The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth has established its 93rd parish, Saint Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church in Arlington, Texas, naming it after a Christian martyr who was beheaded by Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Libya in 2015.
In early 2015, ISIS tracked down and abducted 21 Christian construction workers from Libya. Twenty were Coptic Orthodox Christians, while the 21st was Matthew Ayariga, a migrant worker from Ghana. The men were executed on February 15, 2015, on a beach in western Libya. In an ISIS video titled “A Message Signed in Blood to the Nation of the Cross,” the martyrs were marched onto the beach, forced to their knees, and then slaughtered. A terrorist in the video declared, “We will conquer Rome.”
According to reports, when asked if he rejected Christ, Ayariga responded: “Their God is my God,” referring to his fellow captives. Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria canonized the 21 martyrs as saints in 2015. Years later, Pope Francis also recognized them as saints and added their names to the Roman Martyrology.
Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth announced the new parish, which will primarily serve Ghanaian Catholics in North Texas. It is the first Catholic parish globally dedicated to Saint Matthew Ayariga. “His response in the face of certain death was heroic,” said the bishop. “The words attributed to Matthew at that moment when he was asked about his faith have borne witness to Christ throughout the world: ‘Their God is my God.'”
The bishop emphasized that the ISIS beheading video, intended to inspire fear among Christians, backfired. Instead, the steadfast faith of the martyrs has become a global testimony to Christ’s victory. “The hatred of Christ and His Gospel drove the members of ISIS to persecute and murder these men in an effort to extinguish the light of Christ,” Bishop Olson said. “Where hatred foments separation among people, Christ brings forth communion.”
The dedication Mass for Saint Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church is scheduled for January 29, 2027.
