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About Me

My name is Chike Egbufoama, Nigerian-American who loves JESUS and people. I am the fourth child and the third son in a family of five. My father, Mr. Martin now late was a retired Professor and ran a Non-Governmental organization focused on women in my hometown. My mother, Mrs. Nneka Egbufoama, also retired as a supervisor of education with focus on special education, worked for various educational institutions across the state in Nigeria, until 2008. she was immensely involved in the development and growth of local churches in my home diocese back in Nigeria.

My early childhood was a typical middle-class environment of the 1980's. I had a happy, normal childhood, leaving me somewhat feeling blessed. My desire to be a priest was an indirect quest to be HOLY. Having heard from my parish priest that he wanted to be holy when he grows up, I was fascinated by such a profession that was not taught in school. I remembered that conversation and in excitement re-echoed, “I want to be holy too”. From that day, my parish priest, Rev. Fr Patrick Ekwunife CSSP., made sure I went to the minor seminary. I went to school under the tutelage of the Holy Ghost fathers, where I completed my elementary and high school education, respectively. Later, I joined the order of St Augustine and continued to St Thomas Aquinas Major seminary, where I completed my Undergraduate Degree in Philosophy.

Growing up around three older siblings was not easy, since my immediate elder is 6 years older. With the need to acknowledge seniority in our household, there was a lot of competition and rivalry. I had to be as tough as my siblings or I would have been toppled by their naturally competitive nature. Not that we were striving for perfection; it was normal sibling competitiveness and it turned out to be a benefit to me. Since I was the youngest son, culturally I was bound to be at the bottom of the totem pole in everything. So, I had to be equally tough, fighting for whatever was rightfully mine. As a result, I turned out to be more of a negotiator than a fighter and built a reputation as a go getter. My jovial personality protected me in case of a dispute. I was always able to tell a joke to neutralize any friction. I believe I adopted both my parents’ valor and benevolence because I am always calm in the face of crisis and have an exceptional sense of need in every situation. However, my abilities were not limited to this adopted duo. I have always wanted to be a holy person and have always thought that a career in leading people to holiness would offer me that.

My story reflects that I am aware of my brokenness. I am humble in my approach in mending the broken pieces. Some of my greatest strengths and weaknesses are in the areas of communication and time management. Communicating my feelings is hard when I know they may hurt someone else’s or may cause conflict. I have been faced with this issue on numerous occasions. Whether professionally, a misunderstanding with a coworker or personally, miscommunication in the family, issues came up that needed to be resolved. God has used these and other situations to teach, strengthen and challenge me. WITH THE WEAK THE LORD IS STRONG. Currently, I wear many titles and have responsibilities that vie for my time. My attitude towards time has proved quite beneficial to my success as a logistics expert and international businessman. On the other hand, I call myself a delivered seven personality and a spirit-filled sanguine. I describe myself as one whose pool of excitement hardly runs dry. Over the years I have battled between order and discipline because of my long and veracious search for that which keeps me excited. Among all of these, what is so hard for me is the control of the traffic of my many dreams. My funniest daily dream, as a sanguine, is that every day is a party. My sincere and unconscious view of the world is that it is a party hall where all need to be jumping and laughing and clapping. I am always happy and very jovial. Some people say that I am an extreme extrovert who takes seconds to get along with new people and the environment. However, I still battle with my “rather talk than work syndrome”.

Having defined my family and personality, I would like to highlight certain significant persons in my life. After graduation, in 1999, from high school I went for training in computer repairs and maintenance for one year. While working at the training school for a year, I was ardently involved in the parish and St Vincent De Paul Society. My parish was under the Redemptorist fathers, with Rev.Fr. Patrick Scott CSSR as the parish priest. While there, I experience an unsettled itching to give more to God. In discussion with Fr Scott, he asked me to pray more and look towards becoming a priest. At this point, I decided to seek the Lord's Spirit and Grace to figure out what that one thing should be, as I had not quite decided what I wanted to do with my life. I continued my professional career, working as a computer technician. I was raised in a Christian home with a strong spiritual background. My mother and grandmothers persistently reminded me (though at times, it felt more like nagging) to read my Bible and pray. There were always conversations about faith, and they highlighted the importance of spiritual development. I am always thankful for my parents and grandparents, who cared about my spiritual development. Yet, I was still not sure what my journey entailed. I was engulfed by many theological issues, with no answers. These questions planted seeds of faith within me. I believed that the curiosity was the sign of my growth in faith, my turning towards God. I became confused and troubled, on the need to understand these questions and ideas, which eventually caused me to continue to major seminary and increasingly curious about other spiritual realities.

