Seminarian Spotlight: Deacon Kennedy Ofezu

This is part of a series highlighting the stories of the men who are completing their formation for the priesthood at MTSM. To read more, click here.

Deacon Kennedy Ofezu’s journey to the priesthood has taken him from his home in Oluvu, Uganda, to Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology (MTSM) and, ultimately, to the Diocese of Columbus. His journey will reach a milestone on an especially fitting date: All Hallows’ Eve, Saturday, October 31, when Bishop Earl K. Fernandes will ordain him to the priesthood at St. Catherine’s Church in Columbus.

“I am deeply grateful to Bishop Fernandes, all my formators at MTSM, my brother seminarians and so many other people that I have met during my formation who have helped form me,” Deacon Ofezu said. “They have been my family away from home.”

The third of eight children from a farming family, Ofezu felt his calling from a very young age. His family prayed the rosary together nightly, he was an altar server at his home parish (All Saints) and attended Mass multiple times per week.

“When I was seven or eight, we had a school Mass on a Friday and the priest asked us ‘who wants to be a priest?’” Deacon Ofezu remembered. “With little thought, I raised my hand. Though some of my friends laughed at me, I still raised my hand. The priest called me and another kid forward and asked the whole school to pray for us that we would one day become priests. I took that moment to heart, and I never stopped discerning. That small gesture of raising my hand as a child became a life-long ‘yes’ that the Lord has been nurturing ever since.”

Ofezu’s formal seminary formation began in 2006, when he was 15, at Sts. Peter and Paul Minor Seminary in Pokea, Uganda. There, he completed his Uganda Certificate of Education and Advanced Certificate of Education, comparable to American high school education. He moved on to the Uganda Martyrs’ National Major Seminary in Alokolum, an affiliate of the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, where he studied Philosophy and Social Studies. Following that, he served a pastoral year at St. Peter Claver in the Diocese of Arua (Uganda).

“The pastoral year was a very grounding year of being with the people of God,” Deacon Ofezu said. “I was very involved in the communities and groups at the parish.”

His next stop took him to The Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, where he studied Sacred Theology. After spending a year working on his family’s farm, he was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Columbus and came to the United States in August 2023.

“All those years of formation taught me so much: the values of prayer, hard work, community life and the love for the Church and the people of God, regardless of culture and race,” Deacon Ofezu said.

Although Ofezu had completed much of his academic formation before coming to the United States, his time at MTSM continued to prepare him for the priesthood, with an emphasis on the practical realities of ministry in a new country.

“Adapting to life in a new country was a challenge,” Deacon Ofezu said. “I had to learn how to drive, I spent a lot of time on language and improving my accent and building new relationships. As I learned new things, I became intentional about being present in the community. I was sure I was present in the Refectory, in Bar Jonah, at retreats and in social events. I even learned how to play pool and frisbee golf!”

During his time as a seminarian at MTSM, Ofezu participated in religious education at St. Cecilia School in Cincinnati, apostolic ministry at Mercy Health-Anderson and volunteer work at a soup kitchen. He also helped lead MTSM’s participation in the Ohio March for Life in October 2025. In the Diocese of Columbus, he did summer assignments at St. Mary in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus and St. Colman of Cloyne in Washington Court House.

“I sometimes struggled with perfectionism and self-doubt, but I learned to surrender those concerns to God and trust in His providence.”

After his transitional diaconate ordination in March 2026, Ofezu completed the Program for Priestly Formation at MTSM. Beginning in May, he served as a deacon at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Pickerington.

“Serving the people of God has been a true joy,” Deacon Ofezu said. “Father Matthew Hoover allowed me to preach, baptize, be with families, visit the sick and learn what it means to be a pastor with a shepherd’s heart. The priesthood is about presence, peace and small acts done with great love.”

Asked what he looks forward to most about the priesthood, Deacon Ofezu returned to the theme of doing small things with great love.

“St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus taught us to do small things with great love,” Deacon Ofezu said. “Once ordained, my first desire is to bring peace into every house I enter. My missionary zeal will be focused on visiting those in nursing homes, the homebound and the sick.”