Texas diocese names parish for Ghanaian saint

Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth announced the establishment of a new parish in Arlington, Texas, dedicated to Saint Matthew Ayariga. The parish, which will serve the Ghanaian community in north Texas, is scheduled to officially open in January 2027. It will be the first Ghanaian Catholic parish in the United States.

Saint Matthew Ayariga was a Ghanaian migrant worker who was beheaded by ISIS in Libya on February 15, 2015. He was part of a group of 21 Christian workers kidnapped near Sirte. While the others were Coptic Orthodox Christians from Egypt, Ayariga was the only Black African in the group. Following his death, Pope Francis announced in May 2023 that the 21 martyrs would be inscribed in the Roman Martyrology.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi in Ghana welcomed the news. In a circular released August 31, Chancellor Felix Baffour Gyawu described the new parish as a historic milestone and an honor to the Ghanaian diaspora.