4 minute read
Welcome New Parochial Vicar, Fr. Solomon Kaanan!
Over the last two months, you have likely seen a familiar smiling face here at St. Mary on the Hill. We are thrilled to welcome Fr. Solomon Kaanan back to the area as our new Parochial Vicar! Fr. Solomon spent some of his vacations with us during his seminary studies between 2015 to 2017. His return as an ordained priest marks a happy homecoming for both Fr. Solomon and our parishioners alike.
While St. Mary on the Hill has always been designated as Fr. Solomon’s “home parish” in our diocese, St. Thomas, the Apostle Parish, where he grew up in Nigeria, Africa, lies over 5,000 miles away. Fr. Solomon was born and raised in central Nigeria, the second oldest of eight siblings in a devout Catholic family.
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“Every day we went to morning Mass,” Fr. Solomon says. “We had morning prayers, the Rosary, and then after the Rosary the priest came in for Mass. Then, we prayed the Rosary every night with our parents.
“If you missed Mass or the Rosary, my mom would punish you!” he laughs, then continues on a more serious note. “I’m proud of my mother. She is my spiritual director. She takes a huge credit for my vocation to the priesthood.”
Around the age of 7 or 8, Fr. Solomon started to become very interested in the role of the altar servers and the priest during the Mass. By age 11, he was already enrolled in a seminary high school, where he spent six years followed by a spiritual year. He continued on to college seminary, completed a pastoral year, returned back to his first year of theology after which he was asked to come over to the United States for his continued theological studies.
Fr. Solomon could never have imagined God’s plan for him to begin his priestly vocation here in the United States. The bishop of our Diocese of Savannah at the time — Bishop Gregory Hartmayer — had a close connection with Fr. Solomon’s bishop, and asked him if there were any seminarians who might be able to come finish their studies in the U.S. and serve our diocese for some time following their ordination. Since Fr. Solomon had spent his pastoral year working for his bishop and knew him well, he was a natural choice.
Still, the call from his bishop asking him if he would be willing to serve the Diocese of Savannah came as a great surprise to Fr. Solomon.
“I had never dreamed of being in the U.S.,” he says. “There were certain shocks when I arrived. When you come to a different country, the food and the way people do things are different and those things you struggle with. But I think I’m pretty good at getting adjusted to places and people. I am thankful to have the opportunity to experience another country’s culture. I never thought I would be a missionary priest. I was going to seminary to be a priest for my people, but here I am. You never know what God can do.”
Fr. Solomon was ordained by Bishop Hartmayer in Nigeria on July 7, 2019. As the first Diocesan priest from his community, his vocation is an inspiration to the younger children there. Thousands flocked to the cathedral for the ordination, and due to the large size of the crowd that later came out for his first Mass, the liturgy had to be held outside. In all of this, Fr. Solomon witnessed what he calls “the extravagant grace of God.”
Fr. Solomon enjoyed serving St. Anne Parish in Richmond Hill as a first-year priest and now looks forward to learning and growing even more here at St. Mary on the Hill.
“So far I love being a priest,” he says. “I love what I do. I love celebrating Mass and the sacraments, Confession and Baptism, bringing people into the church. I enjoy talking to people one on one about their struggles and challenges. I just want to enjoy my priestly ministry, and I want to continue to learn how to be a priest.”
Whether in Nigeria or Georgia, for Fr. Solomon, living one’s faith to the fullest comes down to two things — love and courage.
“Love people,” he says. “Meet people where they are. If you don’t meet people where they are, you won’t understand them. I grew up with my mom who was just a loving woman who spoke to people so well. I never saw her get angry with people outside. She would get angry at her children, but I know it was because she wanted the best for us. So I’ve always experienced love and the mystery of love.
“And have courage!” he continues. “Do not be afraid — God is present. Be courageous and be determined. Sometimes when we have rough moments, if we don’t have courage, that’s when the faith is getting choked and begins to die. But if we are courageous enough, we become commissioned and can face whatever comes and keep moving. And at the end of the road, it’s glory and honor that belongs to God.”
