By Joe Pisani

BRIDGEPORT—When the 25th anniversary of his ordination was approaching, Father Lawrence Nwachukwu Okwuosa sat in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and asked God how he could show his gratitude for his priesthood and the blessings he received in life.

It didn’t take long for God to answer. Father Okwuosa, who is manager of pastoral care at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, was inspired to start a center for at-risk youth in his hometown of Oguta, Nigeria.

“I told my family and friends I didn’t want gifts for my silver jubilee but to start a place where young people could go and feel safe and be helped and avoid negative influences,” he said. “I wanted a sacred place they could call home.”

That was three years ago. This past January, the INEm Centre for Youth Formation and Development opened its doors to more than 100 young people ages nine to 17 to provide education, skills training, recreation, counseling and hope.

The project, which is primarily funded through Father Okwuosa’s salary, recently received a gift of 30 retired laptops, thanks to William M. Jennings, president of St. Vincent’s and senior vice president of Hartford HealthCare. The laptops, which were shipped more than 5,000 miles, will turn the center into a high-tech place of learning for young people—many of whom have never used a computer before.

Jennings praised Father Okwuosa for his initiative and said he was glad Hartford HealthCare’s contribution would make programs possible in digital literacy, academic mentorship and career guidance.

Jennings said Hartford HealthCare strives to be a “force multiplier of good,” in the words of Jeffrey A. Flaks, the president and chief executive officer.

“We’re a hospital and health services company, but we also have a mission to improve the health and well being of our communities, and we do this in Bridgeport, we do it in Hartford, we do it all over the state for innumerable charities through grants and other mechanisms of support that help thousands of people a day,” Jennings said. “This gesture of charity and generosity just happened to be in a village in Nigeria.”

He said that when Father Okwuosa showed him a picture of the center and described its mission, he contacted St. Vincent’s IT leader and learned they had computers, which could be donated.

“As soon as I approached Bill Jennings, he said yes to my request and contacted the IT department, which was planning to retire the laptops in a refresher program,” Father Okwuosa said. “It was divine providence. I thank him and St. Vincent’s and pray the good Lord will continue to use Bill to touch humanity in a positive way. Posterity will remember him because God is using him.”

Father Okwuosa, who has a doctorate in systematic theology, is also convinced God’s providence brought him to St. Vincent’s so he would be able to finance the youth center. His commitment to helping at-risk youth is also shared by his family.

His sister, Sister Mary Idu Okwuosa, HHCJ, belongs to the religious order Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus, which is running the center, and his brother, Father Emeka Okwuosa, Ph.D., a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force, is also providing financial support.

Father Okwuosa says he owes a debt of gratitude to his mother, Priscilla Efuru Okwuosa, who turned 90 on March 1. Although her husband practiced the traditional religion of their people, she converted to Catholicism, and she and Father Okwuosa received their First Communion and Confirmation together.

For Father Okwuosa, who was ordained 28 years ago in March, starting the youth center was a natural progression of what he has done for many years.

“All my life I have worked with young people, sponsoring them, paying school fees and giving them books or money to start businesses,” he said. “This center is my attempt to show my appreciation to God for his love. Looking at the situation in my hometown, I felt the best thing to do was replicate the opportunities I had.”

The collaboration with the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus is especially meaningful to him, not just because his sister belongs to the religious community but also because they supported him as a young man and helped him discern his vocation to the priesthood.

Father Okwuosa said the sisters provide “a compassionate presence without being too judgmental.” The center is available to young people of all denominations and is open 24 hours a day to youth who are distressed and need counseling. It also offers after-school programs, including access to a library and tutoring, music lessons, a chapel, a hall where they can watch soccer matches and a playground. It recently sponsored a program for young adults with mental health issues.

“The work is challenging, but we embrace it with courage and divine providence,” Father Okwuosa said. The culture in Nigeria has changed since he was growing up during a time when young people could depend on the church, schools, friends and family for guidance because “everyone worked together and was concerned about your welfare.”

However, today many young people are turning to substance abuse, violence and street fighting, and young women are having children outside of marriage and are not prepared for motherhood, he said.

“I see a bleak future because no one is taking care of them, and that torments me,” he said. “But now I believe we can change their future.”

(For further information about the INEm Centre for Youth Formation and Development, contact Father Okwuosa at [email protected].)