He Always Wanted to Become a Priest
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February 17, 2020Father Kenneth Iwunna, C.S.Sp. always wanted to become a priest. When he was a child, he attended Holy Mass every morning. There were even days on which he was late for school because of it. He was punished, but this did not stop him from going to Church. He also loved being an acolyte and the priest was his most important role model. “I liked everything that the priest did,” he explains with a smile.
His dream came true when the Nigerian, today 45 years old, joined the order of the Spiritans and actually did become a priest. He is now working in Ethiopia as a missionary. This was also a dream come true for him. “When I was still in formation, a priest returned from Ethiopia. He was a very good and modest person and I realized that I also wanted to go to Ethiopia. I knew nothing about the country, but still I wanted to go there. Before we were ordained to the priesthood, we were allowed to choose three places in the world where we would like to serve. I wrote Ethiopia as my 1st and 2nd choice and Nigeria as the third,” the priest remembers.
For seven years now, Father Kenneth Iwunna has lived as a missionary among the tribe of the Borana in southern Ethiopia. The Borana are traditionally a nomadic people, although many of the families have now become sedentary. However, a number of them still travel through the region with their herds. Father Kenneth recalls, “My first impression of the region was that it was truly extremely remote. But to work in remote regions where the Church is struggling is part of the charism of our order.” Today, he is priest of the Holy Cross Parish, which has its seat in Dhadim. Today, 5,000 of the parish’s 9,000 residents are Catholic – and their numbers are growing. A large number of people want to be baptised.
“One of the main attractions of Christianity for the Borana people is that each and every person is loved. Furthermore, they are impressed by the universality of the Church and want to belong to it. We celebrate Holy Mass here the same way in which it is celebrated in Rome or other places,” Father Kenneth reports.
The parish is quite vibrant. Catechesis and Bible studies are held and Father Kenneth Iwunna has begun a vocation ministry, which has already borne fruit: two girls from the tribe of the Borana would like to become religious sisters, and five boys have expressed an interest in the priesthood.
The youth is particularly active: 250 young people are regularly involved in parish activities.
(Aid for the Church in Need)
