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03/15/2006: "Crofton priest becomes American citizen"

Despite being on American soil for 14 years, and having lived in various communities in Nebraska, it wasn’t until last Friday, march 10 that Father Joseph Broudou could call himself an “American.”
Broudou, along with 39 other immigrants, took the oath of citizenship for the United States of America in the Federal District Court Building in Lincoln.
“It is exciting for me but nothing new for my family,” said Broudou, who serves as the parish priest for St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Crofton and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Constance, and serves as an instructor for the St. Rose school. “In my family, we don’t just live in a different city, we live in different countries.” He has a sister who is a citizen of Australia another sister who is a French citizen living on Reunion Island, and his other two sisters and one brother are still citizens of Mauritius Island, which lies about 1,000 miles east of Africa (500 miles east of Madagascar), in the Indian Ocean.

In 1988 Broudou left his homeland and cut the ties, so to speak. He first stopped off in Australia and then traveled to Singapore. By the time he arrived in America, in 1992, he considered himself a citizen of the world.
But getting to America and becoming an American citizen had not not easy.
“God brought me here,” Broudou said. But in order to come to America, he needed a sponsor. The Archdiocese filled that role when Broudou came here on a religious visa. When the time ran out on that visa, he received a student visa because he was studying in the seminary. At the end of that visa came another religious visa for two years. The Archdiocese then decided he had staying power and sponsored him for a green card.
“When you have the green card for five years, you can apply for citizenship,” Broudou said, thinking it had taken quite a few years to get to this point.
“I first worked as a missionary,” Broudou said. “Embracing the culture you are serving is the easiest way to go so adjusting to the United States was not too different or difficult for me.”
“Mother Teresa was born in Macedonia but died a citizen of India,” Broudou added. “She served the people, grew to like them and stayed.”
Broudou was given a booklet by the Immigration Office with 90 questions covering general history and civics of the United States. He considers it similar to what his seventh and eighth graders in St. Rose are studying.
Three months before the end of an immigrant’s fifth year, the Immigration Office notifies them they are eligible to make an application for citizenship, which Broudou did in July of last year. A day in November was the anniversary of his fifth year. During the process he was also fingerprinted twice in the Omaha office.
In January he was notified his application had been approved and a testing date was set. He had to read a sentence in English, write a sentence in English and answer 2-3 questions about civics. When he completed all the questions, the individual testing him told him he passed.
“I told my students it was not hard,” Broudou said with a smile.
The Office of Immigration sent a letter with the designated time, date and place for the taking of the Oath. An Omaha friend went with Broudou to the happy occasion.
“A few of my friends in Omaha are planning a celebration for March 19,” Broudou said. “The oath taking was on Friday, and it being Lent, we decided to postpone it to a Sunday.”
Broudou has adjusted to living in a rural area as an American citizen.
“The question of am I happy here?” said Broudou. “It is not a place that makes me, or anyone happy. Happiness comes from within yourself and yes, I am happy here.”