By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
Before Diocese of Dallas seminarian Nick Weiss considered a call to the priesthood, he had a few other paths in mind, his parents said. As a child, he dreamed he would become a paleontologist. Then he set his sights on a career in video game design. As he grew into adolescence, he put aside dreams of dinosaur skulls and gaming systems to pursue a new calling, this time to the priesthood — and he has not looked back since. Nick’s parents, Amy and Corey Weiss, reminisced on this journey from childhood whimsy to God-given vocation and divulged their own experience of accompanying a child through the discernment process.
Looking back, the St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church parishioners could not pinpoint a lone event that catalyzed their son’s pursuit of priesthood. A lot of factors — from homeschooling to altar serving — probably contributed.
“We were always at church; and he was involved with the youth group all the time,” his father, Corey, said. Nick’s homeschool education also gave him the freedom to attend daily Mass, which may have been another factor in his discernment; but ultimately, Corey said, “The Pines was probably his biggest influence in becoming a priest.”
Nick first attended The Pines Catholic Camp, a faith-based camp set in the timbered town of Big Sandy, Texas, when he was about 9 years old. He was hooked from the start.
“The first year he came home from The Pines, he was so excited about the Catholic faith,” Amy remembered. “I think that was a big thing that influenced him. You’re away from your phone; you’re away from technology; and you have some quiet time to experience adoration, confession, but also while having fun and building relationships.”
As Nick attended The Pines, he felt a tug toward service to the Church; and, at 11 years old, he began dreaming of one day becoming a deacon. This desire grew and evolved, so that by his senior year of high school, he was set on entering the seminary to discern a priestly vocation.
For Corey and Amy, this was a surprising development.
“I was surprised only because it’s such a rare thing,” Amy said. “It took a minute, and then it was almost exciting. We were like, ‘Okay, let’s figure out how to help him get where he needs to be to start the discernment process.’”
‘A learning process’
Although fully supportive of their son’s call, the Weisses were initially unsure how to guide Nick through the process of joining the seminary. After all, they had never had a child discern that path before.
“We didn’t know the whole process of becoming a priest and what the education was like during college and that kind of thing… There were a lot of unknowns,” Amy said. “It was a learning process for us.”
She and her husband took to the internet to find answers, typing their queries into the search bar — How do you join a seminary? What if you discern out? — and perusing the results that popped up.
“I don’t remember it being stressful,” Corey said of the experience, “but it was frustrating sometimes.”
Eventually, the couple found success: After graduating high school, Nick entered Holy Trinity Seminary in 2017, before continuing his formation at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans in 2021.
A new community
With Nick officially in the seminary, Amy and Corey discovered a new resource for understanding the formation process: other parents of seminarians. Suddenly, the two could lean on this community of parents for the guidance they previously sought via search engine. They could also rely on the priests at the seminary for answers to their questions, along with the seminarians themselves.
“One of the big things I’ve enjoyed the most is meeting the other seminarians,” Amy said. “They’re all so different,” with some seminarians possessing more outgoing personalities, for example, while others are quiet or bookish, “but they’re discerning the same priestly vocation.”
Reflecting on their experience of parenting a seminarian, Amy and Corey said they now have a deeper appreciation for priests and seminarians, especially for all the work that goes into their formation.
“Growing up, you just thought they were priests, but going through this process of meeting so many of the young priests and the seminarians — they’re just kids,” Corey said. “Yes, they’re holy… but they’re regular people.”
“I didn’t realize until Nick was in seminary how much they need our prayers and our support,” Amy added. “However you can pray for them, pray for them.”
Editor’s note: This article is the second in a three-part series sharing stories of religious and priestly vocations from the perspective of the parents.
Cutline for featured image: Diocese of Dallas seminarian Nick Weiss, center, poses for a picture with family members, from left, Zack Weiss, Corey Weiss, Amy Weiss, Luke Weiss, and Michael Weiss. (Weiss family photo)
