Nigerian priests minister in Indianapolis South Deanery parishes

By Sean Gallagher

When Father Michael Osemene moved from southern Nigeria to Indianapolis earlier this summer, he had to adjust to many changes—the weather not the least of them.

“For now, it’s not too different. When winter comes, I think I’ll want to go back,” Father Osemene said with a laugh.

Serving as the associate pastor of St. Jude Parish in Indianapolis, Father Osemene lives just minutes away from a friend, Father Dominic Chukwudi, who is an associate pastor of St. Barnabas Parish.

The two priests are from the Diocese of Issele-Uku in Nigeria. They began their ministry in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on July 5.

Although Nigeria and Indiana are separated by thousands of miles and many cultural differences, the two places are bound by the Catholic faith that is firmly rooted in both.

The journey of Father Osemene and Father Chukwudi to Indiana started with a casual conversation between Bishop Michael Odogwu Elue of Issele-Uku and Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, archdiocesan vicar general, in 2005, when the African prelate was in Indianapolis to visit a priest from his diocese serving as a chaplain at St. Vincent Hospital.

Msgr. Schaedel did not ask Bishop Elue for priests from his diocese to serve in archdiocesan parishes. But a couple of months later, Bishop Elue proposed sending some of his priests here.

“We took the bishop up on his offer,” Msgr. Schaedel said. “I think the plan is for them to stay probably about five years.”

The two priests who are here served in high positions of leadership in their home diocese before coming to Indiana. Father Chukwudi was the chancellor of his diocese, and Father Osemene held an office that is equivalent to a dean here.

Because of their experience and their expected length of stay in the archdiocese, the priests might eventually be assigned to become parish administrators, according to Msgr. Schaedel.

So far, both priests have found a warm welcome from the people in their parishes.

“They’re receptive, welcoming,” said Father Osemene. “My pastor, Father Steve [Banet], gives me a free hand to prepare my African food. He wants me to feel at home.”

But as warm as their welcome was, the deep cultural differences between Nigeria and the United States needed to be addressed in order to help the priests minister here more effectively.

About two months after they arrived, Father Osemene and Father Chukwudi began participating in the International Priest Internship at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio.

The program helps priests from foreign countries adjust to the particular cultural and pastoral setting in the United States.

Father Chukwudi and Father Osemene studied in San Antonio for approximately a month, and will continue working in the program during the coming year while ministering in Indianapolis.

But even before starting the program, Father Chukwudi knew that his experience ministering in the archdiocese would prove beneficial for his home diocese.

“In Nigeria, most of the time, the priest does everything,” he said. “But here, the lay people are empowered. I believe it’s going to help us back home in Nigeria to empower lay people to go into different ministries, such as ministry to the sick … .”

On the other hand, Father Chukwudi recognized that there are traits of the Church in Nigeria that American Catholics would do well to emulate.

In particular, he noted that Nigerian Catholics place a high value on their sense of community while Catholics in the United States sometimes are influenced by the spirit of individualism in the prevailing culture.

However, Father Chukwudi said that the presence of small Christian communities in St. Barnabas Parish, where he serves, and other archdiocesan parishes can bring Catholics closer together in faith.

“More emphasis should be placed on them, and people should be encouraged to participate actively in them,” he said. “It will help them to know one another, to know those who are in need, to help one another especially during times of need, sharing each other’s problems, each other’s sorrows.”

The pastor under whom Father Chukwudi serves, Father James Farrell, is in a good position to minister with his Nigerian counterpart, having ministered in Uganda on several trips to the East African country.

His own pastoral experience in Africa has helped him value the willingness of the two priests from Issele-Uku to come to America.

“The missionaries who leave here and go to Africa or the other countries that they go to embrace a lot of hardship,” Father Farrell said. “But they go willingly.

“… [Father Chukwudi] didn’t choose to come to the United States. He didn’t ask. He wasn’t standing in line. His bishop asked him to do this, and he agreed because of his respect for his bishop. And I think that’s one of the things that I have grown to appreciate in Father Dominic, that he really takes his vow of obedience very seriously.”

Father Farrell also thinks that the members of St. Barnabas Parish will benefit from Father Chukwudi’s ministry among them.

“I can tell you that the people here will have been enriched by his ministry and changed by his preaching because of the perspective he brings from another part of the world that has a different outlook on material things and spiritual [things],” he said. “He has a good balance in his life.”

Despite the fruitful give and take that has already happened in the ministry of the priests from Issele-Uku, they still are touched by the fact that they are far away from home.

“Anytime I feel lonely, I drive over to Father Michael, and we sit down and chat and talk about Nigeria,” Father Chukwudi said. “We talk about our experiences back home. It kind of lifts us up when we’re down.” †