By Eileen Connelly, OSU
There will great joy, prayer, thanks and praise to God in late August as five brothers take the next step on their journey of faith in Franciscan life.
On Aug. 23, Br. John Barker, OFM, will be ordained to the priesthood at Holy Family Church in Oldenburg, Indiana. Brothers John Neuffer, OFM, Raphael Ozoude, OFM, Richard Phillip, OFM, and Matthew Ryan, OFM, will profess solemn vows at St. Clement Parish in Cincinnati on Aug. 24.
Each brother experienced God’s call in a different way, yet they hold in common a desire to live the Gospel values in the same spirit of fraternity and simplicity as St. Francis, ministering to those most in need of compassion and care.
Br. John Barker, OFM
Br. John Barker, OFM
Br. John Barker refers to his path to the priesthood as an “unexpected journey of faith.” In the late 90s, he was living in Charleston, South Carolina, and working in the restaurant industry. “I had been experiencing a strong revival in my Catholic faith,” he explained. “I was also at a period in life when I was examining what life is all about – its meaning, purpose, those sorts of things.”
“God led me down a path I wasn’t expecting to go, until something felt right. The rest is history,” said Br. John, who made temporary vows in 2000 and solemn profession in 2004. He acknowledges feeling a call to the priesthood at the time, but not a strong one. He attended Catholic Theological Union, where he was on the ordination track, and earned a Master of Arts/Master of Divinity in theology and biblical studies.
A strong interest in Old Testament studies led Br. John to the doctoral program at Boston College, earning his PhD in 2016, while also teaching at CTU. Br. John has been a regular contributor to Weekday Homily Helps for Franciscan Media, published articles on the Gospels and co-authored Living the Word: Scripture Reflections and Commentaries for Sundays and Holy Days.
Br. John left CTU in 2020 ready to discern the next steps in his life. On Aug. 4, the feast of St. John Vianney, for whom Br. John has always had great reverence, “I was praying, and suddenly it popped into my head that it’s time to pursue the priesthood. I thought, ‘maybe this is God guiding me.’”
He was ordained to the diaconate last January and since then has focused on serving at Masses, preaching, and working with Holy Family parishioners in religious education and adult faith formation.
Br. John expressed his excitement as his ordination approaches, saying, “It took me many years to get here, to grow spiritually myself, but I needed those years to really be immersed in the Catholic world. I feel a very strong evangelizing impulse, which I think came out in my teaching. I really believe in our Catholic faith, in God, in the Scriptures, and have a great love for the liturgy. I want to share that, to serve God and God’s people.”
That call to serve God and his people holds true for the brothers who will soon profess solemn vows. Each man’s journey of faith has been unique.
Br. John Neuffer, OFM
Br. John Neuffer, OFM
Born in upstate New York, Br. John Neuffer moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, at age 12. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and spent 10 years working in the tech field in software and website development and management.
While occasionally attending Mass and confession at Immaculate Conception Church in Durham, he was curious about the brown robes worn by the friars. Later, as he was discerning religious life, he learned more about the Franciscans, reached out to the friars at Immaculate Conception, and was invited to share a meal and conversation with them.
“I was attracted to the focus on community life, on serving the poor and in living a Gospel life,” Br. John said. “It is a life that calls us to prayerfully consider how to image Jesus Christ in all that we do, and to do so in the context of community and prayer.”
As solemn profession approaches, he admitted that “reflecting on the vows brings with it a variety of emotions. I am filled with gratitude for all the friars and the people of God who have walked with me and who continue to encourage me. I am also anxious. My generation likes to keep our options open and avoids commitment. However, a life fully lived demands commitment. Prayer has been helpful for me to hear the call of God amidst all the distractions and doubts that I face in my daily life.”
Br. Raphael Ozoude, OFM
Br. Raphael Ozoude, OFM
Br. Raphael was born in Los Angeles, moved to Lagos, Nigeria, where his parents are from, then returned to the United States and settled in Houston. He holds an undergraduate degree in general biology from Baylor University and completed the Medical Laboratory Science program with Houston Methodist Hospital at the Texas Medical Center.
Amid his studies, Br. Raphael began focusing more on his spiritual life, spending time in prayer and reflection. After speaking with the chaplain at Baylor, he attended a Come and See event for the local diocese.
“It was a great experience,” he recalled, “but it didn’t feel like what was pulling on my heart.”
He had a dream in which the Lord spoke to him about the Franciscans, inspiring him to attend a Come and See weekend at St. Anthony Shrine in Cincinnati. Br. Raphael followed his heart and God’s voice and entered the Order.
“There’s just something about this life and following the Gospel that helps draw us closer to God,” he said. “It’s an intentional commitment toward humility and charity. We see the poor, we see all of creation as brothers and sisters. I think being a real brother to someone else goes beyond charity. It involves accompanying people and being part of their lives just as Jesus entered into history with us.”
For him, Br. Raphael added, solemn profession is a way to continue “my walk with the Lord.”
Br. Richard Phillip, OFM
Br. Richard Phillip, OFM
Br. Richard grew up in the small town of Westville, New Jersey. He spent 18 years working in healthcare, including serving as a corpsman in the U.S. Navy, where he was also trained to be a medic. He graduated tenth in his class and attended Field Medical Service School.
After leaving military service, Br. Richard attended a variety of trade schools and began nursing classes but did not obtain a license or degree. He is candid about his experience because it is part of his journey.
“I eventually fell on some hard times, due to my own fault,” he acknowledged. “I heard about the Franciscans because they fed me. I was homeless and recovering from drugs and alcohol at a place called the Last Stop Club across the street from St. Francis Inn in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia.”
He served as a volunteer liaison between the Club House and Inn during his recovery and was increasingly drawn to Franciscan life.
“The attraction to the life is the work, working for those who can’t or are too spiritually sick to do so,” Br. Richard explained. “What our Order does well, when intentionally lived and worked for, is community living, bringing the ‘Way’ to life by living it as the first followers did in the Acts of the Apostles. When that is done with prayer and Mass, it is a powerful medicine for a community, for a person, for our world. I know this because I have seen it with my own eyes. I have lived it!
“As for solemn profession? Well, I have been living solemnly professed since I got sober, even before I came to be called ‘brother,’” he added. “I am willing to commit my life to trying, to keep moving forward, learn to forgive faster and pray more often. I only wish to die sober and to eventually be buried in my habit with a smile on my face.”
Br. Matthew Ryan, OFM
Br. Matthew Ryan, OFM
Br. Matt is from Covington, Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in political science and the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2001, where he met the friars at St. Monica-St. George Parish Newman Center. After graduating from law school, he began a career as a public defender in Kentucky.
“It was a helping profession, representing people on the margins charged with crimes in court. There was something missing,” Br. Matt said. “There was a spiritual void in the lives of so many clients. I recognized something was missing in my own life as well. I wanted to contribute to the good, but I wanted to do that in a context of faith, while deepening my own faith.”
With the Franciscans, he feels he has found a home. “I am a brother in a family of brothers who are collectively and individually trying to live the lives God wants us to live and contribute in the ways God wants us to contribute. I am pleased to be making this next step, making a permanent commitment to the friars, and I’m very grateful for my family and friends and for all the prayers and support and encouragement I have had along this journey.”
Please keep our brothers in your prayers as they continue their journey.
Every journey to religious life is unique. Our vocations team is here to support you every step of the way. Are you being called to be a friar? Contact our vocations office to begin your discernment with us.