I was born into a devout Catholic family with four siblings and grew up in the eastern part of Nigeria. Although I took my faith journey seriously during my youth, I never really considered becoming a priest. I admired the engineering profession and looked forward to marriage, though I didn’t put much effort into dating.
After graduating from college, I moved to the U.S to pursue a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering. All my dreams of becoming a fulfilled and successful engineer were coming to fruition, and my family was proud of me for bringing them hope as they had faced hardships. However, I encountered numerous challenges during my graduate studies. In those trying moments, thoughts of the serving the Lord as a priest would occasionally cross my mind, though I didn’t nurture them. By the grace of God, I persevered in my program, graduated in 2022, and I moved to Oregon to start my first industry job as a Process Engineer at Intel. While I felt a great sense of achievement, something was still missing for me to be fulfilled. I was still a single man yet to find his vocation.
Joining the Legion of Mary at St. Juan Diego Parish, deepened my faith through active involvement in door-to-door evangelization, homebound ministry, nursing home visits, and assisting with confirmation classes. I enjoyed the opportunity to experience ministerial and pastoral works firsthand. Additionally, my consistent participation in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist were instrumental in both my spiritual growth and discernment of a vocation to the priesthood.
My first invitation to pursue priesthood came from Abouna Jonathan, a Maronite Abbot. We met each other after a Mass at Our Lady of Peace Retreat Center, and he said to me, “You should become a priest or a brother!” The following day, I intentionally avoided him and attended Mass at St. Matthew Parish, where the topic came up again while I was helping Fr. Mario Rodriguez-Garcia, MSpS with some work after Mass. I decided to take the idea more seriously.
I enjoyed being an engineer and working with my team, which made it difficult to consider leaving my career. At the time, Intel was undergoing mass layoffs, so in my prayers I asked the Lord to grant that I would get laid off as an additional sign that I was being called to pursue the priesthood. However, despite two consecutive rounds of retrenchments, this did not happen. God wanted me to embrace His calling freely, not out of circumstance.
I also realized that this calling would need to be validated by the Church, ensuring that I could not be alone in my discernment. This realization gave me courage. I asked Fr. Mario to be my spiritual director to talk about what the Lord was putting on my heart. He was instrumental in helping me overcome my fears and assumptions of discerning the priesthood at seminary. My discernment is still a work in progress. I thank you for your support and I humbly ask for your prayers.
Prayer for Our Seminarians
Lord Jesus, as you once called the first disciples to make them fishers of men, let your sweet invitation continue to resound: Come Follow Me! We thank you for the gift of these seminarians called to serve in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. Inspire them to imitate You, the Eternal High Priest, in sacrificial service to Your Church. Grant perseverance to our seminarians. Give them the graces they need to one day serve You faithfully as priests. May Your light shine through them to everyone they meet. Mary, Mother of the Church, the model of every vocation, help our seminarians to continue to say “yes” to the Lord who calls us to cooperate in the divine plan of salvation. Amen