Seminarian Deacon Paul Zach

Rosholt, SD
Theology IV
Saint Paul Seminary - St. Paul, MN

Dcn. Paul Zach grew up in Rosholt, SD. The thought of the priesthood came to him at an early age, but life as a priest was not initially desireable and he tried his best to get that thought out of his mind! Nevertheless, his Catholic faith was important and he wanted to take it seriously. He observed that the more he deepened his faith the more the thought of the priesthood would come up. He went through college never being able to completely shake the idea that God might be calling him to be a priest. After graduating from North Dakota State College of Science with an associate’s degree in electrical technology, he began to dive even deeper into his faith. After a powerful and meaningful experience of God's mercy in the confessional the thought of the priesthood begin to attract him. He realized the question of the priesthood would likely never leave him and so it was God's will that he discern the possibility of a priestly vocation authentically in seminary. He applied and was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Fargo in April of 2020. He immersed himself in the daily habits of prayer and study at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, NE where he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in May 2023. Deacon Paul is in his final year of formation at Saint Paul Seminary in Minnesota.