St. Charles Lwanga and Companions

Patron Saint of Converts and Torture Victims

St. Charles Lwanga was an Ugandan convert to Christianity. He is one of 22 Ugandan martyrs who were killed for being Catholics and were canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1964. St. Charles Lwanga safeguarded young men from the immoral acts of the Bagandan ruler by educating them in the Catholic faith. Even when imprisoned, Charles would continue teaching his fellow Catholic young men, encouraging them in their faith. Because he refused to submit to the immorality of the ruler, Charles was burned to death at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, when he was only 26 years old. Pope Paul VI visited the site of Charles’ martyrdom when he became the first pope to visit sub-Saharan Africa in July 1969.