More Than Five Decades of Service: Father Boji Retires

Above: Left to right: Fr. Ayad Hanna, Fr. Manuel Boji, and Fr. Matthew Zetouna at the 2020 Presbyteral Ordinations (July 4, 2020). Above right: Fr. Manuel Boji and Bp. Francis Kalabat with the Mayor of Sterling Heights, Michael C. Taylor at the official the official ribbon cutting and blessing of the new Chaldean Home of Sterling Heights senior living residence (March 19, 2019).

by Sarah Kittle and Jonathan Francis

After more than 50 years of faithful service to the Chaldean Catholic Church, Fr. Manuel Boji entered retirement on August 1, 2021. His final Mass was attended by multitudes who wished to see him off with blessings and love. For many, he embodies what a parish priest should be.

“Fr. Boji was my parish priest for the majority of my life,” said Fr. Pierre Konja. “He has always been a great example of patience and dedication for the diverse generations of our community.”

Good wishes come from all over. “Thank you Fr. Boji for everything you have offered the diocese,” shared Fr. Fawaz Kako of St. George Parish in Shelby Township. “Your priesthood has been tremendous, helping a lot of souls and guiding many people to the kingdom of God. Thank you for your vocation, your work will never be forgotten.”

Fr. Boji was born in 1946, in Telkaif, in the suburbs of Nineveh, Iraq. He was 12 when he entered the Chaldean Seminary in Mosul in 1958. At that time, entering the minor seminary after 6th grade was “kind of normal” according to Fr. Boji. “Kids at that age have a role model or somebody to inspire them somehow. For me, the priests in the village were inspiring persons.”

He was 22 when ordained a priest in Baghdad, Iraq in 1968. His first assignment was in Telkaif, his birthplace. He served there for 19 years.

In July 1987, Fr. Boji was assigned to the United States. “I was the last person in my family to come to the United States,” said Fr. Boji. “My parents, brothers, and sisters were already here. So, it was not really that new to me. We heard things, we had some pictures and knew people who visited the United States.”

The Chaldean community in southeast Michigan was growing at an exponential rate and needed leadership and guidance. His first assignment was to assist at Mar Addai Parish in Oak Park. After serving there for six months, he was assigned to administrator at Sacred Heart Chaldean Parish in Detroit. He served two and a half years there, from 1988 until 1990.

“There was a need, but I came first to study for three years, and then between the bishops, they arranged that I stay,” recalled Fr. Boji. While in the United States, he took advantage of every opportunity to increase his learning. He attended classes at both University of Detroit Mercy and Wayne State University, completing his master’s degree while at Sacred Heart Chaldean Parish.

In May of 1990, Fr. Boji was assigned to Mother of God Parish, also called “Our Lady of Chaldeans Cathedral.” This is the seat for the Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle. Fr. Boji was called to serve as pastor and rector of the cathedral.

In his decades of service here in Michigan, Fr. Boji saw the need for taking care of the elders of the community, many of whom sacrificed everything to make a better life for their children and grandchildren. In 1997, he oversaw the construction work at the Chaldean Manor, a housing complex for the aging Chaldean community located near Mother of God Church in Southfield.

“It was a big effort of Bishop Ibrahim,” explained Fr. Boji modestly. “It was a diocese and parish need, and as the rector of the Cathedral, I helped.”

In 2010, he was appointed pastor of Holy Martyrs Parish in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Recognizing the need for senior living spaces in this eastside community as well, he immediately began plans for a senior living residence next to the parish. “The need was even bigger,” said Fr. Boji.

Almost a decade in the making, the Chaldean Home of Sterling Heights senior living residence was completed in March of 2019. “The project by itself is very good for these people who are living there,” said Fr. Boji. “It serves spiritual, social, and self-esteem purposes for all.”

Fr. Boji’s leadership has had a direct impact on not only the parish he serves and the clergy he serves with but has affected the entire Chaldean community.

“Fr. Boji has played a big role in my life,” shared Fr. Matthew Zetouna, now Associate Pastor of Mart Mariam Parish in Illinois. “When my mother was sick and had multiple sclerosis, he would frequently visit my house to bring her communion and hear her confession.

“My first assignment as a deacon was with him at Holy Martyrs Church, as well as my first assignment as a priest continued from there,” recalled Fr. Matthew. “I stayed with him for the first five years of my ordained ministry, and I was privileged to receive a wealth of knowledge and information about our traditions, stories from back home, about fatherhood and what it means to be a father.”

“Fr. Boji’s ability to make the love of Christ manifest through his ministry and humanity really points to the man that he is,” said Fr. Andrew Seba. “His calm presence and wisdom has guided his leadership and will continue to have an impact on the faithful and the community he serves.”

When asked what he is most proud of, Fr. Boji replied, “The interaction between the parishioners and the priest is very important. Where I am now, it is a product of the love, support, and respect of these hundreds and thousands of parishioners, wherever they were—Mother of God, Holy Martyrs, Sacred Heart, Mar Addai, back home in Tel Keppe (Telkaif) for 19 years—so it was a combination of this interaction between the priest and the people. The people make up the priest, they create the priest, if he’s open to that.”

Thank you, Fr. Boji, for always being open.