Built on faith
Stella and John Amagbor with their children, Gerard, John, and Eucharistia, at St. John Paul II University Parish in Denton. (NTC/ Kevin Bartram)
In the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (On Love in the Family), Pope Francis writes that “every family should look to the icon of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Its daily life had its share of burdens … Our families are invited to contemplate the Child and His mother, to bow down and worship Him” (30).
With their relationship rooted in prayer from its very start, Stella and John Amagbor of the University of North Texas faith community at St. John Paul II University Parish in Denton have been blessed with resilience and fortitude in their persistence to keep their nuclear family of five together.
Built on faith
Natives to Nigeria, Stella first met John while completing her compulsory year of service for the National Youth Service Corps, having just earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. As soon as she arrived at her South Nigerian post, she immediately scouted around for the nearest Catholic parish. There, she met John, who was the president of the youth group and active in the parish choir.
Upon the conclusion of her term of service, Stella set her sights on continuing her education — in India, where she would graduate at the top of her class with a master’s in chemistry.
“I was always calling our Blessed Mother Mary to intercede for me because I was all by myself in a country that I’d never been to,” Stella said. “But God helped me, and I came out really successful — not just as a best student, I also broke a record. I was the first international student to be the best student at the university.”
A tradition of prayer
John reached out to Stella via Facebook during her time abroad, and with time, their relationship progressed.
“We started dating with a novena,” Stella said, laughing at the memory along with her husband.
“Our first novena was dedicated to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, I still remember,” John said with a smile.
So began a new tradition they have since maintained.
“We say a novena every month,” John said. The tradition has provided them with a source of constant comfort and hope even when apart.
A challenging time
Stella began her Ph.D. studies at the University of North Texas in the fall semester of 2022 and is currently in her third year of working in surface science, “training towards becoming a process engineer in a semiconductor or energy industry.”
While the family successfully procured a visa to stay together in the U.S., John is forced to return to Nigeria for work for most of the year due to visa limitations.
“It’s super challenging,” the mother of three admitted. “But in all of it, God has been helping us, bringing into our lives people who are like a community, especially here at JPII.”
A small gesture
As the Amagbors settled into daily life in North Texas, they found a family in the parish community of St. John Paul II University Parish in Denton. During the second year of her doctorate at UNT, Stella became pregnant with their third child.
At one fateful potluck, Stella found a box of crackers that suited her pregnancy cravings. When she inquired about them, the owner generously offered her the whole box.
The small gesture had a huge impact on Stella.
“It melted my heart,” she said. “I called my husband and said somebody in church did this, and I felt like this was so sweet. … I made a decision in my heart on that day that when I had my baby, this man was going to be his godfather.”
Shortly after, the young mother came up to Robert Black, the cracker bringer and an usher at the parish, and asked him to be the godfather of her unborn son. After Robert spoke with his wife Linda about the request, the two agreed to be godparents.
“Ever since then, it’s more like we now have a family — we look at them like not just brothers, sisters, or friends, but they’re like our own family,” Stella said.
The many friends they’ve made along the way, Robert’s guidance, and Linda’s “kindest words and softest hugs” have all made Stella and John feel incredibly blessed.
Family values
“I believe that God has shown His face to us through the Catholic faith,” John said, reflecting on how his faith has helped him weather many challenges he’s faced.
Both he and Stella were brought up in families firm in the faith, and they work to instill those values in their children.
“We’re very big on our family values,” Stella said. “What forms our family values is our Catholic faith.”
For now, while their children are young, the couple incorporate morning and night prayers into their kids’ routine. They hope to pass on these values and love for God to their children.
“We’ve met Nigerian families here whose kids are now grown, and they still hold onto the faith and values of their family, so we have that strong hope, and we believe that our kids also will follow that path,” Stella said.