a. Mr. Amaechi Miletus Ugwu, SJ, could you please give us a succinct autobiography of yourself, that is, the making of you (the beingness of your person)?

Waoh! Are you asking how I came to be? I really cannot explain all that happened, but I do know that I was born on the 24 th of January, 1974. I am the third child in a family six children ( 2 females and 4 males). I joined the Society of Jesus in August of 1996, and I am pretty sure you can figure out the rest of my journey so far for yourself.

b. How has the journey to the priesthood being thus far?

Thus far, I can say that the journey to the priesthood for me has been pretty much ok. By this, I mean that it has been characterized by challenges. It has also been a great experience of love, joy, laughter, serious intellectual demands, as well as lots of exposure and learning of new things. My journey thus far has enabled me to know that life is much more than just being successful and materially comfortable as an individual. There is reason for the being of each and every human being on the face of this earth. It is left to us all to discover what our call is; why we were made in the first place.

c. How did it all begin?

It all began back in the 1990s when I was still in the High School—St. Paul’s Minor Seminary, Benin City. I met with a few Jesuit Novices who used to come to my school from the Jesuit Novitiate for some French lessons. After my graduation, I began to consider joining the Jesuits, but lack of information regarding the process of admission as well as a full knowledge of the Jesuits’ identity hampered my entry immediately after my secondary education. As for becoming a priest, I believe that decision was made long before I even joined the Minor Seminary.

d. What is it in particular that attracted you to the Jesuits?

What attracted me to the Jesuits? I guess like many others, it is the “Jesuitness” which I perceived or saw in the few Jesuits I met prior to my entry that did the magic. I also had the opportunity of reading about the lives and works of Jesuits in a book that Fr. Tony Okure had given to me. I would also add that a combination of factors that make up the life of a Jesuit was a major pull towards the Society of Jesus. Come to think of it, who amongst us was not impressed one way or another with the first Jesuit we encountered.

e. One would be undermining the existential reality of this vocation to presuppose that it was a smooth ride all the way. May I ask what those challenges where in the course of your journey to the priesthood and life in the Society of Jesus?

Hahahahha…! In every sphere of human life and in every profession or vocation as ours, there are some inevitable challenges. Although I’m not prepared to launch into a detailed discussion of those challenges, I must say that striving to be a saint in the midst of our human frailties is more than a lifetime challenge. Look around you, what do you see?