STUTTGART, Germany -- Chaplain (Col.) John Ijeoma felt a spiritual call to serve when he was only 7 years old.
Now the Deputy Command Chaplain at U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, he’s spent the majority of his 61 years sharing the Catholic faith with others as a priest. This month, he became the first Black priest in the U.S. Department of Defense to be promoted to the rank of colonel.
“I finished my elementary school at the age of 11, but by the time I finished, I didn’t know anything about how to become a priest.” he said. “I told my parents this is what I wanted to do, and they helped me sign up for the exams and prepare.”
USAG Stuttgart Command Chaplain (Col.) David Curlin read the orders to promote Ijeoma to his new rank at the Catholic Mass service held on Patch Barracks Dec. 8. Bishop William Muhm, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, conducted the Mass to a packed house and later joined Bishop Thomas Obiatuegwu, the auxiliary bishop of the Orlu, Nigeria diocese (and a former U.S. Army Chaplain himself), to pin eagles on Ijeoma’s uniform.
“Father John Ijeoma is a man of exceptional character whose humility, joy, and selfless service are matched only by his remarkable ability to connect with people of every background – young and old, Black and white, high and low,” Curlin said. “His equanimity and effective communication make him a tremendous asset to Holy Trinity Parish, just as he has been to the Soldiers he has faithfully served throughout his distinguished career.”
Ijeoma entered minor seminary at the age of 12, and after completing middle and high school, he went straight into major seminary, a Roman Catholic theological college that prepares men to be priests. In 1988, he was officially ordained into the Catholic priesthood. The path was a traditional one for many who choose to serve as priests in the Catholic faith, but Ijeoma, who was born in Aba, Nigeria, did not necessarily take a traditional path to the Army chaplaincy.
After almost 10 years of working in parishes across Nigeria, he was recruited in 1997 to work in the Diocese of Lake Charles, Louisiana, by a friend who thought he might be a good fit. It’s there that he found he was intrigued by the prospect of serving those in uniform, so he started asking Service Members he encountered at the airport or elsewhere about the breadth of the religious services offered by the military. Eventually, he connected with a recruiter at the local mall who passed him onto a recruiter from the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps.
“It was a little tough because I asked for permission three times before getting a ‘yes,’ but I eventually told the bishop the Army was my passion and I needed to join, or I’d go back to Nigeria,” Ijeoma said. Rather than lose Ijeoma’s impact on Catholics in the United States, the bishop agreed to let him commission into the Army, and he began his military service in 2004.
Since then, he’s been assigned to duty stations in South Carolina, Washington state, Kansas, Belgium, South Korea, and Stuttgart, Germany, where he’s been stationed since 2019 other than a seven-month assignment up the road in Wiesbaden. He has three deployments under his belt and has been awarded two Bronze Stars, three Meritorious Service Medals, and three Army Commendation Medals. Two of his deployments resulted in Meritorious Unit Citations being awarded to units in which he served.
Most recently, he’s helped lead contingents of African-born chaplains to Nigeria in support of U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) missions, coordinating with other chaplains and religious leaders and leading an invocation for a Marines Corps birthday celebration.
“She knows I come from Nigeria and know about the culture,” he said about USAFRICOM Command Chaplain (Col.) Karen Meeker’s decision to include him and other African-born chaplains in delegations, adding that he’s hoping to make more trips in the future. “The intent is to have a coordination between the Nigerian chaplaincy and the United States.”
After 20 years in the Army, Ijeoma planned to head into retirement this coming January to enjoy some hobbies and spend more time with his mother and extended family in Nigeria. However, he was called on to reconsider because of a shortage of priests both in the Army and locally in Stuttgart.
“If I’m strong enough and the military lets me, I love being an Army chaplain, and I’ll be glad to help as much as I’m required,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 12.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.23.2024 11:34 |
| Story ID: | 488219 |
| Location: | STUTTGART, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, DE |
| Web Views: | 13 |
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