Saint Charles Lwanga
Saint Charles Lwanga (born c. 1865 AD in Buganda, Uganda; died June 3, 1886 AD in Munyonyo/Namugongo, Uganda) was a young Catholic page and chief of the royal pages at the court of Kabaka Mwanga II of Buganda who was burned alive at Namugongo along with twenty-one other Catholic and Anglican converts for refusing to renounce Christianity and for protecting younger pages from the Kabaka's sexual advances. He is the patron saint of Africa and African youth. He was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1964. His feast day is June 3.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Charles Lwanga
| Saint Charles Lwanga | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 03 |
| Profession | Royal page and chief of the royal pages at the court of Kabaka Mwanga II of Buganda; lay Catholic convert; unofficial catechist and baptizer of fellow pages; patron of Africa and African youth |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Ugandan Catholic Church; 19th-century African Christianity; Uganda Martyrs group; White Fathers (Missionaries of Africa) mission context; patron of Africa |
| Patronage | Africa; African youth; Uganda; young people; those who protect the young from abuse; Catholic pages and students; those who die for moral principles; swimmers and lake fishermen |
| Attributes | Traditional Buganda robes or clothing; palm frond of martyrdom; flames (his burning at Namugongo); a cross; younger pages under his protection; Namugongo shrine in background; African landscape |
| Birthplace | Buganda, Uganda |
| Death Place | Namugongo, Uganda |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; burned alive on June 3, 1886 AD, at Namugongo, near Kampala, Uganda; he was approximately 21 years old; Kabaka Mwanga II ordered the execution of all the Catholic and Protestant converts among his pages because they refused to submit to his sexual demands and had converted to Christianity; Charles Lwanga was the chief of the royal pages and had been secretly baptizing younger pages; when he refused to hand over his charges and refused to apostatize, he was condemned; he was wrapped in reeds and burned alive; he died praying; his martyrdom was accompanied by twenty-one other Catholic martyrs (the Uganda Martyrs) and an approximately equal number of Protestant martyrs |
| Primary Shrine | Namugongo Martyrs Shrine, Uganda — site of martyrdom; June 3 feast; hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually; basilica built 1975; visited by three popes |
| Liturgical Class | Memorial (Roman Rite); June 3; feast of the Uganda Martyrs; major feast in Africa |
| Historic Class | Not in pre-1964 calendar; June 3 since canonization 1964 |
Biography
Charles Lwanga was born c. 1865 in Buganda (modern Uganda). He came to the royal court of Kabaka Mutesa I and remained under his successor Mwanga II. He converted to Catholicism through the White Fathers' mission and became chief of the royal pages.
Kabaka Mwanga II, angered that his pages were converting to Christianity and refusing his sexual advances on grounds of moral conscience, began persecuting them. Charles Lwanga secretly baptized four pages the night before the executions. When Mwanga demanded the pages apostatize, they refused.
Beginning in May 1886, twenty-two Catholics (and approximately as many Anglicans) were executed. Lwanga and twelve companions were burned alive at Namugongo on June 3, 1886. He reportedly died praying.
He was beatified in 1920 and canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 18, 1964 — one of the first canonizations in the newly built St. Peter's Square audience hall — as patron of Africa and African youth.
Significant locations
Life tour: Footprints — walkable life places and pilgrimage stops
Legend
Birth location: Buganda, Uganda
Death location: Namugongo, Uganda
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Parishes
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Media
Shrines
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Known shrines
- Namugongo Martyrs Shrine, Uganda — site of martyrdom; June 3 feast; hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually; three papal visits.
Feast day
June 3
Veneration
Saint Charles Lwanga was chief of the royal pages at the Buganda court who was burned alive at Namugongo in 1886 for refusing to apostatize from Christianity and for protecting younger pages. Patron of Africa and African youth. Namugongo Shrine draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each June 3. Canonized 1964. Feast June 3.
Prayers
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