EL CENTRO — “I see myself as a bridge-builder — between generations, between cultures, between intellect and devotion, between doctrine and daily life.”
That’s how one of the newest priests serving in the Imperial Valley describes himself, Father Kizito Uzoma Ndugbu, who hails from Nigeria.
Known as “Father Kizito” (Key-see-toh), he has served at Our Lady of the Valley Parish since July of 2025.
The joyful priest, age 43, emphatically said his new assignment “has been a gift.”
“The name itself, ‘Our Lady of the Valley,’ evokes a sense of humble, fertile ground, and that is exactly what this community is,” he said. “From the first day, the people have been incredibly warm and welcoming. They have been patient with my adjustment to a new culture and have embraced me as one of their own.”
“It has been a year of mutual learning — they are teaching me about American Catholic life, and I am sharing with them the richness of my own spiritual and cultural heritage.”
Father Kizito was born in the town of Amuzi in southeastern Nigeria. The eldest of four siblings, he developed devout Catholic practices early in his life.
His parents, father Emmanuel and mother Augustina, were both professors. As a child, he enjoyed playing soccer “in the dusty streets with my siblings and friends, using a ball made of rolled-up plastic bags.”
“Church was not a Sunday obligation; it was a family identity. From an early age, I witnessed how faith sustains people through suffering and transforms storms into opportunities of growth. That early foundation shaped my understanding that faith is not simply intellectual assent; it is lived communion.”
In his adolescence, he became an altar server and joined the choir. He began to ask deeper questions about life, delving into prayer, and feeling drawn to the Holy Eucharist as “Someone who was calling.”
The more he surrendered to the Lord’s will for him, the more peace he found, he said.
“Over time, that peace matured into conviction.”
It took about 16 years for his journey from minor seminary to becoming a Catholic priest. He was ordained on July 30, 2011, for the religious order Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy, in the Diocese of Umuahia.
Father Kizito arrived in the United States in June of 2021 and was assigned to the Diocese of San Diego. He served as a chaplain at Scripps Mercy Hospital in November of 2022, with residence at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Parish, which overlooks Mission Bay.
Last July, he was assigned to serve in the Imperial Valley.
“I carry within me both African spirituality and Catholic universality – a deep reverence for mystery, community and the sacredness of life,” he continued.
He shared his approach to his ministry.
“Pastorally, I am passionate about helping people discover that their trials are not interruptions to their calling but often the very path through which God shapes it,” he said.
“I have learned that people do not need more noise; they need more meaning. Listening heals more than speaking, pastoral presence often speaks louder than theological precision, and resilience is stronger in community than in isolation.
“I have also learned that effective ministry requires emotional intelligence as much as spiritual depth. Many people carry silent burdens. The priest must be attentive not only to what is said, but to what is unspoken.”
