The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth has established its 93rd parish—Saint Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church in Arlington—marking the first such parish globally named after a Christian martyr executed by Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
In early 2015, ISIS fighters in Libya abducted 21 Christian construction workers, including 20 Coptic Orthodox Christians and Matthew Ayariga, a Ghanaian migrant worker. All 21 men were beheaded on February 15, 2015, on a beach in western Libya after being forced to renounce their faith.
In an ISIS video titled “A Message Signed in Blood to the Nation of the Cross,” Ayariga and his companions are shown marched onto the beach, compelled to kneel, and then slaughtered. A terrorist in the video declared, “We will conquer Rome.”
Despite uncertainty about whether Ayariga was a Christian prior to his captivity, he maintained unwavering faith until death. When asked, “Do you reject Christ?” he reportedly responded, “Their God is my God.”
Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria canonized Ayariga and the other 20 martyrs as saints in 2015. Pope Francis later recognized them as saints, adding them 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. “His response in the face of certain death was heroic,” Olson stated. “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.’”
Olson emphasized that ISIS’s beheading video—intended to instill fear among Christians—instead became a testament to Christ’s victory. “Those who sought to silence the name of Jesus instead gave the world witnesses who proclaimed Him without words and unto death,” he said.
The dedication Mass for Saint Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church is scheduled for January 29, 2027, at 1400 South Cooper Street in Arlington.
