Deacon Jordan Evans was already a missionary for Christ. But another distinct calling emerged when he went on an eight-day silent retreat in 2018.
“I was actually dating somebody at the time,” said Deacon Evans, 29. “But I was moved to prayer with the passage of the call of St. Peter, which is Luke Chapter 5. And that last line of the passage reads, ‘They left everything and followed him.’ ”
Another spiritual encounter sealed the deal, putting him on the path to seminary. “Specifically praying about baptizing a child came to my mind and my heart,” he said. “And as I imagined myself as a priest baptizing somebody, my heart just ignited with a desire to be a priest. It was kind of scary at first because I was in a relationship, but the desire never went away. And at some point, I knew I had to give God the chance.”
As a mechanical engineering student at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Deacon Evans led Bible studies and, after graduating in 2017, he went on to serve as a FOCUS college campus missionary for two years, where he learned the rigors of the spiritual disciplines.
“The rhythm of going to daily Mass and praying the holy hours was an expectation for missionaries, so there were priestly elements in my life,” he said. “I loved my time as a missionary. I described it to people as having front row seats to peoples’ conversion stories.”
As a priest, Deacon Evans will carry on the spirit of conversion he knew as a missionary, and as a “Philadelphia” seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, now located in Lower Gwynedd, Pa. The seminary has a long history with the Arlington diocese, beginning with Bishop Thomas J. Welsh, and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, both of whom were seminarians who went on to become rectors there.
Deacon Evans, who was ordained a transitional deacon April 6, 2024, has been part of a tight-knit group of evangelically minded Arlington seminarians at St. Charles. “I’m filled with gratitude,” he said. “It’s been such a tremendous experience the last six years. All the guys that I’ve known here from the seminary who have become priests are men who inspire me to be a saint. To serve alongside them and to be part of that brotherhood is tremendous.”
Deacon Evans, who will serve as parochial vicar at Nativity Catholic Church in Burke, said that he’s ready to become a priest but laughs that he’s still practicing the prayer of absolution to be ready when he steps into the confessional for the first time in the person of Christ. “In the Easter Vigil, there’s a line, ‘I am unworthy to be numbered among the Levites,’ ” he said. “Just thinking about that, and all the great ministers of the altar, gives me chills.”
