CANTON — “Some Americans need hyphens in their names, because only part of them has come over; but when the whole man has come over, heart and thought and all, the hyphen drops of its own weight out of his name,” said President Woodrow Wilson.

Father Benson Okpara does not have a hyphen in his name. Even if he did, it really wouldn’t matter. He understands what it means to come to this country, “heart and thought and all.” He put that understanding into action recently, when he became a citizen of the United States of America.

The small, intimate ceremony took place in the courtroom of the Honorable Judge David E. Stucki. After the judge welcomed the group of nine in their native tongues, families and friends watched as he led the group through the Oath of Citizenship. Father Okpara stood, a blood-red carnation on his breast, his right hand in the air and a broad smile on his face, repeating the words, along with his new compatriots.

“Knowing now that I am a full citizen makes me happy, fulfilled,” Father Okpara said. “What makes this country great is everybody contributing, the diversity. I have been in this country [for awhile] and have put my time and talent into [it]. I am happy to be a citizen.”

The ceremony was the last stop of a journey for Father Okpara in his quest to becoming a citizen. He spent the last several months studying in preparation for the written test that all naturalized citizens must successfully pass.

“It is indeed a privilege to preside over this ceremony today,” Judge Stucki said. “I am so happy for all of you and I am happy for all of us. It is my great privilege to welcome you to this country as an American citizen. One thing about this country is that we don’t require you to forget your heritage. As a matter of fact, what makes our country great is the fact that we have had people bring the richness of their own culture, and their language and their traditions to this country.”

Father Okpara acknowledges his unique cultural history in the midst of his excitement of becoming a citizen. Born to a Catholic family in a remote, rural village in Nigeria, Father Okpara was ordained in 1991. After his ordination, he served as a parish priest in Nigeria for eight years and taught at a major seminary there. It was Bishop Gregory Ochiagha of the Diocese of Orlu who encouraged him to obtain his master’s degree in school counseling in the United States. Father Okpara did just that in 2001, when he graduated from John Carroll University in Cleveland. He was later invited to serve in the Diocese of Youngstown by Bishop Thomas Tobin. Father Okpara is currently the administrator of two parishes in Canton — St. Benedict and St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception.

“I think [being a citizen] is part of being part of the system in this country, of being an individual,” Father Okpara noted. “As the judge says, I have full responsibility and also rights in a society that I love, I admire, where I want to invest my time and talents.”

Ann-Margaret Lambo covers news for the Exponent in Stark and Portage counties