The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth in Texas has established a new parish in Arlington in honour of Ghanaian martyr Saint Matthew Ayariga, who was killed by ISIS in Libya in 2015.
The Saint Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church will become the first Ghanaian national Catholic parish in the United States and the first Catholic parish anywhere in the world to be placed under the patronage of Matthew Ayariga.
Ayariga was among 21 Christian migrant workers who were abducted and beheaded by ISIS militants on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Libya in February 2015.
The victims included 20 Egyptian Coptic Christians and Ayariga, who was the only Ghanaian among the group.
Accounts of the massacre say Ayariga was given the opportunity to renounce his Christian faith and save his life. He reportedly refused and remained steadfast in his belief, ultimately being killed alongside the other captives.
His decision to remain faithful in the face of death has since made him a powerful symbol of Christian courage, sacrifice and martyrdom.
In a statement dated August 28, 2026, Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth announced the establishment of the new parish, describing it as an important development for the Ghanaian Catholic community in North Texas.
The parish’s creation follows nearly two decades of worship and community building by Ghanaian Catholics in the area.
Their journey began in 2007 when members started meeting every week at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Arlington for Mass celebrated in the Twi language.
The congregation gradually expanded through collaboration between the Diocese of Fort Worth and the Archdiocese of Kumasi, which provided priests to minister to the Ghanaian faithful.
As the number of worshippers increased, the need emerged for a dedicated parish that could meet both the spiritual and cultural needs of the growing Ghanaian Catholic population.
The new Saint Matthew Ayariga Parish is expected to serve as a permanent spiritual home for Ghanaian Catholics in North Texas while also providing a space where members can maintain their cultural traditions and strengthen their faith.
More than a decade after Ayariga’s death thousands of miles away in Libya, the establishment of the parish will ensure that his name and the story of his unwavering faith remain part of the Catholic community in the United States.