St. Charles Lwanga

St. Charles Lwanga was one of several Ugandan martyrs for the Christian faith who worked to fight religious persecution in their country. He shares his feast day, June 3, with the 21 other canonized Catholic martyrs who died defending Christianity from the violent King Mwanga’s oppression. Charles was the leader of the Christian community within Mwanga’s court, bravely taking command of the roughly 200 Christians there after Mwanga beheaded their former leader. Under Charles’s guidance, and with the work of his followers after his death, the community grew to 500 Christians and 1,000 catechumens, flourishing in spite of the persecution.

Questions for Reflection:

  • How have you dealt with oppression in your life? Have you felt discrimination yourself or seen others discriminated against? How did you react?
  • How can we stand in solidarity with those who are oppressed for their beliefs?
  • In memory of St. Charles Lwanga and his companions, pray the following from Catholic.org:

Martyrs of Uganda, pray for the faith where it is danger and for Christians who must suffer because of their faith. Give them the same courage, zeal, and joy you showed. And help those of us who live in places where Christianity is accepted to remain aware of the persecution in other parts of the world. Amen.