More than a decade after his death at the hands of ISIS militants in Libya, the name of Ghanaian martyr Matthew Ayariga is being given a permanent place in the Catholic Church in the United States.
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth in Texas has established Saint Matthew Ayariga Catholic Church in Arlington as a new parish dedicated to the Ghanaian Catholic community in North Texas.
The historic parish is the first Ghanaian National Catholic parish in the United States and the first Catholic parish anywhere in the world to be established under the patronage of Matthew Ayariga.
Ayariga, a Ghanaian migrant worker in Libya, was among a group of Christian men abducted and beheaded by ISIS on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in 2015.
His story became particularly remarkable because, according to accounts of the killings, his captors gave him an opportunity to be spared after asking whether he was a Christian.
Ayariga chose to remain firm in his faith, a decision that ultimately cost him his life.
He was killed alongside 20 Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians, but his courage in the face of death has since made his story an enduring symbol of Christian faith and martyrdom.
Now, more than 10 years after his death, his name will live on in a Catholic parish thousands of miles from the place where he was killed.
The Bishop of Fort Worth, announcing the establishment of the parish, described the development as a significant moment in the life of the Church and said the new parish would provide a spiritual home for the growing Ghanaian Catholic community in North Texas.
The Ghanaian community’s journey to a full parish began in 2007, when members started gathering weekly at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Arlington for Mass celebrated in the Twi language.
Over the years, the congregation grew through cooperation between the Diocese of Fort Worth and the Archdiocese of Kumasi, with the Ghanaian archdiocese providing priests to serve the community.
The steady growth of the congregation eventually created the need for a permanent parish specifically serving the spiritual and cultural needs of Ghanaian Catholics in the area.
Saint Matthew Ayariga Parish will therefore serve not only as a place of worship but also as a home for a Ghanaian Catholic community seeking to preserve its traditions and faith while living thousands of miles from Ghana.
The parish will provide a space where generations of Ghanaian Catholics can worship, celebrate the sacraments and pass on their faith and cultural heritage.
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