“The grace of God saw me through”: Nigerian Catholic Bishop Shares Testimony of Surviving Life-Threatening Illness

Abuja, 30 September, 2025 / 8:11 PM

The life-threatening illness that Bishop Hilary Nanman Dachelem experienced was, he has told ACI Africa in an interview, a journey of faith, prayer, and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

In the Monday, September 29 interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of the Commissioning ceremony of the Grotto of our Lady of Good Health built at the Institute of Consecrated Life in Africa (INCLA), Bishop Dachelem shared his story of sudden health complications, months of treatment in Nigeria and abroad, and his gradual recovery.

“That I have you people today is the grace of God. I can talk with you, I can smile with you, I can do anything. It’s all the grace and mercies of God,” the Local Ordinary of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Bauchi said, and added, “I was sick for almost two years, but the grace of God saw me through.”

He recalled that his ordeal began unexpectedly during a retreat in Ilorin. “I went for an ordination in Ilorin. I did not know I was going near my last journey,” Bishop Dachelem said.

“I did not know what I was doing again for three days. The doctors struggled to resuscitate me. They managed to bring me back,” the Nigerian member of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CMF/Claretians) further said. 

He recounted that he remained ing in Ilorin for two weeks before being transferred to the National Hospital in Abuja, where he spent another week. 

From there, he continued treatment in Jos for four weeks and later travelled abroad, where he was under the care of several doctors.

“I saw more than forty doctors. The reason was that the issue of stroke came up with other issues. There was a skin problem and other complications,” recounted the 59-year-old Catholic Bishop, who has been at the helm of Bauchi Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in August 2017.

 

Despite the suffering, the Local ordinary of Bauchi Diocese said he maintained a prayerful spirit and resigned himself to the will of God.

“All I did was say, God, let thy will be. If you say I should die now, fine. I am in your hands. But one thing that was clear to me was the presence of God from the beginning,” the Claretian Bishop testified. 

He went on to recount how, at one point, he was lifeless and could not move his limbs.  “One leg was up, another leg was not moving, and this hand was stiff. None was moving. But I aligned with God at what he chose to do,” he said told ACI Africa on September 29.

His survival, he added, reminded him of the need for constant readiness for eternity.

“Stay prepared, you all. Do not say I did not tell you. If you go to sleep and wake up, pray well as you never prayed before,” Bishop Dachelem said.

He credited his recovery to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, telling ACI Africa that he continually offers her his thanks.

“In everything, she saw me through. She allowed the devil to do all he could, and then Mother Mary acted like a lion. That is why I want to thank her immensely,” the Nigerian Catholic emphasized. 

His experience, he noted, also led to new connections with the Archdiocese of Syracuse in Italy, where Our Lady of Tears had appeared some seven decades ago.

He revealed that Seminarians from Bauchi Diocese would now be going there to study.

Bishop Dachelem underscored the need for evangelization that guarantees the growth of the Church and called on the people of God to work hard in bringing people into the Church.

“We have to bring people to flood this place. If we do not build people, it is a shame on us Catholics; we must take the message of Christ to all parts of our nation and beyond,” he said.

The Nigerian Catholic Church leader encouraged all Christians to remain strong in their faith, “committed to evangelization, and grateful for God’s grace.”