By the time it was over, blood and ashes littered the sub-Saharan ground.

    It was May 27, 1887, and King Mwanga of Uganda had ordered the execution of every follower of Christ in his court. Because of this, 22 men lost their lives in ways that were as gruesome as they were tragic.

    A decade before, Catholic missionaries were given free access throughout the country by Mutesa, Mwanga's father. But the prime minister, Katikiro, detested the Christians and plotted to kill them. The missionaries, hearing of his plans, quickly baptized the faithful and escaped with as many converts as would follow.

    Shortly after Mutesa's death, the 18-year-old Mwanga, who had always liked "the praying ones," invited the missionaries back. He soon regretted this decision.

    Mwanga was a pedophile with a fondness for young pages, many of whom were Christians. Chief Page Joseph Mukasa, a Christian, hid many of the boys, which irritated the king. When Mwanga had a Protestant missionary killed, Joseph chastised him. Mwanga grew livid and ordered his executioners to kill Joseph. As they manhandled him upon his arrest, Joseph exclaimed, "Come now! If I must die for my faith, would I attempt an escape? A Christian dying for God does not fear death!" His last words were, "Tell the King I gladly pardon him for killing me without reason, but I advise him to repent. If not, I shall act as his accuser before the judgement seat of God."

    Inspired by this martyrdom, many Ugandans desired instruction and baptism, including Charles Lwanga, the man who took Joseph's place as chief page.

    Until they became Christians, Mwanga enjoyed a free hand with his pages. Afterward, he found the converts' adherence to chastity maddening. He called for Dennis Sebuggwawo, who had instructed the Christian pages in the faith. Mwanga grabbed a spear and drove it through Dennis' neck. He lived for two days, praying for the king's soul while in extreme pain.

    The king then resolved to kill all the Christians in his court. He called for his pages to assemble at the palace, where he planned to discover and assassinate the Christians.

    Knowing this, Charles and his companions prayed for the strength to suffer for their faith the way Jesus had for their souls. Charles also baptized the pages who had not yet received the sacrament.

    When all of the pages presented themselves to Mwanga, he ordered the Christians to separate from the others. Charles, taking the hand of the young catechumen Kizito, was the first to do so. The others followed.

    The chief executioner's son joined the group. His father ordered and finally begged him to leave, but he merely replied, "My Father whom I must obey is in heaven."

    Standing next to the king was Bruno Serunkuma, one of the bodyguards. He, too, took his place among the condemned faithful. When the man in charge of  growing the king's bananas, Pontian Ngondwe, begged to immediately join these future saints, the guards gave him a head start, slicing a machete down the length of his body and decapitating him.

    The prisoners were marched to Namugongo, 37 miles away. On the way, one was hacked to death. Another, who could no longer walk because of the constricting leg irons, had a spear put through him. He died without a whimper.

    They killed a prisoner at each crossroads as an example to others, and at the next one, Athanasius Bazzekuketta, 20, volunteered. Bruno was the next to die. He was severely beaten. Remembering the example of Christ on the cross, he refused the banana wine his brothers offered him.

    Matthias Mulumba - at 50, the oldest of the martyrs - was a chief accused of actions unworthy of his position, and Prime Minister Katikiro demanded that Matthias' death be worse than all the others. "He will rescue my soul, but you will not see." His arms and legs were hacked off and burned in front of him. His arteries were then tied, and he was left to die in the scorching African sun.

    Upon reaching Namugongo, they were killed one by one, the older men encouraging their youthful compatriots. When they reached Charles Lwanga, Senkole, one of the assassins said, "This one's for me. You will die slowly." "I am happy to die for the true faith," Lwanga replied. Turning to his brothers, he said, "My friends, goodbye. We will meet again in heaven."

    As he lay atop the burning pyre, Charles continued to pray. Lovingly, he said to Senkole, "How happy I would be if you embraced my religion." Senkole merely laughed. Later, though, he became a Catholic.

    Many of the remaining Christians were rolled up in reed mats and set on fire. One called out, "Tell Mapera [Ugandan for priest] that we were faithful!"

    An executioner said, "We have killed many men, but never such as these. Others only moaned and wept; These prayed right to the end."

    It is said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christianity. There are now over 11 million Christians in a population of 17.5 million. The Cathedral of St. Mary in Rubaga has replaced the place of King Mwanga, which once stood on the same spot. Pope Paul VI canonized St. Charles Lwanga and companions in 1964. Their feast day is June 3.

(Source: Modern Saints, Tan Books, Rockford, Illinois, 1983)

Franciscan University of Steubenville in honor of Black History Month