We are excited to have Fr. Nnamdi Moneme, OMV, join us as the keynote speaker at this year’s OMV Gala celebration. Currently on a missionary assignment in the Philippines, Fr. Nnamdi serves in the congregations’ Retreat Ministry and in the House of Formation for novices and theologians in Antipolo, Philippines.
Q&A With Fr. Nnamdi Moneme, OMV
Ahead of the big event, we talked with Fr. Nnamdi to help you get to know him better.
Tell us about yourself, Fr. Nnamdi.
My name is Fr. Nnamdi Moneme, OMV. I was born in Kaduna, Nigeria on January 15, 1974. I am the second son of a family of six children.
I was raised in a very devout Catholic home where I learned and practiced the Catholic faith. I am so grateful for the good example of family life that I got from my parents and siblings. We are not affluent, but God always provided for our daily needs.
I studied Physics and Astronomy in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and earned my BSc in Physics with majors in Geophysics. I always dreamt of a job in the oil industry, particularly a job in the offshore drilling sector.
I never thought about becoming a priest during these formative years. I was just focused on getting a good job and helping my family meet their financial needs. I really desired to help my brothers get a good education and get settled in life. I obtained an immigrant visa to the United States in 1999, and I arrived in Fort Wayne, Indiana in September of 1999. I got a job in a Cable Television company, working as a Cable TV designer.
I sensed a call to the priesthood and religious life sometime in 2000, and I joined the Oblates of the Virgin Mary in Boston, Massachusetts in August of 2001. There, I studied philosophy and theology at St. John’s seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts.
I was ordained a Catholic priest on December 5, 2009, in St. Mary’s, Alton, Illinois. I volunteered for the Philippines Mission, and I was sent to the Philippines in September of 2011. I am still in the Philippines mission at this moment.
How long have you been with the Oblates of the Virgin Mary? What originally drew you to the Oblates?
I have been with the Oblates of the Virgin Mary since August, 2001.
I visited so many religious communities in the course of my vocation discernment, as I tried to figure out what God was calling me to do with my life. Actually, the Oblates were the very last group that I checked out. I really don’t know why this is so.
The first thing that drew me to the Oblates was the very name Oblates of the Virgin Mary. It meant a complete and irrevocable giving of myself to the Blessed Virgin Mary in this community. I have cultivated a great love for Mary, the Mother of God, from my family and from my years back in Nigeria.
The second thing that drew me to the Oblates was their fidelity to the Magisterium. This means a lot to me because I have also come to love the Catholic faith. I also believe that fidelity to the Magisterium (teaching office) of the Catholic Church was a sure path to the straight and narrow way that Jesus spoke of in the Gospel.
Lastly, the very life and example of our founder, Venerable Lanteri, inspired me to join the Oblates. I saw in him everything that a true religious life and priest should be. I wanted to share in his love for Mary and Jesus, especially Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Could you tell us about your work in the Philippines, in both the retreat and formation ministries?
My formation work in the Philippines is primarily focused on our candidates for the religious life and priesthood in the Oblates of the Virgin Mary.
I work with these candidates to embrace and deepen their vocation to our religious life in our congregation. I give conferences and meet one-on-one with them regularly in their own spiritual journey and vocation discernment.
My retreat ministry is targeted mostly to the many religious congregations here in the Philippines. I give the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius to lay groups, priests, religious sisters, and brothers in different settings. I am a spiritual director for many of those religious and lay groups. It is a great joy for me to be in these ministries.
I also have been lecturing in another seminary here in the Philippines for the past four years now. I teach Spiritual Theology in this seminary.
What will the focus of your keynote speech at the Gala be?
I intend to speak about how God has touched me in my vocation story and how the Blessed Virgin Mary has helped to sense and respond to this vocation.
I also intend to speak about our mission in the Philippines and how important it is for the audience to join us in our mission.
Join Us at the OMV Gala
Would you like to hear Fr. Nnamdi’s speech? Join us at the OMV Gala in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday, April 27, 2024. It will be an evening to remember with cocktails, dinner, in-demand auction items, powerful speakers, and fellowship to support OMV Seminarians.
