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Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions

Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions: Feast Day June 3rd


Would you have the courage to profess your Christian faith, refusing to renounce it, if you knew professing your faith would mean your death? For those of us in countries where Christianity is the prominent faith, we might feel too far removed from this question. But like Saint Charles Lwanga, a Christian page in Uganda who continued to profess his Catholic faith and was condemned to death by King Mwanga and burned alive, this question is a reality for our Christian brothers and sisters in China, the Middle East, and other countries and regions of the world where Christian minorities are persecuted. In modern times, we like to think that Christian martyrdom is something of the past, that surely, with all of civilization's advancements, we have long moved away from such barbarities. Unfortunately, however, this is not the case. Not only is it true that the physical martyrdom of Christians still takes place throughout the world today, but there is also the silent martyrdom of those who hold to Christian beliefs by today's cancel-culture. Saint Charles Lwanga, patron of youth and Catholic action, is an inspiration for us in modern times to continue to profess our faith with courage, love, and wisdom in an ever growing secular culture. Saint Charles Lwanga, and fellow martryed companions, pray for us to have the courage to proclaim our faith in these ever growing difficult times.     

Celebrating with Food:

I don't know about you, but I love the taste of curry. With all of its warm and flavorful spices, it not only smells amazing as its aroma wafts throughout the house, but it tastes delicious! India and Thailand are not the only places that you can find curry in the local cuisine. Curry is also an East African staple. To celebrate Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, I made this delicious Ugandan curry-potato recipe from the website “Demand Africa.” It’s a little spicy, so if you don’t like a lot of spice you can cut the cayenne pepper in half.  I then paired this side dish with fired eggs and salad.  We’ve also made Ugali, a cooked corn flour and water dish, using this recipe from “Food.com.” In the cookbook, Feast: Real Food, Reflections, and Simple Living for the Christian Year, the authors mention you can also add salt, pepper, and butter to taste to your Ugali. 


Celebrating with a Craft and Prayer:

Basket weaving is an art form found in Uganda as well as other countries across Africa. Here are directions, from the website "Instructales,” for how to make a construction paper woven basket that you and your children can make today as you celebrate Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions. You can then use your basket as a prayer basket. Write your family’s prayer intentions on slips of paper and place them in the basket, praying them together as a family each week. At the end of the week, you can empty your prayer intentions and write new ones. Not only does this activity allow you and your family to physically build something together (the construction paper basket), but it also allows you to build your family’s prayer life.

I hope you and your family have a blessed day celebrating Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, and may he and his fellow martyrs continue to inspire you and your family to live your faith! 

Additional Resources:

Here is an article about Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions from the “Catholic News Agency,” as well as an article from “Franciscan Media,” if you would like to learn more about him and his companions.


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