November 16, 2026 - "Saint Ignatius Maloyan"

Maloyan was born and raised in Mardin, a town near the border with Syria.  Almost half the residents of that town were Christians.  He began studies for the priesthood when he was fourteen and was ordained in 1896.  Over the next several years he served in various assignments in Egypt and Turkey.  Among various parish assignments, he also served as secretary to Patriarch Boghos Bedros in Constantinople. While he was serving in these assignments he suffered from various illnesses and medical problems.  These would plague him for the rest of his life.

 

In 1911 Fr. Ignatius Maloyan was consecrated as archbishop of Mardin.  In his new see he faced some vexing problems:  a shortage of priests, widespread poverty, and pressure from the Turkish government bearing down on the Christians.  With the outbreak of World War I, there were signs that the government was planning the execution of those the government considered “internal enemies.”  Armenian Christians became a special target for persecution and elimination.  Though Archbishop Maloyan was encouraged to flee, he refused to desert his flock.

 

On June 3, 1915, he was arrested and charged with plotting against the government.  After days of torture, he was forced to join thousands of others on a death march into the wilderness.  Witnesses have attested he was shot after refusing a demand to convert to Islam.  His last words were: “My God, have mercy on me; into your hands I commend my spirit.

 

Archbishop Maloyan was declared a martyr and beatified in 2001.  He was canonized on October 19, 2025.

 

Until next week,

Fr. John