June 3
Sts. Charles Lwanga and Companions
Twenty-two Ugandan Catholics — most of them pages in the royal court of King Mwanga II — martyred between 1885 and 1887 for refusing the king's sexual advances and for their Christian faith. Charles Lwanga encouraged them as they were burned alive. They are the first martyrs of sub-Saharan Africa.
Why it matters for your parish:
The African martyrs are a powerful and underutilized story for most American parishes — their youth, courage, and context of resisting sexual exploitation make them urgently relevant today.
Graphics for this saint are coming soon.