Thomas Matya
Pastoral Internship
Kenrick-Glennon Seminary
Hello! I am Thomas Matya. I attend St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Gretna and I graduated from Gretna High School in 2016. I am the oldest of five children and have lived in Omaha my entire life.
I first thought of being a priest when I was younger, after receiving my First Communion. I used to “celebrate Mass” with my siblings using my little missal and crackers. Through middle school and my first two years of high school, I did not give much thought about being a priest. My pastor, Fr. Norman Hunke, planted the seeds when he suggested I think about being a priest when I was in seventh or eighth grade. I began to pray more deeply about becoming a priest as I entered my junior year of high school. I attended a day retreat with the seminarians of the Archdiocese and that introduced me the joy they experienced. I also attended a seminary visit to St. John Vianney Seminary that year. Going on the seminary visit helped answer many questions about what seminary would be like and it helped dispel many fears.
I said yes to entering seminary as God had removed all the obstacles to entering it. I am currently enrolled at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, but I am doing a pastoral internship at a parish in my diocese.
To any men considering the priesthood, pray for the grace to open yourself up to God’s will. He will never send you where His grace cannot sustain you. Frequent Confession as well as visiting the Blessed Sacrament will help you to be open to His grace.