The circumstance of one’s birth determines one’s name among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria. At my birth, there was so much joy that my parents named me — Ayodele. My name is composed of three words: Ayo (happiness/joy), De (arrive/come) and Ile (home). The meaning of my name is: Joy has come to our Home! This is close to the meaning of Pope Francis’s encyclical — The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium). I was and still am a bringer of joy to my family and now to you… With my surname, AYENI — he who pleases other people — now you know my name in Full!
I am from Takete-Isao, Yagba-East Local Government, Kogi State, Nigeria; but born and raised in Godogodo, Southern Kaduna State, Nigeria. I am the second oldest of a family of 9 children: 7 boys and 2 girls, among whom are two sets of twins, each set are a boy and a girl. My Family attends ECWA (Evangelical Church of West Africa) church. I became a Roman Catholic in 1985, with a baptismal name AYO — Happiness!
I was baptized in 1985, so as to be able to attend Saint Clement’s Minor Seminary, Adankolo, Lokoja, where I studied for 6 years. My 10 years of Senior/Major Seminary training were in Southeastern Nigeria, with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost, Under the Protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Spiritan Fathers and Brothers).
After my priestly ordination, I worked with the Baka (Pygmies) in Eastern Cameroon, before pursuing my doctoral studies, which culminated in an S.T.D. (Doctor of Sacred Theology) and Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy), from Ottawa, Canada. I now teach in my alma mater — Spiritan International School of Theology, Attakwu, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria.
You know, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is Joy: that is what I intend to share with you, through sharing the Word of God with you. Come journey with me to God, through his Son, Jesus Christ, in the Joy of the Holy Spirit!
Ayodele Ayeni, C.S.Sp.