St Charles Lwanga Catholic Churchinzambia
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ST CHARLES LWANGA CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ZAMBIA St Peter Catholic church Chazanga Parish The Uganda Martyrs are a group of 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic converts to Christianity in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda, wwere executed between 31 January 1885 and 27 January 1887. Died - 1885–87, Uganda Martyred by - Mwanga II Venerated in - Roman Catholic - Anglican Communion - Lutheranism Beatified -1920, by Pope Benedict2 Canonized 18 October 1964, by Pope Paul VI Major shrine Basilica Church of the Uganda Martyrs, Namugongo Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine Feast 3 June Notable martyrs Charles Lwanga Kizito Andrew Kaggwa They were killed on orders of Mwanga II, the Kabaka (King) of Buganda. The deaths took place at a time when there was a three-way religious struggle for political influence at the Buganda royal court. The episode also occurred against the backdrop of the "Scramble for Africa" – the invasion, occupation, division, colonization and annexation of African territory by European powers.[4] A few years after, the English Church Missionary Society used the deaths to enlist wider public support for the British acquisition of Uganda for the Empire.[5] The Catholic Church beatified the 22 Catholic martyrs of its faith in 1920 and canonized them in 1964. CONTEXT Publication in Britain of an 1875 letter purporting to be an invitation from the king of Buganda, Muteesa I, to send missionaries, resulted in the arrival of Alexander Mackay of the Anglican Church Missionary Society to Buganda in 1877. A group of French Catholic White Fathers, led by Père Simon Lourdel (Fr. Mapera) appeared two years later. Arab traders from Zanzibar had introduced Islam into the kingdom.[6] This effectively led to a three-way religious struggle for political influence at the Buganda royal court.[4] By the mid-1880s, many had been converted by each of the three groups, and some of the converts held important posts at the king's court.[7] Muteesa himself sympathized with Islam, but many prominent chiefs had become Christians.[8] Kabaka Mwanga II succeeded to the throne in 1884. He was concerned at the growing influence of Christianity and the rise of a new class of officials, distinct from the traditional territorial chiefs, who were educated, had a religious orientation, and wished to reform Ganda society.[9] The German annexation of what is now Tanzania sparked further alarm. A year after becoming king he ordered the execution of Yusufu Rugarama, Makko Kakumba, and Nuwa/Noah Serwanga, who had converted to Christianity.[3] Encouraged by his prime minister, on 29 October 1885 he had the incoming Anglican bishop James Hannington assassinated on the eastern border of his kingdom. This may have been deliberately intended to ward off a potential British invasion.[10] Mwanga did, however, subsequently appoint several Christians to important military positions. ST CHARLES LWANGA Charles Lwanga (Luganda: Kaloli Lwanga (1 January 1860 – 3 June 1886) was a Ugandan convert to the Catholic Church, who was martyred for his faith and is revered as a saint by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. MARTYRE Born - 1 January 1860 , Kingdom of Buganda Died - 3 June 1886 (aged 26)Namugongo, Kingdom of Buganda Venerated in - Catholic Church Anglican Communion Lutheranism Beatified - 1920, Rome, Kingdom of Italy, by Pope Benedict XV Canonized - 18 October 1964, Uganda, by Pope Paul VI Major shrine - Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs, Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine Feast - 3 June Patronage - African Catholic Youth Action, converts, torture victims Charles lwanga was a member of the Baganda tribe, Lwanga was born in the Kingdom of Buganda, the central and southern part of modern Uganda, and served as chief of the royal pages and later major-domo in the court of King Mwanga II of Buganda. He was baptised by Pere Giraud on 15 November 1885.[6] As part of the king's effort to resist foreign colonization, the king insisted that Christian converts abandon their new faith and executed many Anglicans and Catholics between 1885 and 1887, including Lwanga and other officials in the royal court or otherwise very close to him The persecution started in 1885 after Mwanga, a ritual pedophile, ordered a massacre of Anglican missionaries, including Bishop James Hannington who was the leader of the Anglican community. Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe, the Catholic major-domo of the court and a lay catechist, reproached the king for the killings, against which he had counseled him. Mwanga had Balikuddembe beheaded and arrested all of his followers on 15 November 1885. The king then ordered that Lwanga, who was chief page at that time, take up Balikuddembe's duties. That same day, Lwanga and other pages under his protection sought baptism as Catholics by a missionary priest of the White Fathers; some hundred catechumens were baptized. Lwanga often protected boys in his charge from the king’s sexual advances.