SerpApi.Org
A beloved 54-year-old Massachusetts priest is said to have died by suicide after being forced to return to his home country of Nigeria.
The Catholic priest had openly expressed his fears about the dangers of going back to Nigeria but was scheduled to return due to a visa issue. Reverend Benjamin Okwy Madu’s death was announced by the Archdiocese of Boston, while authorities continue investigating the case.
According to the Archdiocese of Boston, Madu died on July 2 at his home in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Since 2021, he has worked on Cape Ann as both a parish priest and a hospital chaplain.
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While his religious worker visa was set to expire on July 29, his home Diocese of Abakaliki had already ordered him to return to Nigeria before then to prepare for a new assignment starting on August 4. Reports indicate that Madu voiced strong safety concerns regarding a return to Nigeria and repeatedly stated that he wished to remain in the United States.
Under U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulations, Madu had to leave the country to renew his religious worker visa, known as an R-1 visa, according to church officials. While the department recently eliminated the requirement for R-1 recipients to wait a full year before applying for a renewal, options for the church to keep Madu legally in the U.S. were limited because the federal government has suspended processing of certain immigration cases for 75 countries, including Nigeria.
According to the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition, Madu suffered from intense emotional distress regarding his anticipated return to Nigeria, where there has been a rise in the kidnappings and killings of Catholic clergy.
Shortly before he passed away, he told parishioners and stated in a farewell message on the parish website that leaving the country was completely out of his hands. He wrote, "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," he wrote, adding that he'd gladly return to minister and will miss the community.
The Boston Globe reported that Madu received emergency room treatment at a hospital after experiencing a panic attack on the Sunday prior to his death, which occurred as he was driving to celebrate Mass.
According to an internal email reviewed by the National Catholic Register, Boston Archbishop Richard Henning informed fellow priests that Madu had "tragically taken his own life." However, while the Archdiocese of Boston publicly announced Madu's passing, their official statement made no mention of suicide.
Pastor Father Jim Achadinha of the Catholic community of Gloucester and Rockport called it a "devastating loss." Achadinha said that Madu "served Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish with true joy, kindness, and generosity."
