Martyred and Persecuted for the Christian Faith

August 31, 2025

Introduction: On behalf of the Knights of Columbus, welcome to the Rosary for Persecuted Christians. Whenever a Fifth Sunday of the month occurs, we pray in solidarity with and for the religiously persecuted and martyred, for Christians in particular. It is sad that so many are persecuted for faith in Jesus, but we believe what Jesus says to us at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:10 – “blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

At each decade of the rosary, we will pray for a specific petition for a recent event in the world. References to the news items used to generate these petitions are provided at the end. Let us remember in a special way the tragedy at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minnesota this past Wednesday. It is our hope that sharing these current events informs you, increases your awareness of worldwide religious persecution, and moves us to more intense prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

First mystery – The Resurrection of our Lord: The southern region of Syria has experienced several attacks on Christians in the last two months. A suicide bombing of the Orthodox Church of St. Elias in Damascus on June 22 killed more than 25 people and wounded scores more during a Sunday liturgy. Several incidents occurred in mid-July. A Greek Melkite Church was attacked and set ablaze causing significant damage to the structure. In another incident, 38 homes were set on fire, displacing and causing fear for the families. Let us pray for the safety of Christians and other minorities in Syria, and for their right to freely and openly practice their faith.

Second mystery – The Ascension of our Lord into Heaven:  Attacks by Islamist militants continue in Nigeria. Residents of a predominantly Christian farming village are mourning the loss of at least 32 community members following an attack by armed Fulani militias on July 14. Let us pray that God’s comfort will encircle all those affected by this tragedy, and that believers living in areas threatened by armed groups will be strengthened in their faith and protected from harm.

Third mystery – The Descent of the Holy Spirit: The UN human rights office said it received first-hand accounts indicating that at least 319 civilians were killed between 9 and 21 July by the March 23 Movement (M23), a Rwandan-backed rebel paramilitary group. They were aided by members of the Rwanda Defence Force. Let us pray for an end to violence and that government at all levels will diligently, impartially and transparently address the violence and its effects.

 Fourth mystery – The Assumption of Mary: Several news outlets reported on the attack on a Catholic church in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over 40 people have been reported killed, many others injured, and many others fleeing for their lives. According to Congolese authorities, the attacks in the town were carried out by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group backed by the Islamic State that has mostly targeted villagers in eastern Congo and across the border in Uganda. Let us pray with Pope Leo XIV who spoke about this grave tragedy, “May the blood of these martyrs become a seed of peace, reconciliation, fraternity, and love for the Congolese people”.

Fifth mystery – The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth:

Yasin, a shopkeeper in Iraq, grew up a Muslim. This is a short summary of his encounter with Christ that he shared with Open Doors, a group that supports persecuted Christians. As he became an adult, he became uncomfortable with his religion. He prayed desperately to know God and was a graced with an amazing dream. In this dream Jesus said to Yasin “You are my beloved child; this is the way, come follow me.” He read the Bible and prayed and converted to Christianity, keeping his secret for five months from his wife. When she begged him to revert to Islam he said, “What do you prefer – the violent man I was before, or the servant I’ve become because of my new faith?” Over time, and much prayer, Yasin’s wife and children also chose to follow Jesus. Yasin’s brother violently attacked him – more than once. “My brother tried to kill me several times,” says Yasin for distributing Bibles. “The persecution is continuous,” he says, “but there is no other way; I want to give everything to God.” Let us pray for this brave family and for the growing Christian community in Iraq.

References

1. https://www.osvnews.com/houses-destroyed-church-burnt-new-wave-of-violence-against-syrian-christians/ and https://www.ncronline.org/news/houses-destroyed-church-burnt-new-wave-violence-against-syrian-christians

2. https://www.persecution.org/2025/07/22/fulani-militias-kill-32-christians-in-plateau-village/

3. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165586

4. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ezjg34lw4o and https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-07/pope-leo-telegram-parolin-attack-catholic-church-drc-komanda.html

5.    https://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/latest-news/china-foreign-christians-law/