By Joan Zombek
If you are curious about Father Williams’ American-sounding name, or his journey from his Nigerian homeland to Arizona, you are not alone. More than eighty parishioners had those questions and others answered by Father at the Seton Society’s semiannual Salad Luncheon.
Twenty-six cool, delectable salads and several desserts satisfied our physical hunger, while Father satisfied our curiosity about his growing-up years and his path to the priesthood and Arizona.
The first matter to be settled was why Father was given the name “Williams” instead of the more familiar “William.” He explained that “I would have to go back and ask the Irish priest who baptized me . . . I have been happy to respond to ‘Williams’.” He continued on, eager to give parishioners a chance to discover “who this Father Williams is.”
Father is the third of six living children of Francis Abba Katung, a lifelong Catholic, and Paulina Francis, his mother who converted to Catholicism upon their marriage. (His five siblings are parents to his 50 nieces and nephews.) Having tragically lost eight children in infancy, possibly due to environmental factors, Father’s family left their village with no planned destination except to leave the place where they had suffered immense loss. They settled in Godogodo, where Father was born. Sadly, he disclosed that this area of Nigeria has become associated with terrorism, violence and crime. His mother Paulina is now 87, but his father, who was very healthy his entire life, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly one day. His parents were very involved in church life, and Father credits them with “nurturing the seed” of his vocation. After daily recitation of the rosary, beginning at 4:00 a.m., they walked about seven miles to their parish church for community devotion, followed by visiting the homebound sick to pray with them. Father candidly revealed that despite deep faith, Mr. Katung struggled with alcoholism, making family life very unpleasant at times. Despite this difficulty, they loved each other. The day arrived when Mr. Katung knelt before his wife to ask forgiveness for his behavior and promised to never consume alcohol again, and he honored that commitment for the rest of his life. Father reminded the audience that God is always merciful and forgiving, a fact that he focuses on in counseling and in confession.
Mr. Katung was very straightforward with his son about peer pressure and its consequences for his future. Father Williams completed primary and secondary school, and Julius Yakubu Kundi, a high-school classmate, would later become his Bishop. After attending teacher-training college, Father relocated to the city where he was employed as a textile worker. About a year later, he felt the call to the priesthood and contacted his pastor, who assisted him in making an application to the seminary. Shortly thereafter at his interview, with little background knowledge of seminary life, he was asked what he knew about the “eschatological Parousia.” Father responded confidently, referring to the “end times” and events happening on the “last day,” and was admitted to the seminary to begin his priestly studies. Later he would learn that his entire seminary education was sponsored by an elderly German lady whom he never had the chance to thank in person. Before ordination to the diaconate, Father was assigned to a parish to in order to experience life serving the faithful. He admitted to occasionally feeling unsure if he was destined to become a priest, and he prayed and fasted because of this on numerous occasions. He mentioned a dream he had of being fully vested and ready to offer Mass. That was a sign to him that he was meant for this life of service. Ordination to the priesthood followed, with Father as the first resident of his community and native son to enter the priesthood. Father reminisced that after only one year, he was assigned as Pastor of a newly-established parish with no resources or preparation. Father later served as Education Secretary for the Diocese, overseeing religious education in Catholic schools, and then as Coordinator for Justice and Peace, seeing himself as “a voice for the voiceless.” It was after several years in this role that Father met Sister Maureen Colleary from Staten Island, New York who visited Nigeria yearly to establish the “Renew” program. Their friendship flourished and Father shared with her his aspiration to become a psychologist. Sister’s contact with a New York priest paved the way for Father Williams to enter the United States, work in a local parish and pursue education in psychology. The plans and necessary documentation were in place when Bishop Kundi returned from visiting Rome with the message that Father Williams was expected in Rome in July of that year. Feeling conflicted between obeying his bishop and pursuing his own goal, a friend pointed out that another opportunity to study in Rome might never surface, and so Father left for Rome. There he met Father Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, who was at that time Prior General of the Augustinian Order. He spoke highly of our new Holy Father, identifying him as a good and holy man who visited Nigeria and Africa many times. At the conclusion of his studies in Rome, Father was asked to return to Nigeria to teach philosophy in the seminary, which he did for 20 years.
About five years ago, upon celebrating his Silver Jubilee, Father approached Bishop Kundi with the desire to do “something different.” He was prompted by the negative attention he was attracting from the government and other “bad guys” because of his work on justice issues; he was also “exhausted” from the constant, never-ending suffering of his people, which included the murders of hundreds of people at a time. Bishop Kundi was receptive and contacted Bishop Olmsted of the Phoenix Diocese. Together they facilitated Father Williams’ arrival in Phoenix on July 18, 2021, where his first assignment was at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Scottsdale. Last year, Father Williams was appointed by Bishop John Dolan to be our Parochial Administrator, a decision that has proven to be a blessing for our parish in every way.
At the conclusion of Father’s thoughtful revelation of his life before coming to us, there were several insightful questions, with parishioners possibly pondering the enormity of adopting a missionary spirit and leaving ancestral homeland and family to pursue a new path. Veronica, one of the attendees and herself multilingual, enquired about Father’s language skills. Father said that he acquired British English, which he speaks and comprehends very well, as his primary language, along with Italian, which was very necessary for his education in Rome. As a result of his Italian skills, he can also comprehend spoken Spanish. He also admits to having basic German conversational skills. In addition, he can communicate in ten of the more than 300 local languages spoken in Nigeria, promptly reciting “The Our Father” in one of those languages.
When asked about his favorite teacher, and the class that “stood out” to him, Father commended the well-trained teachers who “brought out the best in kids” in his early years. Later there would be Father Thomas, his seminary Philosophy I teacher. Sister Nora taught Latin, which was required in the seminary. There was Sister Charity, who taught English, computer skills, and homiletics, and he praised her tireless devotion to ensuring that everyone acquired experience in these skills. As students worked diligently to complete writing assignments, Sister worked equally hard to read, comment and return them in a timely manner, “polishing” their English writing skills. She insisted that they be able to read them aloud as well. These skills enable Father Williams to compose and deliver well-organized, thoughtful and inspirational homilies that give us insight into Sacred Scripture and how it connects with our lives today, using English vocabulary and structure that is familiar and comprehensible to us as Americans, no matter our age group.
Laurie commented on Father Williams’ ability to “speak with the boldness of the Holy Spirit,” and “convey God’s love to us.” He responded that he was always aware of God’s love and how it creates many possibilities and opportunities in life; for him, it was the financial sponsorship of his seminary education by an elderly German lady.
At the event’s conclusion, Seton Society Vice President, Carlene thanked Father for his presence and suggested we pray that Father will be with us “for a long time.” Father expressed his gratitude to the “beautiful people for taking me in and for the love . . . and the confidence” we have in him.