By the year 2001, I was disturbed about the Lord’s demand from me. I could not decide which way to go with the demand from God because I did not know what the demand was. However, I was convinced of cooperation with Grace. Like the sailor working with the wind, but still active in the process, my disposition was total reliance on God as he says in John 15:5 "Without me, you can do nothing”. Towards the end of 2001, I decided to join the Order of St Augustine. The discernment process was a clear sign of my call from God. In early 2001, I joined the Augustinians and began what has turned out to be the longest venture of my journey to Holiness. There have been some tough and rough times. Some of my best and worst memories come from my discernment of my vocation to the priesthood and time in the religious life. One thing that I am sure of is that it shaped me to become the broken man striving for holiness that I am today. The religious life really straightened me out. JESUS WOUNDED ME SO HE CAN HEAL ME.

I began my journey with the Order of St Augustine, where I spent six years learning about religious life, community, friendship, meditation and prayer, and Augustinian and Roman Catholic tradition. Living as a religious helped me become more convinced in God’s demand from me. There was no doubt that my friends, superiors, and mentors allowed and encouraged me to discover who I was and who God was calling me to be. As a religious, I experienced the joys and trials of living in a religious community. While it was encouraging and exciting to live with my fellow brothers, life in the community was not easy. I studied Philosophy and headed to the Novitiate. I cannot close out this autobiography without mentioning one of the most influential periods of my life: my days in the Novitiate. During my one year of Novitiate, I deepened my spirituality and grew in conscious search for God’s presence through the blessed sacrament. Following the Augustinian practice of search for interiority and centering prayer; I attained a wholesome spirituality. Like the author, Douglas Adams “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. Why? Because I am a sojourner: always have been, always will be. The moment I think “I have arrived,” I have ceased to become a seeker. While there will be moments of clarity along my journey, I want to be a journeyer, a wanderer, a sojourner. Christ is calling me to a unique life, a life of holiness. A life where I am told to have an eschatological hope while living an “eternal kind of life.” How this all works out; I do not know. But, I know Christ is real, and I’ve felt His sweet and gentle presence all my life. While enjoying the short immersion into an elaborate spiritual apprenticeship, under the guidance of Augustinians as a community novice, I knew in the back of my mind I would not forsake the journey towards holiness. IN MY BROKENNNES HE WEAVED OUT WHOLENESS.

At the Novitiate, I professed my vows of obedience, chastity and poverty and started my first year of degree in Theology. I was in the community with other brothers studying. This was the time when I found out about the diversity of perspectives and the ways of doing things. Until this point, I naively assumed all persons were uniform in their beliefs. I slowly began to appreciate the diversity of beliefs, opinions, worship styles and expressions of faith within the body of Christ represented at seminary and Augustinian community. God’s call, to love people, became more important to me than being right or winning an argument. Interior dialogue and spiritual conversations replaced rationalizing and inquisition; helping me to realize that throughout my life I would encounter, converse, and work with people who were also honestly following Christ to achieve holiness. My call to holiness and love became clearer. HOLINESS IS WITH OTHERS.

During my last lent, in the 2007, before my leaving the Augustinians, I sat in what I described as deep, but not boring spiritual meditation. I realized there was something I lacked; trust in my readiness to answer, YES to ordination. With lack of content to live with a sense of mystery and with a call which was not clearly comprehensible, I found myself at a critical crossroad in my journey. At the end of my first year of Profession, vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity and after attending several retreats, I made my intentions known to my formators. I made the most difficult and demanding decision in my life; to leave the religious life and opted to discern out. I did not just leave the Augustinians, but I departed from what I thought was the best for me. I had separation anxiety. There was the excruciating pain of abandoning my dream. My future was bleak and the present was reeled in uncertainties. I was at peace, in my spirit, because I had the courage to be honest about my unreadiness to be a priest. Even though I made the decision to discern out; that fateful day remains the darkest day of my life. JESUS SAT IN THIS DARK WAITING ROOM FOR ME ECHOING “I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU”. However, I was already conditioned to withstand the extreme stress from the minor seminary training as I was trained to “play through the pain”

By 2007, I began my masters studies in International Relations and Diplomacy with a new form of rejuvenation in life. My greatest challenge was the ability to study in a different setting that had little or no organized schedule to help in personal studies. I was very successful in analytic academic works. I was also very good at presenting papers, so much so that I was nicknamed “Socrates” by my classmates. The most difficult aspect of my academic life was writing papers. I was that student that kept the class lively no matter the time in the semester. I continued my life of prayer and meditation, with deep atonement to centering prayer, as life got busy and the demands of time increased.

