me the way I am with a perfect plan in mind for me. Toward the end of my year, God made his plan for me clear, that I was ready to discern a priestly vocation in Seminary.

I will be attending Saint John Vianney College Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I’m really excited to live in community with my brother seminarians and to discern God’s plan for our lives together.

To any man discerning the priesthood, focus less on yourself and more on God. There is a common saying: “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called”, and it is absolutely true. Do not focus too heavily on your weaknesses, open those areas of your heart up to Him, and He will flood you with His grace! He sees and loves you as you are, but also knows exactly how to lead you to the person he created you to be, and in that journey, He may call you to discern a religious vocation. Trust Him and enter into it!

Thank you all for your prayers for all Seminarians, I know that I have benefitted from them, and I’m so thankful for all the ways that the Lord is present in the Archdiocese of Omaha!

RETURN TO SEMINARIANS

Hey! I’m Zach Eischeid. I grew up in Elgin, Nebraska and belong to the Saint Boniface Parish. I attended Saint Boniface Elementary and graduated from Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School. Saint Boniface Parish is a great place to learn about the Faith with our schools and to see so many parishioners helping each other and our parish in a myriad of ways.

My discernment has been around for as long as I can remember. Since I was a toddler, the priesthood always amazed me. However, around junior high, I kept pushing it to the back of my mind because I didn’t want to be labeled as that “extra-religious guy.” After graduating, I decided to attend Benedictine College to major in Theology. Towards the end of my first year at Benedictine, while at my sister’s wedding dance, I oddly had a strong feeling about seminary. A month later, I attended the priest ordination while teaching Totus Tuus, and started weeping during the procession in the cathedral. This sign was big encouragement in finally giving my future in God’s hands. I am currently at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis and have made many fraternal friendships, as we are all on the same journey of striving to be what God wants us to be.

For all those with even an inkling about entering seminary, I encourage you to be open to it. Pray about it, frequent the sacraments, and remember: “You were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” And remember, every priest and seminarian has gone through what you are going through.

In my down time, I like playing any sport, especially basketball and baseball, jamming on the ukulele, listening to Christian rap, watching Nebraska football, and combating heresy.