Father Vincent Germace knows the power of prayer.

He has trusted in that power to guide him on the path that has brought him to the Heart of Jesus Catholic Parishes, where he began serving as parochial vicar in early July.

A native of Nigeria, Father Vincent was born into a non-Christian family. His father was a traditionalist and wanted to be a Muslim before his untimely death.

“He died when I was only four or five years old. I can’t really recall his face,” Father Vincent said of the memory he has of his father.

His mother then married a close relative of his father, who also was not a Christian. The marriage added four siblings to the three others Father Vincent already had.

Father Vincent was brought up by an uncle, a retired catechist who saw to his education and faith formation. He said he appreciates the priest who baptized him and chose his Christian name because he has a heart for the poor like his patron saint.

“There are many Vincents that are saints – five or so – but St. Vincent de Paul is my patron saint,” he said. “The priest that gave the name, I don’t know how he was able to know I would come to live and my life would come to be this way. I love to take care of the poor. I love to assist the poor, and if I see people passing through difficulties, I don’t feel comfortable. I want to see that they are out of that.”

Father Vincent began to feel the draw to priesthood during his elementary school years. He shared that desire with his parish priest.

“I was an altar boy, a Mass servant. Our priests then were from Ireland, the St. Patrick Fathers. …One day, I just felt inside my mind I want to be like this priest. That was my parish priest. I had to approach him and tell him, ‘Look, how do I become like you and be a priest?’” he said.

The question eventually revealed a path that led to him being one of 11 boys from his home parish who were sent to the minor seminary. From those 11, Father Vincent was the only one who persevered, making it to St. Augustine’s Major Seminary in Jos, Nigeria.

But it took a good deal of prayer to get his mother – who had not yet become a Christian – on board with the idea of him going to major seminary. She, instead, wanted him to marry and have a family.

“The moment she began to talk about that I felt very sad,” Father Vincent said. “I just left so I would not say anything that would hurt her. … I said, ‘Let me pray. Let God touch her mind to allow me to do what I feel I want.’ I kept praying.”

His prayers were answered. His mother eventually softened to the idea of him becoming a priest and was there on his ordination day in 1987. (She later began attending Mass, was baptized and received communion, another hope for which Father Vincent turned to prayer).

Since his ordination, Father Vincent has been blessed with a number of pastoral and administrative assignments, including many years of service as a parish priest in Nigeria, as well as the administrator of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Minna, Nigeria, and as spiritual director of St. Augustine’s Major Seminary in Jos, his alma mater.

In the early 2000s, Father Vincent came to the United States upon invitation to the National Shrine of Divine Mercy. He spent three years there before returning to Nigeria. He later came back to the United States and, among his missions, served briefly with Father Kizito Okhuoya in Verdigre.

Last year, Father Vincent said yes after being asked if he would be willing to come back to the Archdiocese of Omaha.

He knows there will be challenges, including dietary, communication due to his accent, as well as finding his way around the area.

“The good thing now is here in America, the GPS thing is very helpful,” he said. “If I pay attention to that, I may not have issues as to where I want to go.”

Father Vincent added that he’s encouraged by the number of people he has seen at Mass since his arrival to Heart of Jesus Catholic Parishes.

“Back home, the impression given is that people don’t go to church here,” he said. “But I’m really surprised because when I came, morning Masses on weekdays, a good number show up – even better than back in Nigeria. Maybe it’s this area, as the Archdiocese of Omaha and probably other dioceses may not be the same, but I see a lot of people come to church.”

His time with the Heart of Jesus Catholic Parishes will be spent ministering to the people, to see that they hold the faith and grow strong in it.

“That’s the basic thing that God wants of us: We hold onto him and truly know that He’s there for us,” he said.

If you would like to learn more about the priesthood, call the Sacred Heart Parish Office at 402-371-2621.