Introducing our new priests
In this article, we share interviews with six new priests serving (or preparing to serve) in our archdiocese. We ask them about their vocations and what they look forward to in their ministry here.
Tell us about your vocation and how you became drawn to the priesthood.
“My journey to the priesthood began at a very tender age. One day I was observing my parish priest celebrating the Holy Mass, especially how he was cleaning the chalice with devotion after communion (ablution), I felt at that moment that this is what God wants me to do.
“I followed up by telling my primary 3 teacher that I will be a priest, as she was asking all of us what we would like to be in the future. My answer was, of course, both shocking and strange because nobody from the town has ever been a priest or even knew how to be a priest. Three years later, the entrance form for the minor seminary was announced in our church. I pestered my parents to buy the form for me. At first, my father thought that it was just an infantile fantasy, but upon my insistence, my mother believed me, and she spoke to my father. After a sincere heart to heart discussion between us, they agreed to buy the form for me. Thenceforth, I started my journey.”
What would you say is the greatest joy of your priesthood?
“I would consider it to be that a humble child like me, from a village where we saw a priest only about once a month, became a priest! I am always overwhelmed whenever I think about it, how I discerned God’s plan for me, my vocation, right from such a tender age! It keeps dawning more on me as I continue to realize what the priesthood is about. As often as I think of these things, I ask, God who I am?”
What has been the greatest challenge of your priesthood?
“The greatest challenge for me has always been the fear of not doing enough! Not being a priest enough as God would want me to be. Not living up to the great graces bestowed on me by God. At my ordination, I wrote in my prayer card, ’Lord may no one who believe in you find me a scandal for their faith.’ Like St Augustine, I am frightened, knowing the enormous duties and high responsibilities of the priesthood. It is a vocation that places the responsibility of my actions on me but also makes the salvation of many dependent partly on my ministry and life. Therefore, I always worry about not doing enough in comparison with the bountiful graces God has given me. My hope and courage come from knowing that it does not all depend on me, that the priesthood is not my own, that God is the true owner of the vineyard, and that I am a simple poor instrument called to share in the mission of the Redeemer. Hence, I repose my trust in Him and hope that He perfects the little I am enabled to do. That is why, like St Paul, I am not held down, rather, I am still striving, moving on, to capture the prize for which Christ Jesus captured me (Phil 3:12-13).”
What are you looking forward to experience during your ministry here?
“I look forward to experiencing more growth in my person, my priestly life and ministry. I look forward to acquiring more awareness of the universality of the message of the Faith. My joy would be to experience the expressions of the Gospel message in the cultures of the different peoples of this archdiocese. As a lover of the Wisdom Literature, I appreciate God’s self-communication in His created nature, cultures, peoples, and their experiences. I hope to perceive this divine self-revelation in the peoples and cultures of this nation in general and the archdiocese in particular. On my part too, I look forward to contributing to the peoples’ appreciation of the divine message, through my own testimony of faith and ministry. I hope that it will be a symbiotic faith encounter.”
Tell us about your vocation and how you became drawn to the priesthood.
“I grew up with priests, friends of the family, who would visit often. But it is only at age 13 that I realized that I also could be a religious and a priest. The Jesuits were having a ‘Come and See’ weekend and the young men presented it to us at Sunday Mass at my local parish. I had not realized, at the time, that there were young men, not much older than me, who would be interested in discerning the priesthood.
“That did not last long and I forgot all about it throughout my teenage years. At 19-years-old the call came back. This time it was stronger. I was in a relationship with a young woman and wondered where God was really calling me. I remember thinking: “Well, I will not know if I do not go and verify”. So, I went to my Pastor who was a Redemptorist. He asked me: “What kind of priest do you want to be?” (because there are diocesan priests and religious who become priests). To what I responded: “I want to be a priest like you!”. And so, I contacted their Vocations Director and slowly, through my experiences, verified this calling which turned out to be real.”
What would you say is the greatest joy of your priesthood?
“My greatest joy in being a priest is helping people get closer to the Lord. I find that many people (even Catholics) think that being a priest is a job and that we have to say what we say because this is our job. Would a happily married man or woman say this about their couple or about raising children? Being a religious and a priest is a vocation and a passion. Like any Christian vocation, without the assurance of a call from God and a passion for His people, there is no way to survive and we give up. As a priest, when I am used by God, through the sacraments and other encounters, to help people heal and grow in their relationship with Him, it is a great joy and makes all the difficult times worthwhile.”
What has been the greatest challenge of your priesthood?
“The greatest challenge of my priesthood has been to constantly adjust to our fast-changing world. When I became a priest, we didn’t talk about MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) and the Gender Theory (better known to us as LGBTQIA2S+ reality). The Internet, and especially social media, almost did not exist. This challenge has been for every generation, but the fast-pace of our world and the easy flow of information throughout society, makes it more difficult to adjust to these new realities. Having to face the sin of some Catholics in the past, in sexual abuses and in the history of Residential Schools, have also been a great challenge for me. How difficult it is to be a witness of Christ, when others who also proclaimed themselves witnesses of Christ did these things.”
What are you looking forward to experiencing during your ministry here?
During my ministry in the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan, I am looking forward to experiencing Alberta and its people. I have moved many times since I have been a Redemptorist, but I have always lived in the Eastern provinces when in Canada. I love to discover the differences in cultures and traditions, and getting to meet people. I hope I will be a helpful member of the Church in Grouard-McLennan and a support to its Archbishop, its priests and the faithful.”
Tell us about your vocation and how you became drawn to the priesthood?
