St. Charles Lwanga & Companions

Twenty-two young Catholic men of the Ugandan court of Kabaka Mwanga II, executed between 1885 and 1887 for refusing the king’s sexual advances and clinging to their faith. Charles Lwanga, their leader, took charge of the boys after the murder of Joseph Mukasa and was burned alive at Namugongo. Their witness ignited the explosive growth of Christianity in East Africa.

The martyrs ranged in age from thirteen to thirty and included both Catholics and Anglicans, pages and officials of the royal household. Charles Lwanga secretly baptized several of the younger boys on the night before their execution, knowing that dawn would bring their death. As the flames rose around him, he said to his executioner, "You are burning me, but it is as if you are pouring water over my body."

Pope Paul VI canonized the twenty-two Catholic martyrs in 1964, and the shrine at Namugongo has become one of the largest pilgrimage sites in Africa, drawing millions each June 3rd. Their sacrifice planted a seed that grew into the vibrant faith of modern Uganda, where Christianity is now embraced by the overwhelming majority of the population.