Texas' newest Catholic parish takes name of martyr beheaded by ISIS: 'A testimony to the victory of Christ'

The newest parish in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth has taken the name of a Christian martyr whose remains went unclaimed in his own homeland.

Muslim terrorists pledging allegiance to the Islamic State in Libya tracked down and abducted 21 Christian construction workers in early 2015. Twenty of the men were Coptic Orthodox, and the 21st was Matthew Ayariga, a migrant worker from Ghana.

'Those who sought to silence the name of Jesus instead gave the world witnesses who proclaimed Him without words and unto death.'

Given the option of death or renouncing Christ, all 21 men kept the faith and were beheaded, some while praying, on a beach in western Libya on Feb. 15, 2015.

In the corresponding ISIS video titled "A Message Signed in Blood to the Nation of the Cross," Ayariga and the other martyrs are marched onto a beach, forced onto their knees, then slaughtered. While the martyrs' blood flowed into the Mediterranean, one terrorist states, "We will conquer Rome."

While there is some uncertainty about whether Ayariga was a Christian before meeting the 20 Copts, there is no question about the Ghanaian's conviction in his final moments.

Ayariga was reportedly asked, "Do you reject Christ?" Referencing his fellow captives, he apparently responded, "Their God is my God."

The leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, canonized the martyrs as saints in 2015.

Years after noting that the martyrs' "blood is not only the 'seed of Christians,' but also ... a seed that will bear rich fruit for Christian unity," Pope Francis recognized the 21 as saints, adding them to the Roman Martyrology.

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Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth announced on Friday the establishment of the diocese's 93rd parish: Saint Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church in Arlington.

Olson noted that this parish, which will largely serve the Ghanaian Catholic community in North Texas, is the first Catholic parish anywhere in the world to be established under the patronage of 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 Texas bishop emphasized that the Muslim terrorists' beheading video greatly backfired.

"The video images of that terrible day were intended by the murderers to inspire fear among Christians," said the bishop. "Instead, the steadfast faith of the martyrs has become a testimony to the victory of Christ. Those who sought to silence the name of Jesus instead gave the world witnesses who proclaimed Him without words and unto death."

Bishop Olson further emphasized that Ayariga's martyrdom demonstrates that "in Christ there is much more that we hold in common than anything that divides us."

"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. Where hatred foments separation among people, Christ brings forth communion. Where violence seeks to erase a man’s identity, the Church remembers his name," continued the bishop. "Where death boasts to have the final word, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ declares otherwise. 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it' (John 1:5)."

The dedication Mass for the new parish located at 1400 South Cooper Street, Arlington, is scheduled for Jan. 29, 2027.

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