New Arlington parish honors martyr Matthew Ayariga, highlighting modern Christian persecution

In Arlington, Texas, the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth has opened St. Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church, the inaugural parish named for a modern martyr. The dedication was made public by Bishop Michael Olson, who highlighted Ayariga's death in February 2015 when ISIS terrorists killed 21 men on a Libyan shoreline. Ayariga, a Ghanaian migrant worker, was captured with 20 Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians; he reportedly embraced the Coptic faith during captivity and refused to abandon it, leading to his execution.

Little is known about his religious background before the incident, and accounts differ on whether he converted while imprisoned. The parish’s establishment underscores the ongoing reality of Christian martyrdom worldwide.