Pictures of Father Peter's Dream

St. Peter Catholic Church (Front) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Side) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Side) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Side) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Inside) Eziala, Owerri

St. Peter Catholic Church (Alter) Eziala, Owerri

IN MEMORIAM

Father Peter Njoku dies while visiting family in Nigeria

By Pat Norby
The Catholic Spirit

Father Peter Njoku, 60, was with family in Owerri, Nigeria, Nov 12, Celebrating Mass in the church where he said his first Mass, when he suffered a heart attack.  He was taken to the hospital where he later died, said his nephew, Victor Nwachukwu, who is one of many family members helped by the priest of this archdiocese.

Father Njoku, pastor of St. Jerome in Maplewood, had gone to Nigeria to visit his older brother, who was ailing, said Nwachukwu, who considers the priest his father.
“I was the first of the family to join him, here,” he said.  “I was his first son and now the family is numerous.”

In fact Father Njoku adopted his then 10-year old niece, Nicole Nneka, in 2001, after her stepmother died of cancer.  Nicole’s brothers, Nnamdi and Okwu, were studying at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul  at the time, and also became part of his family, later taking the name Njoku.

Nnamdi Njoku who attends St. Joseph in Maple Grove, said that his uncle served as his father. “He was someone you could call.  He asked about how school was going.  He was there to bounce ideas off,” Njoku said.

Father Njoku’s longtime friend Joe Nnebedum, said that the priest has been an important part of the local Nigerian community and the Umunne Cultural Association.
Whenever a Nigerian was getting married, buried, or baptizing a baby, they sought out father Njoku, Nnebedum said.

There’s no way we can replace him in the Nigerian Community,” he said.  “And, he really loved his parish at St. Jerome.

Memorial Fund:
Nwachukwu said, “One thing [Father Njoku] left me is his love for family………His love was unwavering.”
He also loved his home parish, St. Peter in Nigeria, for which he was collecting funds to build a new church, Nwachukwu said.

A memorial fund has been set up to complete Father Njoku’s dream.  We request your indulgence to donate kindly towards this effort.  You can send your donations in  any of these three ways:
1:         By Paypal Donations:
To donate, you can click the "Donate" button on the left side of this site.

2:         By Mail:  Please send your donation to:

                        Fr. Peter Chukwuma Njoku’s Memorial Fund
                        P. O. Box 4633
                        St. Paul, MN 55104-9998

3:         By Wire Transfer: You may send your donation by wire transfer directly to the bank account using the following information:

                        Account Name:           Fr. Peter Chukwuma Njoku’s Memorial Fund
                        Account Number:       8852453343
                        Routing Number:        291-070-001

                        Bank Name:                TCF Bank
                        Address:                      1602 New Brighton Blvd.
                                                            Minneapolis, MN 55413

4:         To the Ad Hoc Committee: You may send your donation to any of the members of the Ad Hoc Committee listed below:

            Fortune Ibekwe (Mr.)             (651) 329-5006

           
P. Chinedu Nwaneri (Esq.)     (651) 917-0633

            Nnamdi Njoku (Mr.)               (612) 281-7159

Chris Obasi (Esq.)                   (612) 272-1363

            Isaac N. Obi (Dr.)                   (651) 665-9795

            Vincent Okonkwo(Mr.)          (612) 600-4698

            Richard Oni    Dr.)                  (612) 749-3309

            Larry Ubani (Mr.)                   (651) 917-2090

Serving the Archdiocese:
Father Njoku was born on March 24, 1946, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Owerri, in southeastern Nigeria April 20, 1974.

He was incardinated into the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2001 and assigned as pastor of St. Jerome in 2004.

He also served as pastor to St. Michael in Pine Island, St. Mary in Bellechester and St. Paul in Zumbrota.

He served as a temporary administrator at Epiphany in Coon Rapids, St. Phillip in Minneapolis, Sacred Heart-St. Lawrence and St. Patrick, both in Faribault, Most Holy Trinity in St. Louis Park  and St. Michael in Stillwater.  He also served as associate pastor at Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul and St. Michael in Stillwater, and as Chaplin at United Hospital in St. Paul.