Episode 5: Starting Over — Faith, Courage, and Finding Home
Every day at St. Paul’s Cathedral I have the privilege of meeting people who have come to Canada carrying extraordinary gifts, remarkable resilience, and stories that too often go unheard.
Many have arrived full of hope, only to discover that beginning a new life is far more difficult than they imagined. Finding housing, meaningful employment, and community can be overwhelming. Credentials are questioned. Promises sometimes fall short. Loneliness can be profound.
Yet amid those challenges, I also witness extraordinary courage.
In Episode 5 of From the Heart of the City, I sit down with Obiageli Oraghalum, who moved to Canada from Nigeria in 2023. Obiageli shares her journey of leaving home, adapting to a new country, pursuing theological education, and discovering what it means to build a life—and a community—from the ground up.
Our conversation explores far more than immigration. We talk about faith, belonging, resilience, worship, and the gifts that newcomers bring to our churches and communities. We also speak honestly about some of the barriers many immigrants face and why genuine hospitality is about much more than simply saying, “Welcome.”
One of the great blessings at St. Paul’s Cathedral has been the growth of our African Fellowship. Once each month, the cathedral is filled with vibrant music, joyful dancing, passionate prayer, and delicious food as Anglicans from across the African continent gather for worship. It is a beautiful reminder that Anglicanism is not expressed in only one way. Around the world, it takes on the language, music, and culture of the people who worship Christ. Nigeria alone is home to millions of Anglicans, and the richness of that tradition is becoming an increasingly important part of our own life together.
I hope this conversation encourages us to listen more deeply to the stories of those who have come to Canada seeking a better life. Behind every newcomer is a story of courage, sacrifice, loss, and hope.
Thank you for listening, sharing these conversations, and helping us build a community where every voice matters.
Grace and peace,
Kevin
