Philip William Gardner

Formation Stage: Propaedeutic

Archdiocese: Galveston-Houston

Hometown: Kingwood, TX

Home Parish: St. Martha, Kingwood

I grew up in a Catholic household but never took my faith seriously. It wasn’t until a retreat in the summer of 2021 that I encountered the Lord and began pursuing sanctity. Through the influence of holy priests and seminarians, the Holy Rosary, and frequent reception of the Sacraments, I fell in love with the Lord. Eventually, I reached a point where every time I approached the Blessed Sacrament, I felt a deep desire to become a priest. In my senior year of high school, I contacted my vocations director, began my application, and was accepted as a seminarian.

I have an ancestor who died at the Alamo. He was Mexican. Not Texan.