Get Buchi into Carmel!
Donation protected
My name is Buchi "O'Maria" Akpati, a member of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington in the United States, and this is my vocation story. I pray Our Lord inspires you to support me as I raise funds to eliminate my remaining debt to enter the Carmelite Monastery this summer.
• THE BEGINNING - Family and Our Lady
I am originally from Nigeria, West Africa, and was born and raised Catholic. I am the last of 5 children, and growing up, my parents instilled two family traditions that planted the seed of prayer in my life: Daily Mass and the nightly family Rosary. At the time, I joined my family in prayer more out of obedience than love of God. Through my adolescent years, I prayed only when I needed divine favor, or when I was idle and had enough free time to devote to prayer.
In 2011, that all changed after I graduated from college at George Mason University after receiving my Bachelor's degree in Biology/Pre-Medicine. I worked for several years, was successful in many career pursuits, yet upon all of my achievements, I felt was very empty. Over time, it dawned on me that my heart would only find true fulfillment if it went back to and remained with its source: God.
A few years later, a friend invited me to a 33-day Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary class, which was where my Catholic faith was illumined. Upon completion of the class, on August 15, 2016, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I made my vows of Total Consecration, and grew in a life of prayer through Our Lady's virtues and with her continual intercession. From then onwards, prayer no longer became an action only prompted by life's sufferings, but an act of love to dialogue with the one who made me and loves me more than I can ever imagine. Our Lady has led me by the hand and, step by step, has taught me how to "do whatever He tells me."
• GOD'S CALL - Easter Sunday 2017
A few months after my Total Consecration, after receiving Holy Communion at the Holy Mass, I was gazing at the Crucifix and meditating on the words of the "Anima Christi." Then, I heard Our Lord ask me, from the Crucifix: "Buchi, I know you are praying and fasting more, and have given up a lot to follow me. But, what if I want you all to myself for life? Would you be Mine?"
Upon hearing these words, I initially resisted Our Lord's proposal out of fear, doubt, and an unwillingness to surrender my will for the Divine Will that works all things unto good. I believed that, if Our Lord truly did call me, He would confirm that call and guide me accordingly.
• GOD'S CONFIRMATION - Daily Eucharistic Adoration and Holy Rosary 2019
Fast forward to about a year ago, when I was inspired to begin making a daily Hour of Eucharistic Adoration. This inspiration came from a conference I listened to by Venerable Fulton Sheen, in which he challenged every Priest and religious brother / sister to make a daily Holy Hour no matter how busy their ministries were. Since beginning this devotion, Our Lord revealed to me that my public works of service for Him (Lector, Catechist, Catholic speaker, Religious Education employee, Legion of Mary officer, etc) had been fulfilled. In the silence of my prayers, the more time I gave for the Lord to speak, the more clearly and consistently He confirmed that my mission of giving Him glory out in the world was completed, and that He had a new mission for me.
As I persevered in Eucharistic Adoration and the recitation of the entire Holy Rosary each day, I began to notice that, in spite of the success of my public ministries and work for the Church, the peak of my day was when I was in solitude, silence, and prayer for the salvation of souls, especially Priests. At this point, it was only necessary that I sought further guidance on what I was meant to do with this divine grace.
• MY RESPONSE - Spiritual Direction and Community Visits
Providentially, Our Lord blessed me with a spiritual director, a Priest who understood my journey, knew my soul, and gave me wise counsel to seek the Lord's will more openly. With his guidance, I began to prayerfully consider a religious vocation. I did my research, contacted active and contemplative religious communities, and began to visit them.
After a few community visits and retreats, it became clear to me that Our Lord truly did call me to a life of contemplative prayer and silence. The vocation directors at the active religious communities I visited further confirmed this when I shared my vocation journey with them. As I narrowed down my search, my spiritual director encouraged me to consider getting in touch with the Mother Prioress at the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus in Buffalo, New York. I obeyed, and upon speaking with her for the first time, we scheduled my visit, which turned into a 1-week retreat there.
The Discalced Carmelite monastery felt like home. I cannot put it into more words than this: it just felt right. The daily rhythm of life is centered on prayer in community, silent work within the monastery grounds, and penance for the salvation of souls, especially Priests. This was the perfect fit with who God was calling me to be for Him: hidden, not to reject the world and my loved ones, but to fully unite with Him and to imitate the life of His Blessed Mother.
