Fr Raphael Moussa Martyr of Al Arish

Sister  Olfat, wife of Fr. Raphael the Martyr, explains, “Before his  ordination, Fr. Raphael was named Azmy. He and I had just gotten to know  one another, and with every passing day of getting to know him, I  realized how blessed he was. We got married, and a few days into our  marriage he finally divulged something strange to me. He said, ‘Olfat,  I’m going to reveal something to you. God has told me two things that  will come to pass in my life, and you must know them.’ I asked Azmy how  God has told him, but he replied that he could not reveal that specific  detail to me. He continued, ‘I will tell you what God revealed to me.  First, He told me I will be ordained a priest. Next, He told me I will  die as a martyr.’”⁣

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On  March 3, 2012, Azmy Moussa Ayoub was ordained to the holy priesthood,  taking the name Fr. Raphael, and was called to serve in the church of  St. George in Al Arish, Sinai. After the Revolution of June 30, many  attempts to kill Fr. Raphael were organized by ISIS; Fr. Raphael had  received dozens of threats to either cease praying in his church or be  killed. He would not heed to their threats. On June 30, 2016, after  celebrating the Divine Liturgy, he drove to a mechanics shop near his  parish to have his car fixed. As Fr. Raphael stood in the shop, a masked  ISIS militant, who stalked him from the start of the day, walked behind  him and fired a shot into the back of his head, instantly killing him.  He thus received the crown of martyrdom.