The Catholic communities of Cape Ann and the wider North Shore are in deep mourning following the sudden and unexpected passing of the Reverend Father Benjamin Okwy Madu. Father Ben, as he was affectionately known to his parishioners, committed suicide on the evening of Thursday, July 2, 2026. He was 54 years old and hailed from Abor Enugu state.
The timing of his passing has added a profound layer of grief to the
local community. Father Ben was scheduled to return to his homeland of Nigeria
later this month due to strict religious visa regulations that cut his pastoral
mission in the United States short. Tragically, he was also just days away from
celebrating the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, which
would have marked a major milestone on July 7.
Only a week prior to his death, Father Ben published a poignant farewell
message in the parish newsletter, expressing his deep sadness at being forced
to leave the community he had come to love.
“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,” Father Ben wrote. “My heart is broken, yet my joy
remains. I will miss the home I found away from home… I will deeply miss the
seaside, where I often drive to after Mass to call my family and hear about
their Sundays.”
Father Ben joined the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in
April 2022, serving as an assistant priest at weekend liturgies across Holy
Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish. He also served faithfully as
a priest-chaplain at Salem Hospital, providing comfort to the sick and
dying.Parishioners remembered him as a holy man who brought a constant, radiant
smile and deeply moving, from-the-heart homilies to the pulpit every single
week.
The Archdiocese of Boston and local parish leaders expressed absolute
devastation over the loss.
“We extend 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,” said Archbishop Richard
G. Henning in a statement. “We now entrust Fr. Madu to the loving embrace of
our Heavenly Father and we ask the Lord to bring comfort and healing to all who
mourn his passing.”
Father Jim Achadinha, pastor of the Catholic Community of Gloucester
& Rockport, shared the collective heartbreak of his congregation. “Our dear
friend, Father Benjamin Okwy Madu, died suddenly… We are all heartbroken,” he
stated, urging the community to unite in prayer for the late priest’s grieving
family worldwide.
A special Holy Mass for the soul of Father Ben was celebrated on the
morning of Saturday, July 4, 2026, at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, where
friends, neighbors, and grieving parishioners gathered to honor his life,
legacy, and dedicated service.
.jfif)
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