Ash Wednesday marked the most I had seen people in church since the lockdown and since the beginning of our reopening efforts.
Tag: Oparaji
A reflection of goodness
One of my favorite stops on my way to and from the Twin Cities where I attended seminary is the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse.
Fr. Lawrence Oparaji is ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ
Jesus sought out Peter and other disciples on the Sea of Galilee and made then”fishers of men.”
Likewise the Church has looked throughout the world for priests.
Ordination of Deacon Lawrence Oparaji February 22
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| Deacon Lawrence Oparaji |
MADISON — Bishop Donald J. Hying will ordain Deacon Lawrence Oparaji to the priesthood for the Diocese of Madison on Saturday, Feb. 22, at a 10:30 a.m. Mass in the Bishop O’Donnell Chapel at Holy Name Heights, 702 S. High Point Rd.
Deacon Lawrence is the son of Kenneth and Calista Oparaji of Angwan Fadama, Orozo, FCT, in Nigeria.They are members of St. Andrew Kagwa Parish, Orozo Abuja.
Deacon Lawrence’s home parish in the Diocese of Madison is St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Madison.
He attended grade school in the Model Learning Center/Jikwoyi Phase II, and high school in the Federal government College/Keffi, Nasarawa.
His college studies were taken at the Dominican Institute Samonda Ibadan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies.
He studied at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, St. Paul, Minn., where he earned a Master of Divinity degree.
His intern experience took place at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison. His deacon placements were at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Madison, and Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, Sun Prairie.
His clinical pastoral experience was taken at Lakeview Hospital, Stillwater, Minn.
New year, new me: the right way
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| Journey with Faith Deacon Lawrence Oparaji |
In November, I visited my uncle in Dallas, Texas, and while I was there, we went to a barbershop to get a haircut.
While waiting for my turn, I overheard a man say to the barber that he was moving to Las Vegas. The barber asked further why he was doing that, and the man simply said, “I want to start the new year and new decade in a new city. You know what I mean — a fresh start?”
Take concrete steps to change
On hearing this, I thought to myself, “sounds great, but it’s not sufficient.” It is a new year and new decade quite right, but what concrete steps are we taking to make whatever change we desire, other than just moving to a new city, like Las Vegas?
Christmas and the gift of encounter
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| Journey with Faith Deacon Lawrence Oparaji |
One fateful Christmas season some years ago, something very significant happened in a family.
A mother came back from Christmas shopping and was welcomed by her eight-year-old son Daniel and her much younger daughter Jane. The children were so excited and eager to see what their mum bought. She, however, asked them to allow her to freshen up and rest a little before unveiling the Christmas goodies.
The unveiling eventually came, and the children were handy and active. There were gifts for their daddy, for their mummy, for their aunties and uncles, for their grandpas and grandmas, for their family friends and for their cat and dog.
Eventually the shopping bag was empty! Looking at the empty shopping bag, Daniel became sad and moody. Discovering Daniel’s sudden mood change, his mother became worried, and asked him what was wrong with him.