St. Behnam and Sara Syriac Catholic Mission

Welcome to St. Behnam and Sara Syriac Catholic Mission’s website in Phoenix AZ.

Syriac Catholic Monastery of Mar Behnam, May 1909, taken by Gertrude Bell

We believed from the Beginning

Behnam, Sarah

Behnam and Sarah were born in the 4th century, and were the children of Sennacherib, King of Assyria, who ruled under the Shahanshah Shapur II of Iran.
Saint Matthew the Hermit

Saint Matthew the Hermit on Mount Alfaf, healed Sarah of her leprosy, after which Behnam, Sarah, and the forty slaves were baptised.
Saints Behnam & Sarah

Behnam, Sarah, and the forty slaves, fled to Mount Alfaf, but were slain by soldiers sent by the king.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”