“I’ve always wanted to be a priest and I was discerning the priesthood since I was in high school. After Grade 10 I joined the seminary with the Redemptorists and was there for my Grade 11 and Grade 12, and then went on to study theology and philosophy. I was ordained in 2002 and I’ve been in Canada since 2014.”
What would you say is the greatest joy of your priesthood?
“Preaching at retreats is something I enjoy. Especially in India, we would do mission preaching – being with a parish for a full two weeks as a team. We visit with all the Catholic families of the parish for the first week, and then for the second week we preach all throughout the week, dealing with different themes of the Faith.”
What has been the greatest challenge of your priesthood?
“Each day is a challenge in its own way, but there are not many particular challenges. ”
What are you looking forward to experiencing during your ministry here?
“Slowly, it’s starting to get busy for me here in Grande Prairie. I’m looking forward to the snow – and that will be one challenge. I was in Vancouver before so it will be a colder experience here. We’ll see what happens. It will be a test. But I am enjoying Grande Prairie so far.”
Tell us about your vocation and how you became drawn to the priesthood?
“My interest in the Catholic priesthood started when I was very small; say about six to seven years old. My father would always take me to Mass every morning. At first, I was not comfortable with that because it was disturbing my early morning sleep. However, with time I began to appreciate what the priest was doing and my interest in the priesthood started forming. I told my dad that I would like to be like Fr. James (that was the name of our parish priest then) to do all the same things he does. It may have seemed like a joke at first, but it came to be true.”
What would you say is the greatest joy of your priesthood?
“My greatest joy in the priesthood is to serve God and humanity. I see it as a very big privilege to serve God in a special way. I see it as the greatest gift – not merited, but given by God. On the part of humanity, I derive much joy in bringing people closer to God through my words and actions: to encourage and counsel people in their difficulties and challenges; to see that people are happy around me despite whatever challenges they face. If I’m able to bring joy, happiness and a smile to people, my own joy becomes boundless.”
What has been the greatest challenge of your priesthood?
“My priesthood without doubt has had some challenges. Most often, the condition of the place of my apostolate could create some difficulties. I once worked in a parish that had no road and, during the rainy season, I had to park my car and walk miles by foot to the parish or to other places for Mass. Many times, I slipped and fell even under my cassock. It was a very big challenge but when I remembered the reason for the ordeal, I became consoled. Another challenge is that at times I feel the absence of direct family love – children and a wife. I always tell myself that the sacrifice of Christ and His love is worth more.”
What are you looking forward to experiencing during your ministry here?
“The Catholic Church is one in both tradition and ministry despites the different cultures. I hope to continue and extend the ministry that I have done in Nigeria for more that eleven years, while still being open to accepting new cultural changes that would help me to disseminate the Good News here in the Archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan. I also hope to experience a new approach to the Mass, which here often does not last more than one hour.”
Tell us about your vocation and how you became drawn to the priesthood?
“I strongly believe in the calling given to me by God to be a priest and to serve the people. He knew me and chose me to minister in His vineyard. I felt the calling of God to be a priest from my early school days. I used to be regular for all the spiritual activities in our native parish church. I was closely associated with my parish priest for altar service and that motivated me in my early stages of life to become a priest later in my life. Having been led by the Spirit of God, I chose to enter the seminary and dedicate my life at the service of God and his people.”
What would you say is the greatest joy of your priesthood?
“At first the greatest joy of my priesthood is to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and cater to the pastoral needs of the faithful. As the servant of God, it gives me a lot of energy to be faithful to my priestly ministry. Secondly, the fond relationship I have with Mary Our Mother and her powerful intercession for the success of my priestly ministry. As a beloved son of Mary, I wish to cherish her intervention in all walks of my life.”
What has been the greatest challenge of your priesthood?
“While reflecting about the greatest challenge, in my opinion, to be a priest in the modern world has become a challenge in itself. I am sure God is at our side and He leads us with his Spirit. He gives me the strength to undergo the challenges that come along the way. I will be a faithful servant of Him who called me and gave me the greatest gift – priesthood.”
What are you looking forward to experiencing during your ministry here?
“I had requested to the Archbishop, through the Superior of my congregation, to be given a place in the diocese to have my international pastoral experience. The Archbishop had accepted my request in his kindness. Therefore, I am faithful to him and the Archdiocese. I am sure, through the help of God’s Spirit and the powerful intercession of Our Beloved Mother, I can fulfill my duty well without any selfish ambitions.”
Tell us about your vocation and how you became drawn to the priesthood?
“My calling to the priesthood started from childhood when I had the zeal and desire for the things of God. This led me to join the altar servers association in my parish and then to become close to my parish priest who inspired me more through his celebration of the liturgy. Later when I finished my university studies, I applied and was accepted into the Sons of Mary Mother of Mercy Congregation.”
What would you say is the greatest joy of your priesthood?
“My greatest joy in the Catholic priesthood is the celebration of the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), adoring the Blessed Eucharist and encountering the people of God. The celebration of the sacraments gives my life fulfillment.”
What has been the greatest challenge of your priesthood?
“Life is full of challenges, and it is likewise with the call to the Catholic priesthood. But I take solace in the words of Christ which says; “if you want to be my disciple, take up your cross and follow me (Matt 16: 24-26). Priesthood always reminds me to donate my time for the interest of others, following Christ’s example.”
What are you looking forward to experiencing during your ministry here?
“I am open to the will of God as I begin my priestly ministry in this Archdiocese. I hope to touch lives and also experience the people and their culture. I am committed and open to new things and pray that God’s will be done.”