In 2009, at the end of my masters studies, the decision to move back to the United States came with a nerve wrecking feelings. The journey to the United States challenged my vocation and dampened my spirit. My outlook for the future became very hazy. The following year, I changed direction and began working with The Hertz Corporation and Wholefoods Market. At Hertz, I managed 8 employees. I led with a servant-leader style of management. I came in early to clean and vacuum the location and clean the restrooms. Most importantly, I had an ‘open door’ policy and created an environment which made me accessible to every team. For example, my team members were open to tell me if they had interviews for other jobs. I supported them in their growth and goals, as most of my decision emanated from empathy. Above all, I made sure the team members were part of any decision that affected them. In other words, the team members were part of the decision-making process. We even invited one another to family functions. That is what I enjoyed most while at Hertz; we were not just team members, we were family.

In 2011, I started to think about my call to holiness as a priest. I had some mixed feelings about the seminary and discernment, but it is okay because God’s grace is sufficient. One thing I knew was that Christ was still asking me to follow and serve Him. My relationship with God has always and will always remain a source of freedom. I questioned how to begin again. My mind was filled with doubts and what-ifs and I did not see any possibilities of going back to the seminary. I decided to let God be God. I knew I needed to submit myself to God's work in my life. My decision was “Be Still” and like the gardener who may not predicate the harvest; God will take away every doubt and hesitation. I surrendered to the Lord's work because God’s love is powerful enough to overcome my humanity. In the year 2012, I picked up courage and decided to give the religious life a second chance. The most disturbing day in my work life was the day I called Father Richard Bennett, the Redemptorist vocation director. I was so troubled that I had to leave work early. My biggest concern was how to begin but after subsequent conversations many things got clearer. MY PRAYER: OPEN MY EYES THAT I MAY SEE.

By January 2013, my address changed, as a student in the Redemptorist house, to the Bronx. I decided to follow God to the Bronx; an experience and a stage in my life that was significant. Living in the Bronx, learning to live a life bundled by charity and good works extended outside the confines of formation. One Tuesday night during the spring of my first year in the Bronx, I had a revealing experience as I saw poverty and hopelessness in essence. The experience reminded me of my case with poverty of strength; to decide to go back to the seminary and the hopelessness I experienced on how to begin discernment. I found myself eating dinner at the soup kitchen in the South Bronx with over 20 homeless persons. For the next few months, I served with Catholic Worker kitchen in Brooklyn, a ministry to feed the homeless in Brooklyn. While my time with the ministry was short, it dramatically changed my perspective on hopelessness and homeless people. Homeless people were not addicts, losers, dropouts, or runaways. Instead, I saw broken and weary souls, people who yearned for love, care and attention from someone and anyone. From this mirror, I saw my broken-self yearning for healing and holiness. I spent quality time with God in the Blessed Sacrament asking God what He wanted from me. God began to form within me a desire and passion to share His love with believers and with those, who many in our society would consider outcasts, modern-day lepers. This desire to heal and lead people to holiness continued as I sought for an experience, an encounter with the living Christ.

Again, following GOD to the Bronx was an encounter with diversity at its best. Living in the Bronx exposed me to different cultures as there were other students from the USA, the Caribbean, Vietnam and Mexico, United Kingdom, Canada, Ukraine, and Philippines. I went to school at Fordham University, taking theology courses under Advance Certificate for Adult Faith Formation. Living in such a diverse community came with its own challenges and good sides. The students went to school in either St John’s University or Fordham while everyone participated in other aspects of community life, common prayer, meditation, mass, meals, and house chores. I had bi-weekly consultation with the Student Director, Rev. Father Patrick Keyes, CSSR, with our predominant discussion on how I will integrate my sense of independence and the need to depend on religious community for a living. We continued talking about it until one day he asked me a simple most powerful question. “Chike have you thought about the diocesan priesthood?”. We continued to talk about how I might fit as pastor in the diocese; if my goal is to lead people to holiness in order to achieve holiness.

