Stay in Diocese began in Nigeria

By PAUL QUIRINI- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

For six weeks, Rev. Rowland Ndukaire is seeing what life in America is like, while also getting to know the parishioners of Holy Spirit Church in East Greenbush.

The Nigerian priest decided to spend some time at the parish as he experiences U.S. culture for the first time. He will remain in the Rensselaer County town until early September, when he will return to ministry in the Archdiocese of Rennes, France.

There are differences between Catholics here and in France, according to Father Ndukaire, who admires Holy Spirit's parishioners for their spirituality.

"The Faith is a part of their life, and the Church here is more present than in France," he said.

Civil war

Born in 1967 in Aba, Nigeria, Father Ndukaire is the third oldest of eight children. He was still an infant at the outset of a civil war, and his family was forced to flee Aba when Nigerian troops took over.

Despite the dangers, priests in the Congregation of the Holy Spirit remained in Nigeria, just as they had since the late 1800s, Father Ndukaire recalled.

"When the war started, they didn't leave. They wanted to suffer with the people and help with evangelization," he said. "Nobody can talk about the history of Nigeria without talking about the Holy Ghost Fathers."

Called to vocation

After attending primary and secondary school, young Rowland began advanced level studies at the Federal School of Arts and Science in Aba; it was there that his calling to priesthood grew stronger. He met with a parish priest and vocations director, and decided to join the Congregation of the Holy Spirit.

His mother suspected that he was discerning a call to priesthood -- "women have that type of charism," Father Ndukaire noted -- and both parents were supportive of their son's decision.

He had been considering a career in medicine or as a pilot but instead spent a year in postulancy and another year of novitiate, after which he took his first vows in 1989. Next, he joined a three-year program of philosophical studies in the Spiritans School of Philosophy in Nsukka and then spent a year in the Holy Spirit Juniorate in Hiale for pastoral experience.

Off to France

In 1993, Father Ndukaire was chosen to continue his studies in France, since the order's provinces in Nigeria and France have a reciprocal agreement for the formation of priests.

He had to begin with a course in the French language at the Alliance Francaise in Paris. Studying French proved difficult, and learning the basics of French didn't quite prepare him for the more technical language in seminary textbooks; a book that would take a native Frenchman 30 minutes to read would take him three hours because of the language barrier.

Father Ndukaire entered a three-year theological program at Centre Serves, a Jesuit university in Paris. He took his final vows in 1995 and was ordained a transitional deacon two years later.

On his way

After one year of pastoral experience in Rennes, he was ordained a priest on July 4, 1998, in Nigeria. He was one of 11 men ordained that day as part of a four-hour Mass attended by more than 2,000 people, including most of his family.

His ordination represented the culmination of nine years of preparation, but Father Ndukaire sees it less as a destination and more as a point on his spiritual journey.

"I didn't see it as an end, but as a catalyst to continue working," he said.

Father Ndukaire returned to Rennes after his ordination and was assigned to ministry in students' chaplaincy and pastoral care of immigrants.

American sojourn

He wanted to visit America and decided Holy Spirit Church might be a good place to stay because a relative is a former parishioner. Rev. George St. John, pastor, has been a gracious host, even driving to New York City to pick up Father Ndukaire after his flight last month.

"He's been friendly, considering the fact that he would accept me, a complete stranger, for six weeks," Father Ndukaire said.

He has celebrated Masses for parishioners, visited Grafton and Lake George, and hopes to meet up with a relative in New York City while he's in America.

Among the surprises of American life are the number of cable channels -- Father Ndukaire likes watching The Learning Channel, Discovery and the History Channel -- and the Fahrenheit scale, which caught him off guard when he looked at a thermometer one morning.

Father Ndukaire also is getting a chance to pursue another hobby during his stay. "I have more time to read while I'm here," he said.

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