Precious Blood Volunteers’ Orientation, July 2017, Leah Landry, John Lee, Hector Avitia and Lota Ofodile
God Chose You, Remember That
by Lota Ofodile, Precious Blood Volunteer, Kansas City, Missouri
There’s an old story that has been circulating in
my family for years now, since I was born—the tale of
how I got my name. Legend has it that my grandfa-
ther wanted to name me Raluchukwu (which means
“Choose God” in my native language, Igbo) but that
changed after a little conversation.
Interesting fact: I grew up being part of a small
Catholic community called The Neocatechumenal
Way. Each year, Andrea and his wife Francesca, a nice
Italian missionary couple and the leaders of our group,
would make their way down to Nigeria from Rome
with a new priest and seminarian and stay for a few
months. They lived right next door. (So just in case
some of you, like most of my friends and colleagues at
the clinic, are all wondering how I am so comfortable
living with Fr. Dick and Fr. Garry, it’s because I have
lived with priests for years).
10 • The New Wine Press • March 2018
Andrea was in the country when I was born, and
apparently after he heard I was going to be called
Raluchukwu, naturally he asked what it meant. Once
he found out, he said, and I paraphrase, “You can’t
choose God; he has already chosen you. You just have
to remember that.” That was how Lota came about. My
first name, Lotachukwu, means “Remember God.”
Funny story, right? And who knows if that’s exactly
how it happened? It doesn’t matter now because I have
owned it, and every time I think about that story I
realize how God shows himself to us in the most unex-
pected ways. Sometimes, the most incredible experi-
ences happen to us when we least expect it.
At exactly this time last year, I had just gradu-
ated college and had no idea where my life was
headed. I was lost and afraid. I had no job lined up.