At the end of the academic year in 2014, I was asked to discern out as the religious life as a Redemptorist was not a good fit for me. I went to the Blessed Sacrament after the meeting and prayed that God direct me to a good fit for my dream towards holiness. That same year, I moved back to Maryland and as God will have it, I got my two Jobs back and continued to work for The Hertz Corporation and Wholefoods.

In 2015 I decided to change my career from sales to information technology. I gained admission into The University of Maryland to pursue a masters in information management. I resigned from the Hertz Corporation and Wholefoods so I could complete the masters program on time. However, in my two years of masters study, there was not one mention of vocation or my desire to discern. It seemed like I had failed, but Christ did not fail on His part of the agreement. JESUS still sought after me. THE DIVINITY OF JESUS IS ALWAYS REACHING OUT TO HUMANITY. After graduation in 2017, I started a new career as project manager. I worked as a business analyst till 2018 I decided to start my own business as a logistics expert. I formed a company Eshippinglagos with the intent to contribute to the joy and happiness of my clients from Nigeria; buying cars and auto spare parts.

Apart from the tremendous endowment of God’s grace throughout my journey, God has placed incredible comforters and encouragers in my life. I have close friends who call, e-mail, and pray for me. I have many friends who have befriended, mentored and shared their lives with me. I like to stay around people who are quiet and slow to action as a way to remind me of my impatience. An exceptional quality of my friends is that they see a great priest in me. There is always a reminder from them that I need to focus on my vocation.

I have dated before but have never been engaged or married. In a phrase I’d say – great experience. We shared great sense of humor and agreed on many values. I think that was a stabilizing force while any of my relationship lasted. We loved each other and connected on a very extreme level. For example, I like to take walks together, always after each other’s growth. There were just something special during my dating days. We talked about everything too. I try to avoid keeping any secrets or hide thoughts therefore worked towards extremely stable foundation of communication and friendship. Notwithstanding our similar interests, and values, our individual perspective still differed. There were days of fights, especially when my philosopher side is out, but I never went to bed mad at anyone. I find a way to understand differences because in the differences lies freedom. When I decided to get serious with my discernment, I stopped dating and needed to focus on my vocation. It was a very emotionally laden decision, but I had to make it. I prayed over it, and I felt it was the right decision for the right reason.

In the present journey of discernment with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Rev. Fr. Kevin Okafor has remained a pivotal pillar and a friend beyond a bloodline relationship. Fr. Kevin calls me often to check up and see where I am in the discernment. We talk on a very deep level regarding my readiness to enter the seminary and become a priest. He shares his experiences which has acted as source of strength and encouragement. I spend time bi-weekly with my spiritual Director, Rev. Fr. Raymond Nwabueze, who has taught me about holiness and the importance of honest communication with God. In the past year, God has provided some close friends and my pastor, Fr John Berry, who have been incredible sources of information about the life of a diocesan priest. I became a lay reader in the church and volunteered at the Shepherd's Table in downtown Silver Springs, Maryland. In this church group, I have come to develop friendship with people I volunteered with and we engage in very deep conversations. In all of these relationships, I’ve learned the importance of having a gentle spirit, being able to truly listen, and leading with humility. THE POVERTY OF THE ABANDONED AND REJECTED IN THE SOCIETY MIRRORS MY BROKENNESS AND WEAKNESS.

Where I am now?

As I gather, share my stories, and see how they fit with the Ultimate Story of God, my God is ever present with me. With my spirituality of centering prayer, God is an activity in my consciousness. I hope I will fulfill my greatest dream; to lead people to holiness as an avenue to attain holiness. I am excited about a future, and a God that contains elements of mystery. God is calling me to serve Him and I look forward to having my calling clarified over the years. My hope and prayer is that I will truly live an eternal kind of life now and be an example to those around me. The quest continues and I remain self-surrendered, traveling through life, seeking Christ, and learning what it means to be a holy man. My relationship with God is a source of freedom. I may be an outsider in the holiness sub-culture, but I’m an insider with God. I may have some mixed-up feelings about following God, but it’s okay because God’s grace is sufficient. If it turns out I need anything, I trust God will provide it.

Finally, God has given me a heart and passion for those who are in their lowest point in life; people who are striving towards holiness, who are looking for Truth and God outside of themselves. My passion is to meet them on their level and to share with them the love and Truth of Christ in ways that are relevant to authentic life of holiness.