Gaylord, MI 49735 Our Seminarians
The men pictured below are currently preparing for priestly ministry in the Diocese of Gaylord. Diocesan priests commit their lives to serving the people of a specific diocese and generally work in parishes, schools, or other ministries as assigned by the bishop of the diocese.
Preparation for the priesthood typically requires eight years of education beyond high school, usually including a college degree followed by four or more years of theology study at a seminary.
We encourage you to pray regularly for these men and that others will also discern their call to the priesthood.
Sylvestre Obwaka
Sylvestre was born in Mombasa, Kenya. His father was a Ph.D. and a university president in one of the largest colleges in Kenya. Sylvestre is the oldest of four sons; all are college students except for the youngest who is just 14 years of age. After high school, Sylvestre studied Philosophy and two years of in his home diocesan seminary. On leaving he worked in retail sales for two years.
The call to church service led him to join a Franciscan group that sent him to study at Louisiana State University. He received a Masters degree there. He continued discernment about his vocation which led him to apply to our diocese.
He is currently assisting in a parish in Canada before returning to Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin to complete his studies.
San Hoyumpa
San is from the Philippines and came to the United States in 1969 when he was 26. He worked for General Motors in the Cadillac division and had been with them for 32 years. He and his wife, who died of cancer three years ago, raised four children. His oldest son is a lawyer. He has a daughter who is in the military. Another son obtained a degree in Psychology and his youngest son is currently pursuing his education.
When San's wife died, he enrolled at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit to pursue a Masters degree in Theology in the hope of finding discernment of what to do with his life. He coordinated a Philippino charismatic prayer group at St. Paul of the Cross retreat house in Detroit and put on Life in the Spirit seminars there. He was involved with the group since 1990. San is currently serving his pastoral year at Immaculate Conception Parish in Traverse City before he returns Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin to complete his studies.
Gerald Okoli
Gerald Okoli contacted us from Oregon where he was doing a year of Clinical Pastoral Education at a psychiatric hosptial there. We invited him to our "Come & See" week end and were impressed with him. A couple of weeks later we invited him back to be processed for sponsorship. He is currently at Hales Corners concluding his Theological Studies.
Gerald comes to us with a lot of seminary experience. He completed four years of Philosophy and three years of Theology in a seminary of his home country - Nigeria. On leaving the Seminary there he taught in a Catholic High School in Nigeria for three years. He felt the persistent call to priesthood and went to study at an international School of Theology at the Louvain in Belgium. He completed his Theological studies there and started a Masters degree in Relgious Studies. After completing one year of his Masters program he left to further explore ministry through CPE which lead him to Oregon. Besides his academic background Gerald excells on the soccer field. He is 36 years old and comes from a large family.
Adam Chittle
Adam is the newest of our seminarians. He is from Mason, Michigan and attended Albion College, receiving a BA degree in Biology. He then attended the University of Detroit Mercy and graduated with a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instuction. While on a retreat he discerned that God was calling him to priesthood. He considered the possibility of a vocation with the Carthusian monks in Vermont in the past and spent a month with the Trappist discerning that way of life. He was led to our diocese and is currently studying at Hales Corners. Adam's mother and brother are both principals of schools in our diocese.