WESTFIELD-The Rev. Fr. Valentine Nworah “hit the ground running” after his ordination last August and that has been a blessing for Rev. Daniel S. Pacholec, pastor of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish.
“He has acclimated very well to the parish and people enjoy him and his homilies and his humor,” said Pacholec.
Pacholec added that Nworah, who serves as parochial vicar, didn’t require a lot of mentoring from him or senior priest Fr. Tom Shea.
“He was well trained in the Seminary and has really hit the ground running, and is a great help to me in the parish, covering Masses, funerals, baptisms and visiting the sick,” said Pacholec.
Nworah was born in Nigeria and at the end of this month, will travel back to his homeland to see his family, celebrate Holy Week and Easter, and celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for his Ordination, which he never had a chance to do last year when he was ordained a priest.
The Rev. Fr. Valentine Nworah’s first assignment since his ordination last summer has been at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Westfield. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
“His mom and siblings and most of his family is in Nigeria, with the exception of one sister and her family in Houston, Texas,” said Pacholec.
While Nworah has embraced his role at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, he is rejoicing knowing he will soon see his family and friends again.
“My Mass of Thanksgiving will be on Divine Mercy Sunday,” said Nworah, adding his family and friends will be there to celebrate.
While Nworah plans to conduct Masses, he is especially looking forward to visiting with his paternal and maternal grandmothers.
“What I miss the most is being with my siblings and eating my mother’s food,” said Nworah, adding he also misses the culture.
“There is a communal spirit of the people there and our celebrations are lively and joyful,” he said. “When we celebrate the Eucharist there is dancing and a lot of singing during the Mass.”
Now at 34, Nworah had worked as a deacon in his transitional diaconate year at Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Easthampton. Following his ordination with the Diocese of Springfield on Aug. 15, he was assigned to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.
From his first week in Westfield, Nworah has felt welcomed by his new parish family.
“The people welcomed me at the parish with open arms,” he said. “I could see the happiness and satisfaction they derive from their worship of God and their readiness to help the priest. I felt comfortable, at home, supported.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic has hindered social activities at the church, Nworah delved into his pastoral duties which are varied.
The Rev. Fr. Valentine Nworah is seen during a Mass at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Westfield. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
“Notwithstanding the effects of the pandemic, I have been involved in all aspects of pastoral visits,” said Nworah. “I am always available to attend to the spiritual needs of our parishioners wherever they may be.”
Nworah mentions in Acts of the Apostles 10:38, Jesus, who anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, went about doing good works.
“This is the role the priest plays in bringing comfort and courage to the suffering members of Christ’s body,” he said. “In these most difficult times, my role as a representative of Christ is to bring His goodness, His joy, and most especially, His peace to the patients I encounter and their family members as well.”
Nworah added that in the name of Christ, he brings hope to those who may feel alone in their suffering and reassures them that God has not abandoned them.
“Considering the famous WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?), I know Jesus would love first and the pandemic wouldn’t have prevented Him from affectively accomplishing His salvific mission,” said Nworah. “I do my part, and the Lord takes care of the rest.”
Despite the ongoing pandemic over the past year, Nworah said he greets every challenge head on.
“My faith in God whose work I am doing is greater over whatever fear,” said Nworah. “Of course, I do my best to observe all the necessary COVID protocols before, during and after a visit. I wear my mask, wash my hands, and sanitize as often as I can. The Lord has been taking good care of me.”
Nworah notes what keeps him strong is his “faith in God, Love of Him, His people, and my priestly ministry.”
“What keeps me strong is the satisfaction in knowing that I am doing God’s work,” he said. “I also find strength in the lives of the Saints. Some of them lost their lives while caring for the sick and suffering during one pandemic or another. Their extraordinary act of love is more than encouraging. It keeps me going.”
Nworah said one of the most important lessons he has learned during the past year is to have patience.
“As a young priest you come with a lot of energy and readiness and strength to hit the ground running, but with the pandemic there have been lessons in patience,” he said, adding, “To understand God we need patience; we walk with God’s time, not our own time.”
Nworah added there will be situations when we need to be patient.
“He is in control and he is guiding us,” he added.
When Nworah returns from his travels in late May, he will continue to serve at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.
“I love this place, it is so quiet and peaceful and I can commune with the birds and trees,” he said, adding, “My brothers and sisters here love one another and I am really happy to be here.”
Once the pandemic releases its grip on the area, Nworah is looking forward to getting to know more people from the parish which would include conducting home visits.
“Once we have the green light from COVID and people feel comfortable again, I look forward to home visits and meeting different families to see where they live and at the end of the day share a meal with them and bless their house,” said Nworah.
That spirit of dedication to the work will no doubt also be a blessing to the parishioners of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in the months to come.
