Our Pastor’s Message

By Father Jim

In Gloucester and Rockport, we are not immune to grief and heartbreak. During the past year, our communities have suffered many deep and profound losses. The deaths of those we have known and loved have tested our faith, our resilience, and our perseverance in believing in a world that is ordered toward what is good, true, and beautiful.

This morning, I write with news of another devastating loss. Our dear friend, Father Benjamin Okwy Madu, died suddenly last evening. Father Ben was just 54 years old. He served as a priest for more than two decades. And he served Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish with true joy, kindness, and generosity for more than four years.

As more information becomes available about Father Ben’s tragic passing, I will share it with our parishioners. Until then, I invite you to join me in praying for the soul of Father Ben, for his grieving family and friends all around the world, and for all who mourn the loss of this good man and holy priest. Please also pray for me, our senior priests, and our pastoral team. We are all heartbroken.

On Saturday, July 4th at 8:00am in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, all friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners are invited to join me in celebrating Holy Mass for the soul of Father Benjamin Okwy Madu. After Mass, we will pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with deepest grief but also with profound appreciation for the gift of Father Ben’s life and ministry.

In the scriptures, the psalmist cries out: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18).” With broken hearts and crushed spirits, let us unite our hearts, our tears, and our prayers for Father Ben and for each other.

Reverend James M. Achadinha, Pastor
Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport
Contact: frjim@ccgronline.com

__________

A Special Message
Goodbye from My Heart

Note: This beautiful message from Father Ben appeared last weekend on our website and in our parish newsletter. It reveals the heart of a priest filled with love for the Lord, for the scriptures, and for the good people of the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport.

By Father Ben Madu

In April 2022, Father Paul Ritt (our regional vicar) talked with Father Jim; and I was invited to celebrate weekend Masses in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport. What a thrilling opportunity! As usual, whenever I am asked to celebrate the Eucharist for the first time in a predominantly white community, my African presence often prompts an initial reaction of curiosity, fixed stares, and guarded expressions.

This has been my experience since arriving in the United States eight years ago. But my response has always remained the same: wait until after Mass and you may come to appreciate the beauty this African spirit brings. “That was marvelous,” or “That was from the heart,” or “I love it when you sing,” or “I felt that you were speaking directly to me,” or “I love the joy and laughter but I could not hear you.”

In truth, there is nothing extraordinary except the care that I put into each homily. I do not simply prepare it. I absorb it fully. And then through stories, life experiences, humor and reflection, I try to offer something nourishing to myself and to the faithful. I preach not by reading from a page, but by speaking from the heart; by allowing inspiration in the moment to shape the message so it can reach each person where they are.

I begin preparing my homily on Thursday by reading the Sunday scriptures. On Friday, I reflect on commentaries and insights from others; and by Saturday, I allow the Spirit of God to minister to my soul. By the time I stand in the pulpit, I have fully absorbed the message and I am ready to preach it from the heart.

Gloucester and Rockport became my Eucharistic community each weekend; and I cannot overstate the love, warmth, kindness, hospitality, and generosity that I received here. I experienced it in Father Jim’s loud and fearless morning embrace, Brother Patrick’s sincere and direct hugs, and the joy and kindness of every parishioner at Saint Joachim Church in Rockport, Saint Ann Church in Gloucester, and Our Lady of Good Voyage Church in Gloucester. I look forward to seeing your beautiful faces every weekend. I look forward to your warm embraces, generous smiles, and handshakes.

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. If I am ever given the chance to minister again to the people of Gloucester and Rockport, I would gladly do it all over again. I will miss the home I found away from home, a mother far from my mother, a father far from my father, and a people far from my own people.

God bless you all. I will soon return to Africa, specifically Nigeria, my homeland, where nature speaks to the soul and bonds of community help ease the loneliness that has weighed on me while living alone in the “white house” in Lynnfield. I will deeply miss the seaside, where I often drive to after Mass to call my family and hear about their Sundays. There, where the ocean meets the rocks and its endless rhythm becomes the music of my post–Mass peace; there I found comfort and serenity. Goodbye from my heart.— Father Ben Okwy Madu

__________

About Us

Established in 2014, the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport is a collaborative of two historic parishes: Holy Family Parish and Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish. Working together as a family united in prayer, fellowship, and service, we are committed to living the Gospel of Christ, sharing God’s love and mercy with all people, and rebuilding the Church in Gloucester & Rockport. All are invited! All are welcome! Always!

Follow us on Instagram!

This Week’s Homepage
In Memory of Father Ben Okwy Madu