By “These four years here together, he’s using not just to form you, but the one next to you, and the other ones next to you,” said Bishop Austin Vetter.
On Dec 3, 2025, Carroll students and community members came together to listen to Bishop Vetter, the current co-president of Carroll, talk about his experiences and answer questions from the community.
“Think Jesus chooses me, and that should give us all the confidence.”
Vetter shared stories of conversion, and even difficult stories he encountered during times of struggle for the Catholic church.
“You know how you stop war? In your heart. That’s where war begins and where war ends. In your heart,” said Bishop Vetter when responding to his experiences with anger against the Catholic Church.
In the midst of the stories, Vetter also shared advice, or one might say a “moral of the story.”
“Always propose, never impose,” Bishop Vetter stated on the topic of introducing the Catholic faith to someone.
Amongst the stories, Bishop Vetter answered questions asked by the community.
“Why do you like being Catholic?” –Anonymous
“Because it’s my choice. The seven sacraments are seven ways to meet Jesus for certain.
I can meet him in other ways for sure, but I don’t know for sure. I know for sure in meeting him in the seven sacraments. The second, we have a Pope.”
“Do you like red velvet cake, or what is your favorite kind of cake?-Anonymous Carroll College Senior
“Red Velvet? Never heard of it.”
Who is your favorite Saint? –Anonymous Carroll College Senior
“It depends on the day. They’re my family, it’s like asking who’s my favorite family member. My favorite Saint today is St. Francis Xavier, who, they say, probably baptised more people than Saint Paul. He baptised thousands of people.”
What is your favorite liturgy of the year? –Anonymous Carroll College Senior
“It would be the ordination or the tridium.”
When you’re discerning, how do you discern when a vocation is closed to you? –Anonymous Community member
“You can discern yourself to death…don’t overthink it…if you thought about being a religious person for more than it just dawning on you for 5 seconds, you have to be serious about that. The first thing Jesus has to get us to do to discern if we will be religious is to think about it.”
Can you speak on the role of the holy spirit in the church and our daily lives?-Anonymous Carroll Student
“In the creed, it’s in paragraphs, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit – this is where all the things about the church come under. The Holy Spirit is what we’re living. God the Father is the life of it all. And it is all together…God works through history; the daily events of our lives are God at work, begging us, drawing us, into disciples of Jesus to change the world. But not forcing us. And there is an evil spirit, and they are both fighting for us. Because that is how much God wants us.”