[8] On 25 May 1886, Mwanga ordered a general assembly of the court while they were settled at Munyonyo, where he condemned two of the pages to death. The following morning, Lwanga secretly baptized those of his charges who were still only catechumens. Later that day, the king called a court assembly in which he interrogated all present to see if any would renounce Christianity. Led by Lwanga, the royal pages declared their fidelity to their religion, upon which the king condemned them to death, directing that they be marched to the traditional place of execution. Three of the prisoners, Pontian Ngondwe, Athanasius Bazzekuketta, and Gonzaga Gonza, were murdered on the march there. When preparations were completed and the day had come for the execution on 3 June 1886, Lwanga was separated from the others by the Guardian of the Sacred Flame for private execution, in keeping with custom. As he was being burnt, Lwanga said to the Guardian, "It is as if you are pouring water on me. Please repent and become a Christian like me."[1] Twelve Catholic boys and men and nine Anglicans were then burnt alive. Another Catholic, Mbaga Tuzinde, was clubbed to death for refusing to renounce Christianity, and his body was thrown into the furnace to be burned along with those of Lwanga and the others[10] The ire of the king was particularly inflamed against the Christians because they refused to participate in sexual acts with him.[11] Lwanga, in particular, had protected the pages.[4] The executions were also motivated by Mwanga's broader efforts to avoid foreign threats to his power. According to Assa Okoth, Mwanga's overriding preoccupation was for the "integrity of his kingdom", and perceived that men such as Lwanga were working with foreigners in "poisoning the very roots of his kingdom". Not to have taken any action could have led to suggestions that he was a weak sovereign VENERATION Lwanga senior and the other Christians who accompanied him in death were canonized on 18 October 1964 by Pope Paul VI during the Vatican II conference.[13] "To honor these African saints, Paul VI became the first reigning pope to visit sub-Saharan Africa when he toured Uganda in July 1969, a visit that included a pilgrimage to the site of the martyrdom at Namugongo".[14] The Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs was built at the site of the executions and serves as their shrine.[15] The Brothers of St. Charles Lwanga senior (Luganda: Bannakaroli Brothers) were founded in 1927 as an indigenous religious congregation of Ugandan men committed to providing education to the disadvantaged youth of their country. Denis Ssebuggwawo (1870-25 May 1886) (Musajja-mukulu) is a Ugandan Catholic martyr and saint. He was by tribe a Muganda from Bulemeezi county. His father was Kajansi and mother, Nsonga (Musoga). Ssebuggwawo was from Edible or Cane Rat (Musu) clan - Thryonomys Swinderianus. Saint Denis Sebugwawo Born. - 1870 Bulemeezi, Uganda Died - 25 May 1886,Munyonyo, Uganda Venerated in. -. Catholic Church Beatified. - 6 June 1920 by Pope Benedict XV Canonized. - 18 October 1964 by Pope Paul VI Major shrine - Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine Feast - 3 June Patronage - Musicians Andrew Kaggwa (or Andrea Kaahwa) (1856 – May 26, 1886) was a Ugandan Catholic martyr killed for his faith. He was one of many Christians put to death by King Mwanga II between 1885 and 1887. He was the king Mwanga's bandmaster-General, the Mugowa. He was baptized on 30 April 1882 by Père Simon Lourdel M.Afr. (known as Fr. Mapera) at Nabulagala. The day he met his death, he was arrested at his home and taken to the Chancellor who ordered the executioners to cut off his arm. Kaggwa's arm was first cut off and taken to Mukasa before he was beheaded and hacked to pieces at Munyonyo. He died in the afternoon of Wednesday 26 May 1886. Kaggwa is the patron of Catechists, Teachers and Families. He is remembered as one of the Martyrs of Uganda's feast day. Born -- 1856,Bugangaizi, Kibaale, Uganda Died - May 26, 1886 Munyonyo, Uganda Venerated in - Catholic Church Beatified - 1920 by Pope Benedict XV Canonized - October 18, 1964 by Pope Paul VI Major shrine - Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine Feast - June 3 Patronage - Catechists, Teachers, Families Saint Kizito (1872 – June 3, 1886) was one of the Martyrs of Uganda and the youngest martyr slain by the King Mwanga II of Buganda. He was baptized on 25/26 May 1886, by Charles Lwanga, the leader of Uganda's Christian community at the time, at Munyonyo, and burned alive on 3 June 1886 in Namugongo. He was canonized on 18 October 1964 by Pope Paul VI in Rome. His feast day is on June 3rd. He is considered as the patron saint of children and primary schools MWANGA Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa (1868 – 8 May 1903)[1] was Kabaka of Buganda from 1884 until 1888 and from 1889 until 1897.