“Blessed day by day be the Lord, who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.” - Ps. 68:20
June 3rd is the day we remember 22 heroic young Ugandan men and boys who were willing to die rather than renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.
In 1886 King Mwanga ruled Buganda in the south of Uganda. Many young men and boys worked in his court as pages. It was there that they began learning the Christian faith from the Missionaries of Africa. However, the young Christians began to anger the king. He grew furious because they refused to engage in immoral activity with him.
The king pressured the Christians to renounce their faith. When they refused, he condemned them to death, ordering them to be marched for two days to Namugongo where they were to be burned at the stake. Some of the boys were tortured and killed along the way.
Having reached Namugongo, Charles and his saintly companions were burned alive on June 3rd, 1886. Charles was 25 years old. As his executers began setting flame to his feet, they offered to free him if only he would deny his faith. He refused saying, “You are burning me, but it is as if you are pouring water over my body.” Indeed, as the flames engulfed him and his companions, they could be heard singing and praying.
This image and those that follow in this post were taken by CARITAS interns, Amber and Emily, when they joined thousands of people at the Namugongo Shrines on June 3, 2014. In this photograph, local and international Catholic bishops and priests gather to celebrate Mass.
These Catholic women came from Malawi.
Thousands of international and local believers/pilgrims join to commemorate the faith of the martyrs.
Faithful Catholics drew water from the lake that had been blessed in hopes of bringing healing to their loved ones at home.Today, less than 27 miles to the southeast of this sacred spot, CARITAS partners - the Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi - work tirelessly to care for the impoverished children of Nkokonjeru. Indeed, throughout Uganda the Christian community continues to grow and spread the good news of God’s love. Truly, as the Church father Tertullian once wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
Thanks be to God for the courageous witness of St. Charles and his companions. Thanks be to God for the wonderful work of the Little Sisters. Thanks be to God for the individuals who sponsor CARITAS children and have put their faith into action in same spirit as the Ugandan martyrs.
Come Holy Spirit, fill us with the same faith and courage that compelled St. Charles Lwanga and his companions to lay down their lives for the Truth. Help us to more fully realize the kingdom of Your love through the sacrifices of our daily lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
