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INUVIK - As Father Matthew Ihuoma concludes almost four years as the priest of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, he leaves behind countless friends from inside and outside the parish.

Many residents streamed into the community hall to attend his farewell feast on Monday and to say their goodbyes to the 34-year-old who is taking up a chaplain position with the Canadian Forces in Halifax.

Joan and Doug Aucoin share a warm embrace with their friend Father Matthew Ihuoma at his going-away feast at the community hall on Monday. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

Since arriving here, the Nigerian-born priest said he has made it his mission to get involved, immersing himself in the community.

"I believe a priest is a servant and I can't just serve only those who step into the church," he said. "I have to be part of the entire community.

"I felt like I belonged here. I felt that I was an integral part of the community, so it was important for me to serve the community in a very real way. I come from a culture where the community is more important than the individual, so the 'I' only has relevance within the context of the 'we.'"

Father Matthew, as he's known, spent eight months as a mental health addictions counsellor at the hospital and signed up as a volunteer firefighter. The experiences helped him develop a connection with the community, amassing cherished conversations along the way.

He came to the NWT by choice, after finishing his theology degree at Saint Paul University in Ottawa. He said he simply saw a need here for more priests and signed up. He was assigned to Inuvik by the then acting bishop.

He said he immediately set out to try to serve others.

"It's my passion to make a difference," he said. "It's my passion to join in with people and to identify with people. I'm more of an unconventional priest. Those who meet me often notice that people don't need to be religious to have a discussion with me.

"I want to get to know people, what they're going through. That we're in this together and that what affects them affects me in a very real way. I feel the pain of people."

Joan and Doug Aucoin are two of Ihuoma's friends and are members of the parish. Joan said he will be sorely missed by the community, especially by her, as she said she has been moved by many of his church services.

"He's brought an optimistic side to things when things were certainly not very optimistic, especially with illness in the family," she said.

"I think everyone will miss him a lot. He gave some fantastic homilies at church. He strongly believes in what he says."

Ihuoma said he feels deeply indebted to the countless residents that have opened their hearts and homes to him.

"You think of those special intimate moments that I've had with people, such as when I went into people's homes for soup. That is very special.

"I'm going to miss my friends. I'm going to miss those who love me."

With an understanding of lingering community resentment towards the Catholic Church, Ihuoma worked to reopen the channels.

"People are very angry, very mad at the church," he said. "They're not comfortable. My main goal when I came was to open the doors of the church, to welcome people and to let people know we can have a conversation. Everyone is welcome."

Bridget Larocque was another member of Ihuoma's parish and became close friends with him over the years. She said he'll be sorely missed.

"I could talk to him whenever I wanted to, via phone, e-mail or just stop into see him," she said. "It's a relationship where you can be totally open and honest about who you are and not be judged.

"He's a great listener and a great spiritual guide for a lot of us."