Father Bruno Nwachukwu walks through a line of students at The Way of the Shepherd Catholic Montessori School in Blaine March 10 during festivities honoring his becoming a U.S. citizen March 5. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Father Bruno Nwachukwu went from celebrating Mass to being celebrated himself.

After presiding at his weekly Wednesday morning Mass March 10 at The Way of the Shepherd Catholic Montessori School in Blaine, Father Nwachuku was surprised by students and staff with a small party to celebrate a milestone for the 41-year-old priest — becoming a U.S. citizen.

On March 5, Father Nwachukwu was sworn in during a small ceremony in downtown Minneapolis that was restricted due to COVID-19. But the school recognized his accomplishment — with gifts, including an American flag, and students singing patriotic songs as he went from classroom to classroom for what he thought would be his normal visiting time with students after Mass.

Staff members did their homework and discovered how much Father Nwachukwu loves banana bread. There was a plentiful supply on a table waiting for him.

“Wow,” he said of his reaction to the attention given to him by the school. “I never expected this. But, I really, really, from the depth of my heart, appreciate all of these things — the honoring, the singing, the gifts, the banana bread.”

The party was the capstone of a journey that began in February 2010 when Father Nwachuku came to the U.S. from Nigeria. He remained here through a series of visas that eventually led to his eligibility to apply for citizenship, which he did in December 2019. One year later, he was invited to take the final interview and test, scheduled for Feb. 1, exactly 10 years after his first day on U.S. soil. His Oath of Allegiance March 5 was the final step. Since first arriving in the United States, he attended The St. Paul Seminary for his priestly formation and was ordained in 2015. He now serves as a hospital chaplain at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale.

“Being an American is great,” he said. “I feel happy, I feel joyful. Being a citizen will help me to do more in working for the country and teaching (about) God to Catholic Americans… (and) also being a good priest to people around me and carrying out my ministry and also taking care of the sick in the hospital.”