Nigerian Priest in Massachusetts Dies After Visa Order to Leave U.S., Leaving Community in Mourning
“It Was Not My Wish to Return”: Final Words of Nigerian Priest Who Died in Massachusetts
‘My Heart Is Broken’: Nigerian Priest Dies by Suicide After Being Ordered to Leave US
The final words of Rev. Benjamin Madu have left a Massachusetts Catholic community heartbroken.
“My heart is broken. It is not my wish to return to Nigeria now,” the 54-year-old Nigerian priest wrote before his death, days after revealing he had been ordered to leave the United States because of visa complications.
Rev. Madu, who faithfully served as a hospital chaplain across Massachusetts’ North Shore and ministered at St. Joachim Church in Rockport, allegedly died by suicide in early July 2026, church officials confirmed. His sudden death has sent shockwaves through parishioners, fellow clergy, and the wider community, many of whom remember him as a compassionate priest who dedicated his life to comforting the sick and grieving.
Just weeks before his death, Rev. Madu spoke candidly to church members about the emotional burden of being required to return to Nigeria. Those who heard him say he feared leaving the life and ministry he had built in the United States are now reflecting on those remarks with profound sadness.
The Essex County District Attorney’s Office said investigators found no evidence of foul play. An autopsy is expected to officially determine the cause of death.
