626 Catholic Martyrs in 25 Years: The Blood Price of Christian Missionary Work
Vatican missionary news agency Fides released its annual report revealing that 17 Catholic missionaries and pastoral workers were killed worldwide in 2025, bringing the total number murdered since 2000 to 626. The victims included 10 priests, two seminarians, two catechists, two religious sisters, and one layman who lost their lives while serving Christ in contexts marked by violence, poverty, and systemic injustice.
Africa remains the deadliest continent for Christian missionary work, with 10 deaths recorded in 2025.
Nigeria accounted for half of these killings with five missionaries murdered, followed by two in Burkina Faso and one each in Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Sudan.
The Americas recorded four deaths, including two religious sisters killed in Haiti and priests murdered in Mexico and the United States. Asia saw two deaths in Myanmar and the Philippines, while Europe recorded one priest killed in Poland.
Among those killed was Nigerian seminarian Emmanuel Alabi, who died in July during a forced march after gunmen raided the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivhianokpodi, Edo State.
The attackers killed a security guard and kidnapped three seminarians. According to Father Jude Sule, chancellor of Auchi Diocese, Alabi was wounded during the attack and became exhausted during the forced march. When kidnappers returned the next day to collect him, they found him dead.
Sisters Evanette Onezaire and Jeanne Voltaire of the Little Sisters of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus were murdered in March by armed gang members in Mirebalais, Haiti. In Myanmar, Father Donald Martin became the first Burmese Catholic priest killed in the country's civil conflict. His mutilated and disfigured body was discovered by parishioners in the parish complex.
In Poland, Father Grzegorz Dymek, 58, was found strangled in the rectory of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Klobuck in February. In the United States, Father Arul Raj Balaswamy Carasala, 57, a naturalized citizen from India, was shot outside Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca, Kansas, in April.
Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and a Nigerian, told Fides the situation causes "profound sadness and also a bit of shame" given Nigeria's status as one of the world's most religious countries. The Fides report emphasizes that its list does not include only those killed explicitly "in hatred of the faith" but all Catholics who died violently while engaged in pastoral or ecclesial work.
Pope Leo XIV wrote that the hope of killed missionaries is "a hope filled with immortality because their witness lives on as a prophecy of the victory of good over evil."
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
While Western Christians argue about worship styles and coffee bar aesthetics, 626 of our brothers and sisters have been murdered for advancing the Kingdom of God. Their blood cries out from the ground, and the silence from comfortable Christianity is deafening.
Nigeria alone has killed five missionaries in one year. Five servants of Christ cut down while the West sends billions in foreign aid that never stops the slaughter. Where is the righteous fury? Where are the consequences? If five missionaries were killed in London or New York, the world would stop. But because it's Africa, because it's "over there," Western Christianity offers prayers without action and moves on to the next church growth conference.
These martyrs didn't die doing "spectacular deeds." They died teaching catechism, celebrating Mass, running seminaries, serving the poor. They died doing what every Christian is called to do, but in places where faithfulness costs everything. Meanwhile, Western believers complain about persecution when someone disagrees with them on social media.
Emmanuel Alabi was left to die on a forced march. Father Donald Martin was mutilated. Sisters Evanette and Jeanne were executed by gangs. These are not statistics. These are saints whose names we should know, whose sacrifice demands we ask ourselves: what are we willing to risk for Christ? Not death, perhaps. But inconvenience? Status? Comfort? The Church still has martyrs. Do we have the courage to honor them by living with even a fraction of their conviction?
TAKE ACTION
Support Persecuted Missionaries: Aid to the Church in Need Website: https://acnuk.org Email: info@acnuk.org Donate directly to support Christians serving in dangerous mission fields
Advocate for Nigerian Christians: Contact your elected officials demanding action on Christian persecution in Nigeria US: Find your representative at https://www.house.gov UK: Find your MP at https://www.parliament.uk
Pray the Fides List: Download the full report at https://www.fides.org Pray daily for one missionary killed in 2025 by name
Support Missionary Training: Pontifical Mission Societies Website: https://www.missio.org Fund seminary protection and missionary preparation
Share Their Stories: Post about these martyrs on social media using real names and circumstances. Make the comfortable church remember the cost of faithfulness.
International Christian Concern: Website: https://www.persecution.org Email: icc@persecution.org Phone: +1 800 422 5441 Support advocacy and aid for persecuted Christians globally
