General News
2 October, 2024
New North West priests are enjoying the Outback lifestyle
Father Nnaemeka Njezi and Father Will Brennan say they are happy to be in the bush.
What makes an individual decide to dedicate their lives to the service of God, the Catholic Church and the community?
When North West Weekly sat down with recently arrived Good Shepherd parish priests in residence Father Nnaemeka Njezi and Father Will Brennan, each revealed very different paths to their chosen calling.
Firstly, they made the decision to join the seminary from opposing ends of the globe.
Fr Will was born and raised in Charters Towers to a Catholic family of six, high-schooled in Toowoomba and thought he might study engineering or pharmacy at university.
He was living in Brisbane, taking a gap year and working in data entry at the Centacare offices when he began exploring the priesthood during a period of “discernment,” which included two periods in Mount Isa under the mentorship of Father Mick Lowcock.
“I was still not 100 per cent certain on my first day at the seminary,” Fr Will admitted.
“Like many others, I had my ups and downs, but I really grew in my sense of vocation and felt that real commitment to say I’m ready for that path. It felt special and comfortable.”
Fr Nnaemeka was born in Owerri in southern Nigeria, which is a regional stronghold for Christianity in the majority Muslim nation.
Fr Nnaemeka said it can be dangerous to follow the Catholic faith in some parts of Nigeria, with priests attacked and Churches robbed by gangs and bandits.
He also grew up in a Catholic family of six but briefly stopped attending Church while studying library science at university.
“When I started going back to Church, I wanted to know why we go there and what are we trying to achieve when we go?” Fr Nnaemeka said.
“It was while thinking about these matters and going to daily Mass that I started to consider becoming a priest.”
Both admit their families were surprised when they announced their decision to join the seminary – with neither men having a family history of priesthood.
Having spent the past two months settling into their new surroundings tending to the flock in the North West, where they will remain for the next two years, both said they find the active role the Catholic Church plays in social programs across the region to be a motivating factor.
“In my country the priest stays in the parish and people come to him,” Fr Nnaemeka said, who only arrived in Australia in February.
“But here, we go out into the community, Father Mick visits people in their homes. There is so much for me to learn and relearn.
“I have a lot of questions even to this day that I still ask – why am I a priest? What am I doing here?
“I have learnt to rely on God to continue and to help me carry on, because these are questions that I might not get answers to.”
Fr Will said Good Shepherd parish played a central role in the wellbeing of the Mount Isa community – with a work day quickly switching from attending a planning meeting at a shelter to discussing with local political leaders the economic impacts of losing rail workers.
“It seems like Father Mick is involved in everything. This is a great example of what a parish can be – it is a place where people feel welcome and there is a consideration for how all aspects of people’s lives are going,” Fr Will said.
“While it is still early, I am just hoping to be here for the community and listen.”