Home parish: Holy Redeemer Parish in Evansville
Anticipated Ordination Year: 2032
Parents: James and Pam Evitts
I first started seriously discerning my call to priesthood my junior year of high school when the thought of what to do after high school started a quiet yet constant voice in my prayers that kept saying I needed to take a strong look at seminary. The more I looked into seminary, the stronger the call to priesthood became. As I started to discern my call to priesthood, I first talked to my pastor Father Jason Gries about my call and how to better understand my calling from God. After Father Jason helped me better understand my calling, I then revealed to my parents my calling and was relieved to know they supported me fully in discernment to the priesthood. Another great influence in my discernment was my parish’s youth group. Even though I was not the most active in my youth group, every time I went I always felt that call from God that priesthood was the vocation he was calling me to.
The biggest supporter throughout my discernment has been my grandma Phyllis who has always been an anchor in my faith journey and always watched over me through her prayer life. After it was announced I had been formally accepted into the House of Formation, I was surprised/grateful to all the parishioners at my parish who came up to me after Mass and said how excited they were for me, but also how they had kept me in their prayers for discernment.