The Ugandan Martyrs

We commemorate today the Ugandan martyrs, even though St Charles is the one often mentioned. One of 22 Ugandan martyrs, Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa. He protected his fellow pages (aged 13 to 30) from the homosexual demands of the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, and encouraged and instructed them in the Catholic faith during their imprisonment for refusing the ruler’s demands. For his own unwillingness to submit to the immoral acts and his efforts to safeguard the faith of his friends, Charles was burned to death at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, by Mwanga’s order. Charles first learned of Christ’s teachings from two retainers in the court of Chief Mawulugungu. While a catechumen, he entered the royal household as assistant to Joseph Mukaso, head of the court pages. On the night of Mukaso’s martyrdom for encouraging the African youths to resist Mwanga, Charles requested and received Baptism. Imprisoned with his friends, Charles’s courage and belief in God inspired them to remain chaste and faithful. When Pope Paul VI canonized these 22 martyrs on October 18, 1964, he referred to the Anglican pages martyred for the same reason. Although the Anglicans could not be canonized, they were named "with the others, also deserving mention" for enduring "death for the name of Christ".The Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs was built at the site of the executions, and serves as their shrine. Their remains are in Kampala. The order known as "The Brothers of St. Charles Lwanga" were founded in 1927 as an indigenous religious congregation of Ugandan men committed to providing education to the youth of their country.