Archbishop William E. Lori will ordain five men to the priesthood June 21 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland. The following is a profile of one of those future priests. New profiles of the other new priests will be added to the Catholic Review site daily from June 15 to June 20. Click here to read them.
Deacon Shiadrik Mokum says all his life “community” has been his major focus.
The Cameroon native sees his journey to the priesthood, which he will complete with his ordination in June at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland, as a natural progression of his devotion to community life.
“I grew up in a typical African community,” Deacon Mokum said. “In Africa, life is all about love of community. I look at the priesthood as an extension of that community. You leave your family to become a part of the family of the church.”
Deacon Mokum said he started thinking about the priesthood after making his first communion in 2006. He said he answered “a noble and generous call from God” when he was in high school.
He had a broad introduction to religion growing up in Bamenda. His mother, Agnes, is Baptist and his father, Lawrence, is Catholic. He lived with his aunt, Elizabeth Njimbong, who is Presbyterian, throughout middle and high school.
He said he gravitated to Catholicism because most of his friends in his neighborhood were Catholic, and decided to apply to the seminary after volunteering with several priests in his community. He was an altar server and lector at his home parish.
After graduating from Atiela Nkwen (high school), he attended Bishop Rogan Minor Seminary in Buea, Cameroon, and St. John Paul II Major Seminary in Bachou, Ntai Mamfe, before coming to the United States to study at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg.
Holy Family in Davidsonville has been his home base since arriving in the U.S. five years ago.
He has served his pastoral assignments at St. Agnes in Catonsville; St. William of York in Baltimore (now merged with St. Agnes); St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park; and currently St. Peter the Apostle in Libertytown.
Deacon Mokum has drawn strength and knowledge from each of the pastors with whom he worked and has particularly cherished the direction he has received from Father Canisius Tah (a Cameroon native at St. Charles Borromeo in Pikesville), Father Michael Jendrek at Holy Family and Father Charles Wibel at St. Peter.
He said he has enjoyed the benefit of a large community from Cameroon to lean upon in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Although his immediate family might not be able to journey from Africa to witness his ordination first-hand, he has relatives in Virginia, Texas and Minnesota who are planning to attend.
In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer and tennis with his fellow seminarians.
He said he most enjoys good conversation, which he said often leads to discussions on faith.
The 29-year-old said he is ready to serve in any way that he is called.
“Whether it’s as a pastor or a chaplain, my aspirations are just to be a good priest and an example to the people,” he said. “Wherever a priest is needed, that’s where I’ll be.
“I completely put my trust in God. A call to the priesthood comes with a lot of challenges,” he said. “I always say that if God wanted perfect priests, he’d call down angels from heaven. I’m not perfect, but I trust God to help me lead an exemplary life.”
Deacon Mokum said it takes courage to answer the call, but his journey as a seminarian at Mount St. Mary’s has strengthened his vocational resolve.
“I look forward to celebrating Mass every day of my life,” he said. “My priestly goal is to journey with the people from birth to death.”
Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org
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