Two ordained Jesuit priests

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

Two members of the USA Central and Southern (UCS) Province of the Society of Jesus –  Daniel J. Everson and J. Michael Mohr – were ordained priests on June 8 in St. Louis. St. Louis Archbishop Emeritus Robert J. Carlson presided at the sacred liturgy at St. Francis Xavier College Church.

Everson and Mohr are among 19 Jesuits to be ordained in the United States, Canada and Haiti this year. All have undergone extensive and holistic training intentionally designed to equip them to serve as pastors, educators, ministers and leaders in the Catholic church.

Everson, a native of St. Louis, graduated from the University of Missouri and then joined the Jesuits’ Alum Service Corps (ASC). He entered the Jesuit Novitiate of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, in 2013. After ordination, Father Everson will return to Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver to serve as assistant principal for mission.

Mohr, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, graduated from Catholic High School, where he first began thinking about religious life thanks to the witness of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. He entered the Society of Jesus at the Jesuit Novitiate of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, in August 2013, alongside Everson. 

Much of Mohr’s formation was shaped by numerous international experiences of service and study, including Spanish studies in Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico; service with Indigenous communities in Guyana; pastoral work in Belize; teaching English in Vietnam to brother Jesuits; working with Jesuit Refugee Service in Uganda; and studying theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. During his three years in Rome, Michael participated in Living Stones, a young adult group focused on spiritual formation and giving faith-based art and architectural visits through different churches.

After ordination, Father Mohr will pursue a licentiate in sacred theology at the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry.