Some think that people choose their favorite saints. Others think that saints choose people.
For Kennedy Ofezu, a seminarian for the Diocese of Columbus, the latter is likely true.
Ofezu discovered St. Catherine of Sweden in a book while at Mount St. Mary Seminary & School of Theology in Cincinnati, where several seminarians for the diocese are studying for the priesthood. However, it could be said that St. Catherine discovered and chose him.
Ofezu, who is in the configuration stage of seminary formation and studying theology, experienced a connection with St. Catherine, the patron saint of those who suffer a miscarriage. Ofezu could understand the need for her intercession.
His own family experienced the tumult of a miscarriage. Ofezu recalled being around 10 years old when his aunt lost her baby during pregnancy. Although just a child at the time, he vividly recounted the profound effect the miscarriage had on the extended family.
He described the experience as very “touching.” It was his first experience of the effects of a miscarriage. Ofezu said it was also the first time he realized such an experience happens to women.
“Reading about St. Catherine of Sweden being the patroness of women who experienced miscarriage, I feel positive because her role is to pray for life,” he said. “When we pray to promote life, it is something that is touching to everyone.”
He went on to hear from various families and friends who also experienced a miscarriage.
When Ofezu came to the United States from Uganda, he recalled an encounter with the daughter of a family from Africa. She asked him to pray for her, having suffered a miscarriage.
Ofezu continued to hear stories of miscarriage and receive prayer requests.
In the United States, he said, having previously thought miscarriage happens only in Africa, he realized it was a global experience, a suffering shared among all women.
“I was like, ‘Oh, it is not just one person experiencing this,’” he said. “So many people experience a miscarriage today.”
And so, discovering a book about St. Catherine in seminary seemed fitting. It appeared she was just the saint Ofezu needed, interceding for such women herself.
Every week, Ofezu said he devotes private time aside from school to pray for women who experience a miscarriage or illness during pregnancy. He offers a Holy Hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament for them.
He recalled being very moved when reading about St. Catherine of Sweden. Her life impacted his own.
“That was one of things that really touched me, like, ‘This should be my favorite saint,’” he said. “I used to love St. Augustine, but when I read this one, (it) connected with all these requests for prayers and so on, and it touched me more than any other thing.”
Surprisingly, St. Catherine (1331-1381), who is also invoked for protection against abortion, never had children. She and her husband devoted themselves to a marriage of perpetual chastity.
After her husband died, St. Catherine traveled with her mother, St. Bridget of Sweden. The two cared for the sick, including women who suffered miscarriage, experienced complications during pregnancy or lost children to illness.
Learning of St. Catherine’s service to the poor, counseling the women she served, Ofezu could follow her example not only in prayer but action.
While studying for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary’s, Ofezu participates in an apostolate in which he serves those in need in Cincinnati. Each year, he said, he participates in a different apostolate.
His ministry has included feeding the hungry and serving at a school. Ofezu said he has served many women and children. Following St. Catherine’s example, he seeks to pray with and for those he serves.
He also shared St. Catherine’s story with a fellow seminarian. Ofezu said the seminarian, who is from Charlotte, North Carolina, does apostolate work at a hospital and encounters women there suffering miscarriages or illnesses in pregnancy. Ofezu encouraged him to seek St. Catherine’s intercession with the women he serves.
The saint’s impact on Ofezu’s life and his connections with others extend to Columbus, too.
In May, several diocesan seminarians typically participate in a seminarian bike tour. They bike to several diocesan schools to visit classrooms and speak with students.
While visiting schools, seminarians often pass out a seminarian card, which shares some background about their family and favorite prayers or activities. On his, Ofezu noted his devotion to St. Catherine of Sweden.
He recalled two students approaching him directly after reading his seminarian card to share stories of losing a baby to miscarriage in their family. For the children, it was an experience that resonated with them. They asked Ofezu to pray for their family and shared how they appreciated the card.
His devotion to St. Catherine also gained him a leadership opportunity.
Ofezu said his seminary formators appreciated his devotion to the saint and, as a result, invited him to lead a group of seminarians to Columbus for the Ohio March for Life. The annual march is held in downtown Columbus in October.
“That is one of the greatest things,” Ofezu said. “I feel like I chose the right saint when it gave me the opportunity to lead March for Life here in Columbus.”
Later this month, Ofezu will attend the national March for Life in Washington. He described the march as an opportunity for individuals to let the world know that every life is important and every person matters – from the baby in the womb to the elderly individual.
He also noted how impactful the loss of life is, no matter when it occurs, whether a baby lost during pregnancy or an individual who died in their elder years. A loss of life at any stage makes an impact.
“In my language, we say life is neither big nor small,” he said. “Every life is the same, and it’s very important. Every life must be protected, and losing life in any way, it disheartens people a lot. Either knowingly or unknowingly, when we lose life, it distorts our thoughts, our feelings and everything that we do.”
Should he continue discerning a call to the priesthood, Ofezu said he looks forward to serving women and children as a priest one day. Having witnessed the sufferings that can often accompany pregnancy and motherhood, he is eager to impart the love of God to mothers and their families.