St. Charles Lwanga and companions

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.

Sagrada Familia

On June 9, as part of his apostolic journey to Spain, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Barcelona. There, he will inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Basílica de la Sagrada Família and celebrate a Mass commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of its first architect and designer, Antoni Gaudí. Interest in Gaudí, whom Pope Francis proclaimed venerable in 2025, has grown recently alongside rumors of an imminent beatification. One hundred forty-four years after construction began, Sagrada Família continues to spark debate. Gaudí saw only about 10% of the original project completed. He spent his last 12 or 14 years working exclusively on Sagrada Família, living poorly, thinking about the future, with hope and faith in the future. To ensure his vision survived him, the architect left behind a comprehensive theological-symbolic plan, detailed drawings, and large-scale models . He wanted to move people, to inspire them by seeing the facades, entering the interior, and seeing these treelike structures that rise upward into the space for the Eucharistic celebration, and for all this beauty to reach everyoneʼs heart so they would think about their lives, think about the life of Christ and their own lives, and that this would lead them to feel loved, welcomed, and ready to love others. (Click to enlarge the following photos)

Various aspects of Sagrada Familia, and Antoni Gaudi himself

Andrea Mifsud, cyclist

A Maltese cyclist, Andrea Mifsud just finished 69th out of 184 cyclists in the Giro d’Italia which ended yesterday. He was part of the Polti VisitMalta team which uses a colorful outfit, white shirt with green shoulders and red pants. Andrea was born of a Maltese father and a French mother, which made it possible for him to register as representing Malta, the first ever in the history of the century-old race throughout Italy in the month of May. After starting out as a young footballer, Mifsud decided to switch to cycling after a serious injury. A generous and resilient cyclist, with the classic characteristics of a rider equally comfortable on the road and on gravel, in 2025 he proudly wore the Maltese cross in the breakaway that enlivened the European Championships in France, an international showcase that deepened his emotional connection with both nations he loves so much. Mifsud started cycling at age 13 and rode in 2021 for the Swiss Racing Academy (now Tudor) later signing with Nice Métropole in 2022. For him, cycling has become more than just a sport, but rather “a way of life that combines competition, work, team spirit, travel, the agony of effort… and the satisfaction of it all” he says. A graduate in Business Administration, he also completed the esame di Stato in Italian, a language he speaks fluently. He’s an explosive climber with cycling idols such as Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador, and others like  Francesco Moser, Hinault, and Coppi & Bartali. I wish him the very best for his future.