ST MATTHEW AYARIGA, MARTYR

ST MATTHEW AYARIGA, MARTYR - 15 FEBRUARY

SAINT MATTHEW AYARIGA, MARTYR

Saint Matthew Ayariga (left)

Saint Matthew Ayariga is one of only 21 people officially recognized as 21st-century martyrs by both the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. But he has a further distinction: He is the only one among this group who was not a Coptic Orthodox Christian.

Originally from Ghana, Matthew was working in Libya when he found himself abducted by the Islamic terror organisation ISIS along with twenty of his coworkers, who were Coptic Orthodox Christians from various villages in Egypt. The 21 captives were led to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in order for their kidnappers to film an Islamic indoctrination video.

This repulsive propaganda film denounced them as followers of the Cross. They were told that if they publicly renounced the Christian faith and converted to Islam they would live. None did, therefore all of them were martyred there and then.

Not much is known about Matthew's background, but he evidently left his homeland when he was old enough to earn his living as a migrant construction worker in the Libyan port town of Sirte. In contrast with the other 20 martyrs, the official work records listed no date of birth or birthplace for Matthew Ayariga. Perhaps he was born in the 1980s or early 1990s, like the majority of his colleagues. That would mean he was in his 20s or 30s at the time of his murder.

Most sources agree that Matthew Ayariga was either a Catholic, or of one of the Pentecostal churches or other Protestant communities, but even if he had been unbaptised, which is far less likely - by his willingness to die alongside his Coptic companions, he received baptism on the Libyan seaside. His own blood would have taken the place of both the holy water and the priest’s christening in the sacrament.

As the gruesome events unfolded, the Islamic State terrorists initially believed that he wasn’t a Christian and planned to release him, but Matthew Ayariga insisted that he was, relates the German author Martin Mosebach in a March 2019 article published by First Things. According to this writer who travelled to Egypt to meet the families of the martyrs, Matthew Ayariga said "I am a Christian".

"His response in the face of certain death was heroic," explains Bishop Michael Olson of Arlington, Texas. His captors offered Matthew an opportunity to be released alive when they asked him if he was a Christian.

"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'. He professed publicly his faith in Christ, and therefore he was beheaded along his Christian companions on February 15, 2015, which ISIS recorded on video."

They were canonized together as martyrs days later by Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II. Pope Francis, too, announced that, with Tawadros II’s consent, the 21 martyrs would "be included in the Roman Martyrology as a sign of the spiritual communion uniting our two Churches."

When the remains of the 21 bodies were found, the bodies of the 20 Egyptians were returned to Egypt.

Finally, on September 29, 2020, Matthew Ayariga's remains were received in Egypt by the new church in Al-Our, the Church of the Martyrs of Faith and Homeland, a shrine built in honour of the martyrs.

The family members of the other blood witnesses expressed their joy at the return of the remains of the martyr Matthew Ayariga. Majid Shehata, a daughter of one of the martyrs, said, "It was a surprise to all of us that we see the remains of the martyr Matthew inside the Church of the Martyrs. Our joy is complete."

On August 28, 2026, Bishop Michael Olson announced the establishment of the Saint Matthew Ayariga Parish in Arlington, North Texas.

This parish will be the first Catholic parish anywhere in the world to be established under the patronage of Saint Matthew Ayariga. Since 2007, the Ghanaian Catholic community in North Texas has celebrated Mass weekly at Saint Joseph Church in Arlington in the Twi language. Bishop Olson observed, "The development of this community has flourished so that a full parish is now required to meet the spiritual needs of this vibrant Catholic and immigrant community."

The Diocese of Fort Worth and the Archdiocese of Kumasi, Ghana, have a longstanding collaboration, and the Archdiocese has provided Ghanaian priests to help shepherd this community.

The parish is expected to be dedicated in January 2027, with Archbishop Gabriel Anokye of Kumasi expected to attend. Saint Matthew Ayariga's story has therefore moved through several stages: migration, persecution, martyrdom, recognition and institutional legacy. What began with a Ghanaian worker far from home has ultimately become part of a visible bridge between African, Coptic and Catholic Christian communities.

Sources:

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/st-matthew-ayariga/

https://thedeaconsbench.com/historic-fort-worth-parish-becomes-first-in-the-world-named-for-libyan-martyred-by-isis/

Sachin Jose Ettiyil, Facebook

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_Coptic_Christian_Martyrs_of_Libya

https://www.finexinsights.com/post/matthew-ayariga-from-migrant-worker-to-symbol-of-christian-unity

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that we who know how courageously your holy martyr Matthew confessed the faith, may experience his goodness as he intercedes for us with you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

➡️ More information about the 21 martyrs of Libya

BL. RICHARD NEWPORT, PRIEST AND MARTYR - 30 MAY

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