By Fr. Nnamdi Moneme, OMV, Catholic Exchange, Aug. 30, 2023
Fr. Nnamdi Moneme OMV is a Roman Catholic Priest of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary currently on missionary assignment in the Philippines. He serves in the Congregations’ Retreat Ministry and in the House of Formation for novices and theologians in Antipolo, Philippines.
I had the great privilege of being raised in a devout Catholic home. I experienced Catholic prayers and devotions in the family, received the sacraments often, and became a Mass server.
However, looking back now, I see how I was merely following rules and customs of the Church that others exemplified to me. I embraced the ways of the faith simply because I just believed that was what devout Catholics did. In short, I never really owned my faith then. I never really asked myself why I should remain Catholic or what it even meant to be Catholic.
My conversion process began in college far away from home. It began with me getting tired of the routinary prayers I was saying. I started asking myself the question, “Who is this Jesus Christ that I am trying to contemplate in the mysteries of the Holy Rosary?” I started to be drawn to Jesus more as I prayed the Holy Rosary. This led me to start reading the Scriptures, experiencing His love, and speaking to Him from my heart. I had a strong desire to know and love the One that I was contemplating in the Holy Rosary. ….