Nigerian, Kevin Okafor, will be ordained a Catholic priest on June 20 in Philadelphia, United States by Archbishop Nelson Perez.
The ordination will mark the end of an almost three-decade journey for the 39-year-old, CatholicPhilly reports.
Deacon Okafor was born in Ojoto, Anambra State. He is the sixth of seven children of devout Catholics, Simon (now deceased) and Rosalina Okafor.
During his childhood, Okafor would often accompany his mother to morning Mass at his local parish, St. Paul Church.
“I had that passion to be a priest from the time I was a young boy,” he recalled.
The Nigerian attended minor seminaries from junior high school and then proceeded to major seminaries. He also studied at the University of Ibadan.
In 2014, he went to the US to work as a layman in the mission fields with the Theatine Fathers in Colorado.
Okafor said his mum was his inspiration as he never gave up on his dream to become a priest.
He has learnt Spanish in addition to Igbo and English.
“I wanted to continue my studies to be a priest and I talked to a friend I have in Philadelphia. He put me in touch with the vocations director and I talked to Archbishop Chaput and he allowed me to come here,” said the deacon.
Since his ordination as a deacon last year, Okafor has been in ministry at St. Andrew Parish in Newtown.
His first Mass as a priest after ordination will be celebrated at St. Martin of Tours Parish where he worshipped when he first arrived in Philadelphia.
“I’m looking forward to my ordination and I thank God I am here. I hope to be a good, holy priest for Philadelphia, to be there for the people and to do the will of God,” he said.
