The Milwaukee Catholic Herald

MILWAUKEE -- At the age of 5, Fr. Romanus Nwaru already knew that he wanted to become a priest. Growing up in Nigeria, he had an uncle who was a priest who often came over for dinner. As a child, Nwaru was in awe of his uncle, "I enjoyed watching him set up for the Eucharist (at church) and when he came over for dinner, it seemed like Jesus was sitting at the table."

His uncle's influence motivated Nwaru to enter the seminary by age 12 and he studied there for the next five years.

Having completed his studies at the seminary, he eventually earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees and served several internships. It was during an internship working as an assistant editor at a newspaper that he met Dennis and June Schwartz from Wisconsin.

He explained, "Through them, I got in touch with the Milwaukee Archdiocese and decided to come here to continue my studies for the priesthood."

So at the age of 25 he made his way to Milwaukee and stayed with the Schwartz family for a short while. He then attended Marquette University for the first year until he could enroll at Saint Francis Seminary. He served an internship with Bishop Richard J. Sklba at St. Peter and Paul Parish for one year and was ordained in 1995. His first assignment was at St. Mary Parish in Elm Grove. He was there for three years before he was assigned to St. Charles Parish in Hartland.

While he was at St. Charles, he completed his doctoral program at Mundelein College in Chicago and also served as an administrator while the pastor took a sabbatical for three months. After four years in Hartland, Nwaru decided he would like to move back to Milwaukee. An opportunity arose at St. Catherine Parish in Milwaukee, since Daryl Olszewski, parish director at St. Catherine, was finishing his term there.

Nwaru came to St. Catherine in July and was installed on Sept. 8 by Sklba. During the installation, Sklba alluded to what he believes are the three ways in which Nwaru will enrich St. Catherine: a global perspective, a fine education, and serving as a bridge to the neighborhood.

Nwaru elaborated on Sklba's comments. As to the global perspective, he said, "Coming from a different culture, I bring a wider sense of the church. We are all connected like the body of Christ. I want to make everyone feel welcome."

Referring to his extensive education, he explained, "In my studies, my emphasis was on systematic theology, which explains the connections in our relationships to Scripture, along with our human experience and with the tradition of the church." He believes that with these skills he can bring the parishioners insights into the Gospel.

In his role as a bridge to the neighborhood community, Nwaru has chosen to live in the rectory. Although he admits that it was not an easy decision to make, he really "favors the idea of the pastor living in the rectory." But living on a busy intersection, with St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center just blocks away, the sirens seem constant.

"Having come from the suburbs, it is taking some getting used to," he laughed. But by living in the neighborhood that he serves, he can continue to reach out to the neighbors through the existing programs, such as the food pantry and the interfaith programs. "By welcoming people in the neighborhood through the food pantry, they can see a human element in me," he commented.

The only other transition he sees ahead of him as the new pastor "is how the community at St. Catherine will translate from having had a parish director for the last six years to priest-based leadership." As part of the priest-based leadership, Nwaru has decided to provide an opportunity for people to receive the sacrament of confession on a regular basis. He believes that the sacrament of confession is "an essential practice of the Catholic Church" and important for "holistic living."

"People need the opportunity to reconcile their lives with themselves, with God, and with the tradition of the church. Therefore, I have had all of the confessionals cleared out and started a schedule for confession once a week and people have been very receptive," he explained.

In fact, many people in the Nigerian community are elated to have him at St. Catherine. Not only because he is someone that they can easily relate to, but because they have found a vibrancy in the parish community which has made them feel very welcome.

With the community at St. Catherine already displaying a willingness for diversity, and with the need for vocations to the priesthood, Nwaru hopes that other priests from Nigeria will be encouraged to come to the United States to minister.

Nigerian priest brings new perspective to parish

For newly installed pastor, interest in priesthood began at age 5