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Two new seminarians to study for priesthood for the diocese

Bishop Edward K. Braxton has accepted two new seminarians to study for the priesthood for the Diocese of Belleville. One, Sean Palas, comes from St. Mary Parish in Trenton; the other, Abraham Adejoh, comes from the Diocese of Idah, Nigeria. Mr. Palas will be in Third Theology this year at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Mr. Adejoh, who has completed his theological studies, will be in a special one-year program at Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales Corners, Wis.

Sean Palas, the son of Joseph J. and Diane Palas, was born in 1980 into a military family in Austin, Texas. His family (including his older brother, Christopher) lived inEngland and South Dakota before settling in Trenton when he was in second grade. In fifth grade he began to discern a call to the priesthood as an altar boy reflecting unique ministry of a priest at the altar. He began to develop a real and personal relationship with Christ. He eventually decided to explore the priesthood to discover whether God was calling him to this life. He entered the College Seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago at Loyola University. He graduated in three years with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in philosophy. He was sent to the Pontifical North American College in Rome to begin his four years of theological studies. Towards the end of his first year in Rome, he became very ill. After he finished his final examinations, he returned home to the diocese and took some time off from the seminary. He pursued a Master of Social Work degree at Aquinas Institute in St.Louis.

In time, he decided to return to the seminary joining a small group of priests who were forming a religious community based on the “oratory,” started by the followers of St. Philip Neri in Kalamazoo, Mich.

He felt attracted to a religious community because of the natural fraternity that exists in a group of priests who live and work together. During his studies in Second Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit he, and those involved in his formation, concluded that what Christ really wanted him to do was to be a parish priest and serve the people who had never stopped praying for his vocation since the fifth grade. This summer, after a period of prayer and discernment, Sean applied to return to the diocese, with the assistance of Father David Wilke, co-director for vocations. After accepting him as a seminarian for the Diocese of Belleville, Bishop Braxton gave him permission to continue his theological studies at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, where he is well adjusted. His recreational activities include playing sports with his life-long friends, listening to his favorite music on iTunes, lifting weights, and driving down the back roads of Clinton County with his windows down and nothing but corn as far as he can see.

Abraham Adejoh, the son of the late Mr. Stanislaus Adejoh and Mrs. Victoria Adejoh was born Aug. 27, 1979 at Okpo, Olamaboro, LGA, Kogi State, Nigeria. He is from a large Catholic family. He has three brothers and four sisters. As a young Mass server, he felt an initial call to serve Jesus Christ and his Church in the priesthood. The Most Rev. Ephraim Obot, the bishop of Idah, Nigeria sent him to St. Peter the Apostle, Seminary in Eruku, Kwara State in 1998. After a one-year spiritual program he was sent to St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, an affiliate of Urbanian University, Rome. There, he studied philosophy for four years, earning a bachelor’s degree from the Urbanian University in 2002. This was followed by a “pastoral year,” during whichhe served at the diocesan Chancery as secretary and receptionist. He also served as assistant liturgist and master of ceremonies for the Cathedral of St. Boniface in Idah. During this time he gained pastoral experience in the cathedral parish and in other parishes in the diocese. He also developed his prayer life focusing in a special way on the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Abraham began his theological studies in 2003. After four more years he was granted a bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology from Rome’s Urbanian University in June 2007. He developed a particular interest in the study of Canon Law. During his seminary years Abraham held a variety of responsibilities that gave him the opportunity to gain leadership skills. As he pursued his goal of the priesthood Abraham discerned a strong call to be a missionary in a country that urgently needed priests. Bishop Braxton met with him and his superiors several times during his visits to Nigeria. He eventually invited him to the diocese to further discern his missionary vocation. Abraham has been living with the bishop and Father Von Deeke, the bishop’s Liaison for Seminaries, during the summer. For recreation he enjoys reading, listening to music, soccer, tennis, running, singing, traveling and watching films and news.
These two men join our other seminarians Mr. Joseph Oganda, Mr. Dale Maxfield, and Mr. Anthony Onyango. Bishop Braxton installed Mr. Joseph Oganda in the Ministry of Acolyte at the 10:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter April 3, 2008.

The bishop asks everyone in the diocese to pray often for all of our seminarians. He asks that we pray and work each day for vocations to the priesthood for our diocese.