It’s a long journey from Nigeria to Minnesota, but for Father Bruno Nwachukwu, the path to citizenship was much longer. He joined “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley to describe his immigration experience for an episode that airs at 9 p.m. April 16 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Father Nwachukwu serves as a chaplain at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale and as a sacramental minister at Sts. Peter and Paul in Loretto and St. Thomas the Apostle in Corcoran.
Father Bruno Nwachukwu
Father Nwachukwu said he was 31 when he arrived in the U.S. on Feb. 1, 2011. He recalled joking that when he came to the U.S. he was “just like a new chicken.” He described people in Nigeria noting that when a free-range chicken finds itself in a new place, it first walks with one leg “like it wasn’t ready.” After some time, the chicken “can walk boldly and courageously.”
Father Nwachukwu attended St. John Vianney College Seminary and The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul for his priestly formation. He was ordained in 2015. He received his green card shortly after his diaconate ordination — the summer he served as a deacon at St. Charles Borromeo in northeast Minneapolis.
Five years after receiving a green card, he was eligible and applied for citizenship, a process he completed in December 2019. Father Nwachukwu received the invitation for his citizenship interview Feb. 1, 2021, exactly 10 years after his arrival in the U.S.
He said the pandemic changed his naturalization ceremony March 5. The ceremony was very brief, with attendees socially distanced 6 feet apart. “We just took the oath of allegiance and they gave us this naturalization certificate … They didn’t even give us the time to take pictures,” he said. “No family and friends were invited. So, it was a big difference. But at the same time, I give thanks to God that it worked out well.”
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
To hear the entire interview with Father Nwachukwu, tune in to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 9 p.m. April 16, 1 p.m. April 17 and 2 p.m. April 18 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Father James Stiles, who describes the challenges and opportunities of rural parish life, especially during a pandemic, and John and James Ondrey, who discuss their Catholic softball team.
Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired:
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