I was born, raised and attended school in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. I completed my high school and college education in Nigeria, where I also began seminary formation while in junior high school (this is my seventeenth year in seminary formation). I have earned Bachelor-in-Arts (B.A) and Bachelor-in-Philosophy (B.Phil) Degrees.
I think of myself as cheerful, happy, caring, outgoing, firm and loving. My hobbies include reading, listening to music, traveling, doing charitable works and playing sorts. I try to be transparent and straightforward in all my actions, taking away pretense. I am determined to achieve and exceed goals, working hard to achieve them and never giving up. Nothing is easy to achieve in life, for greatness is achieved through 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration. I strongly believe that one has to work hard to achieve success.
My first visit to the States was in September 2002, after which I returned to Nigeria. There I worked in various ministries as a seminarian in my home diocese of Orlu --- teaching Catechism classes, reflecting and teaching on the Gospels in prayer services, visiting and praying for the sick, dying and healthy and helping to uplift the religious and pious societies in various parishes.
Through my experiences in these ministries I learned much about myself --- most particularly, never to relent, always be firm and courageous in all my endeavors and to keep on looking unto Jesus in all my struggles.
Upon returning to Los Angeles, I worked as a volunteer at St. Peter Claver Center on Jefferson Boulevard in Los Angeles, feeding and caring for the homeless and the poor around that area, as well as assisting and training altar servers at St. Bernadette Church, Baldwin Hills. I also worked in Holy Trinity Church in San Pedro for ten months, in which I gained a variety of knowledge and wisdom as well as experience on what it means to be a true servant of God's people.
This helped re-emphasize the essence of spirituality, which for me is to attain perfection in God, overcome evil and to be a true disciple of Christ in my thoughts, words and actions. For this I will always strive to be a good Catholic, one who has a place for personal and communal prayers in his life, because they unite me with the Mystical body of Christ together in one love, one faith and one baptism. It helps show me the unity existing among the Church's triumphant, the Church's militant and the Church's suffering, and solidifies my relationship with God all the more.
My personal prayer life includes reciting daily the Divine Office, the Rosary and other devotional prayers, and attending Eucharistic celebrations. I gladly say that these are the most essential tools in helping nurture me as a good human being and as a priest in future.
At the moment, I am a third-year theology student at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, because I am convinced that God has called me to serve him as a priest. I have accepted and promised to be his instrument to spread his Gospel of love to all. This is part of a periodic series spotlighting those in formation for priesthood for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. For information on priesthood, contact the Office of Vocations, (213) 637-7248. |