By the end of my 1-week retreat, after multiple conversations and interviews with the Mother Prioress and the entire community of Discalced Carmelite nuns, I was offered an application for entrance. After prayerful discernment and my spiritual director's blessing, I completed my application and submitted all necessary documents. On March 28, 2020, the 505th Birthday of Saint Teresa of Avila, foundress of the Discalced Carmelites, Mother Prioress shared that I had been approved for entrance! (See my entrance letter below)
• THE INVITATION
While this news is exciting and the community wishes to set an entrance date for me to enter as soon as possible, I am blocked from entrance due to my debt from my student and car loans which, in total, amount to approximately $80,000*. I have been working full-time and paying back my student loans for the last ten years, yet I still have another 20+ years of making payments before I am debt-free.
* You will notice that this GoFundMe page states $84,000 is needed, and that is to cover the 3.9-5% of extra withdrawal fees charged by GoFundMe to the beneficiary.
For this reason, I need your financial support. In order to keep me detached from the fundraising process and more focused on continued prayer, silence, and recollection, the Discalced Carmelite Monastery will facilitate the financial donations given to help eliminate my debt. After they have received donations amounting to my total debt amount, they will then pay off my loans on my behalf. Once that is concluded, I will be given an entrance date* and will be able to enter Carmel!
*As a time frame, the usual entrance dates for aspirants like myself are between April and August.
With all of this said, I pray that Our Lord inspires you to 1) consider giving a financial gift, 2) sharing this message with others who have a heart for vocations, and 3) praying for me and others who are also blocked from entering their vocations due to debt. As the entrance letter shares, you can count on me and my community's prayers for you and for your special intentions.
Below, you will find instructions on how to give your donation, here on GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/get-buchi-into-carmel OR by check, directly to the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus, with my name in the memo line.
• HOW TO GIVE:
Make a donation here on GoFundMe
OR
Write a check to:
Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus
In the Memo line of the check, please write "Buchi Akpati Debt Payment"
Mail the check to:
Mother Prioress
Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus
75 Carmel Road, Buffalo, NY 14214
I am grateful for you reading and for your consideration in supporting my journey of responding to God's call to be a Discalced Carmelite nun. May Our Lord reward you for your generosity and always meet you at your point of need.
In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Buchi Akpati
Aspirant, Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus
• THE BEGINNING - Family and Our Lady
I am originally from Nigeria, West Africa, and was born and raised Catholic. I am the last of 5 children, and growing up, my parents instilled two family traditions that planted the seed of prayer in my life: Daily Mass and the nightly family Rosary. At the time, I joined my family in prayer more out of obedience than love of God. Through my adolescent years, I prayed only when I needed divine favor, or when I was idle and had enough free time to devote to prayer.
In 2011, that all changed after I graduated from college at George Mason University after receiving my Bachelor's degree in Biology/Pre-Medicine. I worked for several years, was successful in many career pursuits, yet upon all of my achievements, I felt was very empty. Over time, it dawned on me that my heart would only find true fulfillment if it went back to and remained with its source: God.
A few years later, a friend invited me to a 33-day Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary class, which was where my Catholic faith was illumined. Upon completion of the class, on August 15, 2016, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I made my vows of Total Consecration, and grew in a life of prayer through Our Lady's virtues and with her continual intercession. From then onwards, prayer no longer became an action only prompted by life's sufferings, but an act of love to dialogue with the one who made me and loves me more than I can ever imagine. Our Lady has led me by the hand and, step by step, has taught me how to "do whatever He tells me."
• GOD'S CALL - Easter Sunday 2017A few months after my Total Consecration, after receiving Holy Communion at the Holy Mass, I was gazing at the Crucifix and meditating on the words of the "Anima Christi." Then, I heard Our Lord ask me, from the Crucifix: "Buchi, I know you are praying and fasting more, and have given up a lot to follow me. But, what if I want you all to myself for life? Would you be Mine?"
Upon hearing these words, I initially resisted Our Lord's proposal out of fear, doubt, and an unwillingness to surrender my will for the Divine Will that works all things unto good. I believed that, if Our Lord truly did call me, He would confirm that call and guide me accordingly.
