Charles Lwanga was a Ugandan born on 1 January 1860 and died on 3 June 1886 following a rage persecution against Ugandans converted to Christianism. He was a young man of outstanding fitness and enjoyed playing catch. Born a leader, since he joined the royal court, he inspired his fellows -irrespective their background and status- and gained trust from the king. He graduated from a servant to a chief of the royal pages and later major-domo in the court under the kingship of King Mwanga II of Buganda.

In Uganda, the year of 1879 witnessed a spreading wind of Catholic faith following the engagement of a congregation of White Fathers, founded by Cardinal Lavigerie. The king Mwanga II saw the Christianism as a menace to his ruthless rule and acts of homosexuality against young pages. The furious king forced all converted and baptized Ugandans to leave their faith as a matter of being accomplices of the foreigners, but it was late as they were even prepared to die for Christ.

Seven years later, on 15 November 1885, the night of the martyrdom of Joseph Mukasa, Lwanga realized that their own lives were in danger, Lwanga and some of the other pages went to the White Fathers to receive baptism. Lwanga and others were baptized by Pere Lourdel and he took the name of Charles.

One chilly day, the King warned his people to do not follow or even approach and listen to white missionaries; Lwanga replied: “You mean that the White men want to overtake your throne, but you misunderstand, the religion they preach calls us to be your loyal servants and you better know that since long I have been your trustworthy servant ready to die for you”. Lwanga preached the Gospel Therefore, this is how a young man of 25 years old dedicated his whole being to Jesus Christ, the only Son of God and a Savior of the whole humanity. The remarkable thing is how Lwanga interiorized the Holy Gospel and proclaimed it despite the hardship of the time.

One day, the royal courts took fire and the King displaced to Munyonyo near Lake Victoria. The King under the auspices of royal witches accused the Christians to be responsible of the fire as fallout of betraying the ancestors’ spirits. In a bloodless morning of 26 June 1986, the King censused all servants converted to Christ and order that they die under fire as it was a customized punished for everyone who disobeyed or betrayed the kingdom.

Seven days after the screening, a convoy of royal militias escorted Lwanga and his fellows to horror locality of Namugongo. Along the road to Namugongo, they were singing and praising the Lord until the last breath in the morning of 3 June 1886. This day, Lwanga and other martyrs wrote their names in the book of life. Lwanga was canonized on 18 October 1964 by Pope Paul VI during the Vatican II conference. He is the patron and model of African Youth.