Nigerian Priest Dies in US Days Before Planned Return Home

(Rev. Benjamin Madu. Photo by CKN News)

A Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev. Benjamin Madu, who had been preparing to leave the United States after his religious worker visa expired, has d!ed in Massachusetts, church officials have confirmed.

Madu, a priest with the Diocese of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, passed away on Thursday, having spent several years serving as a hospital chaplain and parish priest in Massachusetts.

Announcing his passing, Father Jim Achadinha, pastor of the Catholic communities of Gloucester and Rockport, described it as a “devastating loss,” noting that Madu “served Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish with true joy, kindness, and generosity.”

Authorities have not officially disclosed the cause of d£ath, though a spokesperson for the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said foul play is not suspected.

An autopsy was expected to be conducted while officials worked to reach Madu’s relatives in Nigeria.

According to a source familiar with the matter, cited by an international broadcaster, the priest is believed to have taken his own life.

Archbishop Richard Henning of the Archdiocese of Boston extended condolences to those mourning the priest, saying, “our prayers and heartfelt condolences to his family, brother priests and friends in Nigeria as well as the many people Fr. Benjamin Madu ministered to here in Cape Ann and at Salem Hospital.”

Madu had primarily served as a chaplain at Salem Hospital since 2021, while also ministering at St. Ann’s and Our Lady of Good Voyage in Gloucester, as well as St. Joachim’s in Rockport. Tuesday would have marked the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood at St. Theresa Cathedral in Abakaliki.

The priest had been scheduled to return to Nigeria this month, as his R-1 religious worker visa neared its July 29 expiration date.

Church officials disclosed that his home diocese had instructed him to return in early July rather than later in the month as originally planned, since U.S. immigration regulations required him to leave the country before he could apply to renew the visa.

His impending departure had deeply saddened parishioners, many of whom fondly referred to him as “Father Ben” and commended his dedication to patients, families, and the wider community.

In a farewell message shared on the parish website last month, Madu expressed his disappointment at having to leave the United States, writing: “Sincerely, it is not my wish to return home right now, but circumstances beyond my control have warranted that my time in the United States come to an end. My heart is broken, yet my joy remains.”

Despite this setback, he assured parishioners of his hope to return one day, adding that he would gladly resume his ministry among them and would miss the community he had grown to love.

The Diocese of Abakaliki has not yet released a public statement regarding his death.