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Faculty spotlight: Father Pachomius Okogie, O.S.B.

Faculty spotlight: Father Pachomius Okogie, O.S.B.

by Public Relations | November 20, 2024

LATROBE, PA – People have more ways than ever to converse and exchange information. Yet, all of the words, signs, texts and tweets in the world are worthless without one basic ingredient: listening.

“It is important to listen,” said Father Pachomius Okogie, O.S.B., the 2024-25 Stephans Family Visiting Benedictine Scholar at Saint Vincent College. “It’s important for the survival of human society. The first word in the Rule of Saint Benedict is ‘listen.’ We all need to listen—listen to God, listen to the Gospel, listen to one another, listen to the world around us.”

In his role as Visiting Benedictine Scholar, Father Pachomius recently conducted a listening seminar at Saint Vincent. Among the topics discussed were the components of listening, what is listening and how to discern to whom one should listen.

“The Psalmists, the Nazarene, Saint Benedict and others are talking to us all the time,” Father Pachomius said. “How do we respond as a people who are listening?”

Assisted by Dr. Jerome Foss, professor of political science in the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government and Endowed Professor of Catholic Thought and Culture at Saint Vincent College, Father Pachomius put together a program that included writings by Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, C.S. Lewis, Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, Joan Chittister and others. Father Pachomius told the seminar attendees that proper listening requires active engagement.

“Don't read passively,” Father Pachomius said. “Read actively. Ask the text questions; engage it.”

In addition to his listening seminar, Father Pachomius spoke about suicide prevention on Nov. 12 during the Round Table of Scholars Talks. The Round Table of Scholars is made up of endowed faculty chairs who work to promote and enhance collaboration in their scholarship and research across the College’s academic community.

“One needs to appreciate and preserve the value of life,” Father Pachomius said. “One needs to think about how one’s decisions and choices affect others.”

Father Pachomius added, “Suicide is by no means a simple matter. It is complicated. We need to pause and think seriously about this tragedy, for suicides aren’t always for selfish reasons. Some cases are owing to love for and respect of others, due to consideration of the needs of others, that is, caused by the apparent good benefit that these very painful acts have for their families, friends and compatriots.”

What’s necessary to battle suicide, Father Pachomius said, is collaborative effort between experts of physical sciences and social scientists. “Everyone needs a good and faithful friend, especially in times of need and crisis,” he said. “In a Christian context, the best friend is Jesus, the physician of body and soul, the light and savior of the world. He laid down his life to set us free. What does that mean? To some extent, it means one needs both faith and reason to deal with the problem.”

The Stephans Family Visiting Benedictine Professor program is funded by a grant from the Rossin Foundation. Each academic year, Saint Vincent College recruits one scholar from the Benedictine community to teach and lecture for at least one semester on campus.

A monk and priest of Saint Benedict Priory in Ewu, Nigeria, Father Pachomius earned two doctorates at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He served at the International Benedictine University and College (Sant-Anselmo) in Rome as secretary-general/registrar, dean of residents, university chaplain and associate professor of philosophy.

“I taught the philosophy of being and the philosophy of knowledge,” he said. “I also explored and navigated other terrains, always seeking to understand better what it means to be enlightened, educated, formed and transformed. Listening to others and to your body, to yourself, to your conscience and to the voice of God is very important.”

Father Pachomius has published several book chapters and numerous articles. He continues to study liturgy as an incessant prayer, including how to become a mature Christian.

 

Father Pachomius Okogie sitting at a table

Father Pachomius Okogie

 

 

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