Skip to main content

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.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Feast Day: Nov. 17th  Saint Elizabeth of Hungary has always held a special place in my heart since she is my confirmation saint. If I'm being honest, when I was reading about saints back in the eighth grade, trying to choose which saint I wanted to take as my patron, my requirements were as follows: (1) She couldn't die a horrible death, (2) She was married with kids, (3) and her life was pretty good allowing her to serve God and others through the blessings she'd been given. In hindsight, my list of "requirements" was probably a little superficial, but now as an adult I focus more on the virtues and saintly qualities of Saint Elizabeth, and find inspiration in how she lived. She was humble, a kind and loving wife and mother, and very generous to the poor. She also made plenty of time to pray and grow in her relationship with the Lord. On her wedding day, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who was a princess, did not wear a crown. Instead she s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Study the Saints

Study the Saints: As I write this post, four days into the New Year, I’m called to reflect upon what New Year’s Resolution I can make that will be the most beneficial for my family and myself. A word that’s inspiring and that comes to mind is “Saints.” Celebrating the Saints on their feast days is wonderful and has been a blessing to my family. My children have learned about various holy men, women, and children from all places of the world and times in history, and they have been able to try foods from various cultures. I love how the Catholic Church is universal! Matthew Kelly wrote a book entitled Rediscover the Saints that I read last year, and I believe it has been part of a catalyst that has taken me to the next level of learning about the Saints. Celebrating saintly feast days is wonderful, but taking the time to read the actual writings of the Saints can be an even bigger game changer and blessing in your life and the lives of your family members. To date, I’ve only read the D...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saint John Neumann

Saint John Neumann: Feast Day Jan. 5th Saint John Neumann, the first American Bishop to be canonized and Patron Saint of Catholic Education, has a special place in my heart. My late grandfather’s name was John Neumann, and when my brother was confirmed, he selected our grandfather to be his sponsor and chose Saint John Neumann as his patron. I like to reflect on the reality that as our grandfather, John Neumann, stood beside him as his sponsor, Saint John Neumann prayed in Heaven for my brother at his Confirmation. Aside from this neat family name connection with a Saint, as a former teacher I also find Saint John Neumann to be inspiring, since he helped increase the number of Catholic schools while he was Bishop of Philadelphia and brought numerous religious sisters into the schools to teach. Faith instruction of children and young people was definitely important to Saint John Neumann. If you are interested in reading more about Saint John Neumann, check out this article from Francis...
Post a Comment
Read more