By LOIS KINDLE
Parishioners of St. Anne Catholic Church will soon bid farewell to the pastor they’ve had for the past two decades. The Very Rev. John McEvoy is retiring July 1.
“Father John McEvoy has been a tremendous blessing to the community of St. Anne Catholic Church,” said Bishop Gregory Parkes, of the Diocese of St. Petersburg. “He has demonstrated strong leadership, heartfelt compassion and inspiring faith through his many accomplishments, such as building the new church [in Ruskin] and serving the [area’s] poor and hungry.
I’m grateful he will continue to serve in the Diocese of St. Petersburg during his retirement years.”
McEvoy came to the parish in 2003, when he was 54 years old. The church’s membership at the time included about 500 families in the South Shore area, including Apollo Beach and Ruskin. By 2006, that number had more than doubled, weekly Masses were overflowing and a capital campaign to raise funds for a new sanctuary to seat 1,300 people was started.
The new church, which replaced the original one built in 1956, was dedicated Feb. 14, 2009.
The Very Rev. John McEvoy has celebrated Mass at St. Anne Catholic Church in Ruskin for the past two decades.
Today, McEvoy is almost 75 years old, the retirement age for priests in the diocese. Parish enrollment is 3,500 families. In addition to tending a flock that’s grown exponentially during his time as pastor, McEvoy oversaw the 2016 expansion of the St. Anne Food Pantry, which now feeds 400 families per week.
As vicar forane, McEvoy speaks on behalf of the bishop in 10 area parishes, including five in South Shore: St. Anne, Ruskin; Resurrection, Riverview; St. Stephen, Riverview; Our Lady of Guadalupe, Wimauma; and Prince of Peace, Sun City Center.
He’s also served as chaplain for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, spiritual advisor to its National Disaster Committee and traveled for 10 years with North American volunteers to the world-famous healing shrine in Lourdes, France.
One of the efforts he’s glad to have been involved in is encouraging the diocese to build a school one day on the St. Anne campus.
“We have determined that St. Anne Catholic Church is the best location for a new school to be built,” Bishop Parkes said.
“As we continue to study the feasibility of a new school [there], we are grateful for Father John’s enthusiasm for bringing this project to this point.”
He will be missed
Even in small ways, McEvoy has impacted many in the parish.
The Very Rev. John McEvoy, right, shares a light moment with Paul Wiskotoni, manager of the St. Anne Food Pantry, which currently serves 400 families per week.
“Father John has served the Lord and our church with gladness – tirelessly, faithfully, and with great compassion for his flock,” said Charmaine Wagner, of Gibsonton. “I have been blessed to have him be my priest for so many years. He’s been a part of some of the biggest moments in my life. He performed my wedding ceremony when I married my husband, Mason, and we were blessed to have him baptize our son, Aiden. We’ll miss him, but we wish him the best in his retirement.”
Apollo Beach resident Melanie Davis agrees.
“Growing up, I attended St. Stephen Catholic Church in Valrico, where I knew Father John very well,” she said. “When I moved to Apollo Beach 20 years ago, I was happy to see him here.
“Father John has had a strong presence in the Ruskin community and has been very hands on during his time here,” Davis continued. “We will always look back on the “Father John” days, as a community and for me personally. He recently gave last rites to my grandmother before she passed away last October. She always thought so highly of him, and it was an honor to have him share this final sacrament with her.
“We wish him well and thank him for his leadership and the commitment to faith he has set for so many years,” Davis said.
Originally from the coastal town of Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, McEvoy celebrated his 47th anniversary as a priest June 6. On one of his visits to the United States in 1999, he was asked by St. Petersburg Diocese Bishop Robert Lynch to stay and was appointed to lead St. Michael Catholic Church in Hudson.
ST. PETERSBURG DIOCESE PHOTOS
Pictured here in his office in Ruskin, St. Anne Catholic Church pastor, The Very Rev. John McEvoy, will retire July 1. He was appointed to the parish in 2003 and has overseen its exponential growth since then.
The priest visited his mother in Ireland twice annually until she died in 2022 at age 93.
“I look forward to new opportunities to come my way in retirement, but I will miss my parishioners,” the Apollo Beach resident said. “I’ve spent a very happy 20 years at St. Anne.”
About the diocese
Led by Bishop Parkes since 2017, the Diocese of St. Petersburg is comprised of nearly 500,000 Catholics, more than 280,000 of whom are registered, and includes 75 parishes, four missions, 46 schools and early childhood centers, two universities and a variety of social service, health care, housing and pastoral ministries located within Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. Mass is celebrated in 14 languages.