The Martyrs of Uganda
3 June -- Commemoration
If celebrated as a Lesser Festival,
Common of Martyrs, page 464
Mwanga, the ruler of Uganda in 1886, wanted boys for his bed
and when all the Christian pages began to refuse his
advances, he had them put to death. They included Catholics
and Anglicans. On their way to the place of execution,
these young Christians sang hymns in honour of the Lord and
some were still singing when the flames surrounded them.
Barely a century later, the peoples of the land were
persecuted by a tyrant who put many of the Christian leaders
and followers of Christ to death. Anglicans and Roman
Catholics unite on this day to remember those who witnessed
in Uganda for Christ, even unto death.