Texas diocese establishes first Catholic parish named for Ghanaian martyr killed by ISIS

The Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, is establishing a new Catholic parish in honor of Ghanaian martyr Matthew Ayariga, who was killed by ISIS in 2015 after boldly professing his Christian faith.

Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson announced the establishment of St. Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church in Arlington in an Aug. 28 decree, calling it the first Ghanaian national Catholic parish in the U.S. and the first Catholic parish in the world established under Ayariga’s patronage.

Ayariga was a Ghanaian migrant worker in Libya when he was abducted by ISIS alongside 20 Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians. His captors offered him the opportunity to be released, depending on his response to their question of whether he was a Christian.

“Their God is my God,” he said, according to the diocese. 

Ayariga was beheaded with the other Christians on Feb. 15, 2015. The Coptic Orthodox Church recognized the 21 as saints shortly after their deaths.

During a 2023 meeting in Rome with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, Pope Francis announced that the 21 martyrs would be added to the Roman Martyrology, describing the decision as a sign of spiritual communion between the two Churches.

“These martyrs were baptized not only in water and the Spirit, but also in blood, with a blood that is a seed of unity for all followers of Christ,” Pope Francis said.

More than a decade after Ayariga’s death, Bishop Olson reflected on the significance of establishing a Catholic parish under his name.

“Where violence seeks to erase a man’s identity, the Church remembers his name,” the bishop said. “Where death boasts to have the final word, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ declares otherwise.”

The new parish will serve a growing Ghanaian Catholic community that has gathered for weekly Mass in the Twi language at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Arlington since 2007, according to the decree.

Bishop Olson is scheduled to celebrate the parish’s dedication Mass on Jan. 29, 2027, joined by Ghanaian Archbishop Gabriel Anokye of Kumasi.