Dying for the Faith: Ugandan Martyrs

A sculpture of those who died for the faith.

While most of the decadent culture engages in the worship of degenerate activities throughout the month of March, it seems prudent to look toward some of those lost as a result of the aforementioned vices.

Let us be reminded, for example, that the 3rd of June is the day when we remember the Ugandan martyrs. Twenty-two Catholic and twenty-three Anglican boys were executed for their faith between 1885 and 1887 in Uganda. They were all converts to the faith and true believers, after concerted efforts had been made to evangelize the nation. As a consequence, they perceived a higher loyalty than the Mwanga, the ruler, which inflamed him.

When he tried to force them to perform homosexual acts, which was one of his vices, they refused. As the faith spread, the boys that served at his court increasingly refused his advances. Refusing any request by the ruler was a death sentence, but they did so anyway. Mwanga ordered them killed for their insubordination and refusal to engage in homosexual activities. The boys were arrested, imprisoned, and told to recant their faith, on pain of death. The youngest was just 14 years old. They were steadfast.

They were killed in a horrific way: by being burned alive. They are remembered as singing hymns and praying audibly as they were taken to their deaths. They continued as the flames drew close to them.

In the modern age, it is common for people to be unwilling to speak the truth on this important topic because they fear condemnation or ridicule. Yet, children in the 1800s served as exemplars in a much darker scenario. May we revere their memories.