Deacon Kesiena Obienu: High point of the Eucharist

DEACON KESIENA DENNIS OBIENU

► Age: 38

► First assignment: St. Margaret Mary, Slidell

► First Mass: June 4, 4 p.m., Our Lady of Lourdes, Slidell.

► Mass of Thanksgiving: June 5, 10 a.m., St. Joan of Arc, LaPlace

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

Deacon Kesiena Dennis Obienu, a native of Nigeria, is unique among those preparing this year for ordination to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Instead of having to complete theology studies at Notre Dame Seminary – Deacon Obienu  had already finished his coursework – he spent the last 12 months immersing himself in the daily life of St. Joan of Arc Parish in LaPlace, whose parishioners suffered major damage from Hurricane Ida last August.

“It was really a tough experience for me, which gave me a kind of introspection about suffering in the lives of the people of God,” Deacon Obienu said. “It was not just observing the people from within the church but entering into their experiences, because, literally, we had to move the church into the community.”

In addition to helping the pastor, Father David Ducote, with the celebration of “home” Masses at the residences of more than a dozen parishioners, Deacon Obienu also was there helping clear debris and help parishioners recover from their damages.

“We were just walking with them,” Deacon Obienu said. “We took the physical beauty of the church straight into the community to identify with the suffering of the people. That was a very remarkable experience for me. It’s just like Pope Francis has said: ‘Go out and smell like the sheep.’ In practice, you are giving hope to people and making them understand that it’s not just the beauty of the church but it’s that Christ is really present.”

Deacon Obienu was an only child of parents who both died when he was an infant, and he was raised by his Catholic grandmother. He was a parishioner of St. Patrick Parish in Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria, located in the Diocese of Warri near the Gulf of Guinea.

As a teenager, he attended a minor seminary, whose rector was Father Peter Akpoghiran. When Father Akpoghiran became judicial vicar of the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 2011, he kept in touch and recommended that Deacon Obienu consider applying for Notre Dame Seminary. He arrived at Notre Dame Seminary in January 2017.

Deacon Obienu, who previously studied under the Jesuits for six years in Nigeria, is trained as a spiritual director and has a keen interest in Ignatian spirituality. He has given retreats, led individuals in spiritual direction and done one-on-one pastoral care.

“When I work with people in spiritual direction, I make them understand that God is with you in that situation,” he said. “It’s not about your thinking. The reality is that God is present with you in good and bad. No matter if the experience is positive or negative, God becomes the center of that experience and it’s a consecrated moment.”

Deacon Obienu will be vested by Father Akpoghiran, who has served for many years as a mentor and friend.

“He accompanied me in my first three years of my priestly training and he has been at the center of my vocation story, especially in my transition into the Archdiocese of New Orleans as well,” Deacon Obienu said.

He said he is looking forward to celebrating the Eucharist.

“The high point of the priesthood is being able to celebrate the Eucharist, which is sharing Christ’s action,” he said. “The core of my priesthood is an invitation to share in the life of Christ.”

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