Scottish Catholic Observer

Argyll and the Isles Diocese welcomed its first new priest in five years, as Fr Emmanuel Alagbaoso was ordained by Bishop Brian McGee in St Columba’s Cathedral in Oban.

Born in Nigeria, 29-year-old Fr Alagbaoso originally entered religious life with the Society of St Paul, spending more than seven years in seminary in his home country. However, he realised his calling was in the priesthood, and a chance connection to the former bishop of Argyll and the Isles Joseph Toal saw him journey from the crowded streets of Lagos to the Isles of Scotland, the Scots College in Rome, his ordination in Oban, and, at the end of next month, to Castlebay on the Isle of Barra, where he will serve as assistant priest.

“It was a lovely occasion,” Fr Alagbaoso said following his ordination. “Before the ordination, I had a private, fatherly conversation with the bishop, and before the Mass started in the sacristy he called me aside and with a big smile on his face said, ‘are you ready for this?’ I said ‘yes,’ and he replied, ‘let’s go.’ It was a great starting line!

“The bishop was very emotional, and I was emotional myself when I was vested. The priests were very welcoming and the parishioners as well. My first Mass was the next day and it was lovely too. I’ve been waiting for that for a long time.

“I’ve been trying to get used to it. People have been calling me Father and I’ve been saying, ‘Is that me?’ It’s different, but thank God for it—it’s God’s grace. Being a priest is God’s grace—it has been massive in my life.”

Journey

Fr Alagbaoso has two sisters and a brother, and he will be travelling home to Nigeria to celebrate his ordination with his family next week.

He currently resides in St Mun’s Church in Dunoon, and his journey to the priesthood there began 5,000 miles away, as a nine-year-old in his home country.

As a child, Fr Alagbaoso served Mass every morning before going to school. His priest, he says, celebrated Mass in ‘a very solemn way,’ and that first sparked his interest in the priesthood.

After finishing secondary school, he went to university to study chemical engineering, but realised his vocation lay elsewhere, and entered seminary.

Fr Alagbaoso would later tell his superior that he felt his calling was in the priesthood. During a meeting with Bishop Joseph Toal, then bishop of Argyll and the Isles, about a different priest who was on sabbatical in Scotland, the superior raised the possibility of Fr Emmanuel becoming a seminarian for the diocese.

“It was big shock to me because I was not expecting it,” Fr Alagbaoso said. “I went straight to the internet and saw the diocese and looked up the pictures and thought, ‘that’s fascinating and beautiful, and a bit strange!’ But people were so nice and welcoming. I thought, this is a home for me.”

He first came to Rothesay, Daliburgh, Barra and Oban, for seven months in 2014, and then went to the Scots College.

“The Scots College was impressive,” he said. “The guys there were so welcoming. It’s a real community. Everyone is willing to help each other. My first year wasn’t easy, but after that it was fantastic.”

His time at the college also helped Fr Alagbaoso with the Scottish accent, and there’s a noticeable hint of the Scots lilt in the new priest’s speech.

When he moves to Castlebay, the people of Barra will get an enthusiastic priest—and a keen footballer.

Fr Alagbaoso played for the Gregorian University team in Rome and he hopes to play for the local team when he arrives in his new home. He is a striker, in the mould of Lionel Messi he says, though he was rooting against the superstar when his homeland took on the Argentines in the World Cup on Tuesday.

Africa

Away from the pitch, Fr Alagbaoso’s passions are the mystics and spirituality, and he believes his home country—where thousands of people attend Sunday Mass—has some lessons for the western world.

“There is joy in Faith [in Africa] and that is something that needs to be brought to the western world, to be happy being a Christian and a Catholic,” he said. “In the 21st century, it’s very hard to preach in the secular society we have now, but we need to hold onto our Faith and believe and people need to be bold enough to stand up for the Christian and Catholic Faith.”

“It’s going to be demanding and not easy but the little we do can have a big difference. One thing we can do is to re-evangelise the culture and to emphasise to people not to be afraid of who they are.

“Once you accept who you are—strengths and weaknesses—it is much easier to see how the culture can accept you. And the clergy need to come out and put on our Roman collar in a sense, so people can get a different perspective.”

And Fr Alagbaoso has some advice for those who think they may be called to religious life.

“Do not be afraid to allow God to take charge of your life,” he said. “Be open to God’s grace. And this is important—you do not need to be a perfect person to go into seminary. People think, ‘I am not worthy, I am not holy.’ In fact, that in itself is the first qualification to becoming a priest. God doesn’t call the qualified, but he qualifies those He calls. And I am talking about young ladies as well, because the religious life is important too.”