Eius: Through Casey's Lens

Casey Schaffer is a videographer and editor at LuxLab Production House and was a key player in the digital storytelling for the building of Eius at Catholic Leadership Institute. He routinely interviewed bishops, priests, and lay leaders to capture their perspectives about ongoing formation for priests. He also worked with training experts to film video components to the Eius curriculum. We asked Casey about his experience with the making of Eius and he shared the following insights.

Q. How has this experience of walking alongside clergy and capturing their stories influenced your own faith journey or view of the Church?

Working on the Eius project gave me a beautiful opportunity to grow closer with the brave men whom God has called into His service. I now have a more complete picture of priestly ministry and how lay Catholics can play a crucial role in helping priests to fulfill their mission and, by extension, fulfill the mission of the Church.

My first takeaway has been that priests are people just like me. They carry with them many of the same struggles that we all do, including loneliness. In seminary, they are surrounded by men on the same journey who support each other as they grow and learn together. Once ordained and assigned to a parish, however, that built-in community often disappears.

Working on Eius changed the way I see my own relationships with priests and how I can better serve my community as a lay Catholic. Many priests enter leadership full of zeal yet encounter the weight of expectations from parishes hesitant to change. That reality can be discouraging, and it opened my eyes to how much they need our support, encouragement, and understanding.

I know now that I’m called not just to receive from our priests, but to walk with them. Often, that means presenting ideas or feedback tactfully and with compassion or stepping in and serving with our own gifts to help lighten their load and bring their pastoral vision to life. Helping our priests as lay Catholics requires patience, understanding, cooperation, and prayer. We are called just as they are to serve our community. Praying daily for our priests is a simple, but powerful way of supporting them as well.

Q. Throughout Eius, you also spent time with bishops from across the country. What did you learn about them?

In my conversations with bishops, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they are men caring for a family of souls, with fears, stresses, hopes and very often, with a good sense of humor. In the past, I had put bishops on a pedestal thinking that they were above ordinary struggles. Instead, while working on Eius, I discovered them to be a group of men dedicated to doing their best to serve in an incredibly demanding vocation.

I knew the demands on their time were great, but I did not realize the extent of them. Many bishops shared with me that they started their episcopal role with little training or solid support system, learning the ropes of the new ministry on their own.

Despite all the responsibilities they face, I was struck in our conversations by how deeply they cared not only for their flock, but especially for the priests entrusted to them. They were once parish priests themselves, so they intimately understand the daily challenges that their clergy face. As a result, many of them try to stay connected to the needs of their priests.

Q. If you could share a message with the priests you met along the way, what would you want to tell them as a collective group?

The message I’d share with priests is to never lose sight of why you got into ministry and to do everything you can to keep that passion alive. A priest who is on fire with love for Christ and His Church is a powerful witness. That kind of joy and zeal is contagious. It draws people closer to God and reignites faith in others.

If you are feeling lonely, discouraged, or burnt out in your ministry, rediscovering that fire is the crucial first step in reclaiming your vocation. One priest I interviewed at the Priests for an Apostolic Age Conference in San Antonio said, “The priest doesn’t have to be Superman.” I think that wisdom is worth remembering. You’re not meant to carry everything alone. If you rely solely on your own strength, you will eventually burn out. Take the necessary time in your daily habits to make sure you are physically and spiritually nourished. If you are feeling weighed down by leadership and administrative aspects of your mission, take steps to learn and develop those skills.

I heard a homily recently about asking St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things, not only to help us find physical things we’ve lost, but also to find joy and passion in our vocation when it has gone missing. I pray for priests in this same way. Pray to rediscover and maintain your fire and joy for ministry. A parish that catches that spark becomes a community alive in faith.

Q. What would you say to young men discerning a call to the priesthood after seeing so many examples of priestly life up close?

While priestly ministry can seem daunting, there is great joy, purpose, adventure, and excitement in the priesthood. I’ve found that many of them are among the most happy and joyful people I’ve ever met. That joy comes from their trust in God and willingness to let Him work through them.

The need is great. We live in a time where fewer and fewer men are answering the call to the priesthood. Offering your life in this way to the Church satisfies a deep need in our Catholic community.

If you think you have been given the gifts to support a priestly ministry and find peace in the decision to join seminary, trust that God gave you those gifts for a reason and that He will guide your steps. You will not walk this path alone. Be brave. Trust in God. Answer the call.