• GOD'S CONFIRMATION - Daily Eucharistic Adoration and Holy Rosary 2019Fast forward to about a year ago, when I was inspired to begin making a daily Hour of Eucharistic Adoration. This inspiration came from a conference I listened to by Venerable Fulton Sheen, in which he challenged every Priest and religious brother / sister to make a daily Holy Hour no matter how busy their ministries were. Since beginning this devotion, Our Lord revealed to me that my public works of service for Him (Lector, Catechist, Catholic speaker, Religious Education employee, Legion of Mary officer, etc) had been fulfilled. In the silence of my prayers, the more time I gave for the Lord to speak, the more clearly and consistently He confirmed that my mission of giving Him glory out in the world was completed, and that He had a new mission for me.
As I persevered in Eucharistic Adoration and the recitation of the entire Holy Rosary each day, I began to notice that, in spite of the success of my public ministries and work for the Church, the peak of my day was when I was in solitude, silence, and prayer for the salvation of souls, especially Priests. At this point, it was only necessary that I sought further guidance on what I was meant to do with this divine grace.
• MY RESPONSE - Spiritual Direction and Community VisitsProvidentially, Our Lord blessed me with a spiritual director, a Priest who understood my journey, knew my soul, and gave me wise counsel to seek the Lord's will more openly. With his guidance, I began to prayerfully consider a religious vocation. I did my research, contacted active and contemplative religious communities, and began to visit them.
After a few community visits and retreats, it became clear to me that Our Lord truly did call me to a life of contemplative prayer and silence. The vocation directors at the active religious communities I visited further confirmed this when I shared my vocation journey with them. As I narrowed down my search, my spiritual director encouraged me to consider getting in touch with the Mother Prioress at the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus in Buffalo, New York. I obeyed, and upon speaking with her for the first time, we scheduled my visit, which turned into a 1-week retreat there.
The Discalced Carmelite monastery felt like home. I cannot put it into more words than this: it just felt right. The daily rhythm of life is centered on prayer in community, silent work within the monastery grounds, and penance for the salvation of souls, especially Priests. This was the perfect fit with who God was calling me to be for Him: hidden, not to reject the world and my loved ones, but to fully unite with Him and to imitate the life of His Blessed Mother.
By the end of my 1-week retreat, after multiple conversations and interviews with the Mother Prioress and the entire community of Discalced Carmelite nuns, I was offered an application for entrance. After prayerful discernment and my spiritual director's blessing, I completed my application and submitted all necessary documents. On March 28, 2020, the 505th Birthday of Saint Teresa of Avila, foundress of the Discalced Carmelites, Mother Prioress shared that I had been approved for entrance! (See my entrance letter below)
• THE INVITATION
While this news is exciting and the community wishes to set an entrance date for me to enter as soon as possible, I am blocked from entrance due to my debt from my student and car loans which, in total, amount to approximately $80,000*. I have been working full-time and paying back my student loans for the last ten years, yet I still have another 20+ years of making payments before I am debt-free.
* You will notice that this GoFundMe page states $84,000 is needed, and that is to cover the 3.9-5% of extra withdrawal fees charged by GoFundMe to the beneficiary.
For this reason, I need your financial support. In order to keep me detached from the fundraising process and more focused on continued prayer, silence, and recollection, the Discalced Carmelite Monastery will facilitate the financial donations given to help eliminate my debt. After they have received donations amounting to my total debt amount, they will then pay off my loans on my behalf. Once that is concluded, I will be given an entrance date* and will be able to enter Carmel!
*As a time frame, the usual entrance dates for aspirants like myself are between April and August.
With all of this said, I pray that Our Lord inspires you to 1) consider giving a financial gift, 2) sharing this message with others who have a heart for vocations, and 3) praying for me and others who are also blocked from entering their vocations due to debt. As the entrance letter shares, you can count on me and my community's prayers for you and for your special intentions.
Below, you will find instructions on how to give your donation, here on GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/get-buchi-into-carmel OR by check, directly to the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus, with my name in the memo line.
• HOW TO GIVE:
Make a donation here on GoFundMe
OR
Write a check to:
Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus
In the Memo line of the check, please write "Buchi Akpati Debt Payment"
Mail the check to:
Mother Prioress
Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus
75 Carmel Road, Buffalo, NY 14214
I am grateful for you reading and for your consideration in supporting my journey of responding to God's call to be a Discalced Carmelite nun. May Our Lord reward you for your generosity and always meet you at your point of need.
In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Buchi Akpati
Aspirant, Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus
Organizer
Buchi Akpati
Organizer
Manassas, VA