Fr. Innocent Okozi 

Director of Configuration Stage 

BIOGRAPHY

Fr. Innocent Okozi is a priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto and was ordained in 1995. He was formerly a member of the Society of African Missions (SMA Fathers), Nigeria Province, an international missionary community founded in Lyon, France in 1856. He completed his priestly formation in Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. He has ministered as a missionary, Pastor, and Associate Pastor to diverse populations in Africa and the United States, including in the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, and the Diocese of Portland, Maine. He graduated from the Counseling Psychology Doctoral program at Seton Hall University, New Jersey, in 2010, and taught there as an Adjunct Professor. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey and a Board-Certified Counselor in the United States. He joined the Southdown Institute in April 2020 as a member of the clinical team, which serves clergy, women, and men in religious life, as well as lay ecclesial ministers from both the Catholic Church and various Christian denominations. He has written and published several articles in academic journals and has presented at both local and international conferences. He is fluent in French and a few African languages. Currently, he serves as Associate Pastor at St. John Vianney Parish in Barrie.