Saint Joseph Mkasa Balikuddembé

Saint Joseph Mkasa Balikuddembé

Died in Nakivubo, Uganda, November 15, 1885

Roman Martyrology: At Mengo in Uganda, St Joseph Mkasa Balikuddembé, martyr, who, head of the royal court, having received baptism, converted many young people to Christ and defended the boys from court vices of king Mwenga, and at twenty-five year, was beheaded by order of the angry king, becoming the first victim of his persecution.

His beatification in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV, together with twenty-one other martyrs of Ugandan origin, was a sensation, perhaps because then, certainly more than now, the glory of the altars was linked to certain canons of race, language and culture. In fact, they were first sub-Saharans to be recognized as martyrs and, as such, venerated by the Catholic Church.

Their earthly takes place during the reign of Mwangi, a young king who, despite having attended the school of missionaries (the “White Fathers” of Cardinal Lavigerie), was unable to learn or to read or write because he was “stubborn, indocile and incapable of concentration. ” Some doubted that he was in full possession of his mental faculties. He learned vice from white merchants coming from the north: he smoked hashish, drank alcohol in large quantities and indulged in homosexual practices. For the latter, he built harem of pages, servants and children of the nobility of his court.
Supported at the beginning of his reign by Christians (Catholics and Anglicans), which together made him a common front against the tyranny of King Muslim Kalemie, soon re Mwangi saw in Christianity the greatest danger to tribal traditions and the largest obstacle for its debauchery. A sobillarlo against Christians is above all were sorcerers and fetishists, who saw compromise their role and their power and thus, in 1885, opened un’accesa persecution, whose first famous victim is the Anglican Bishop Hannington, but at least one another 200 young people killed for their faith.
On November 15, 1885 Mwangi beheaded the master of pages and prefect of the actual room. His greatest fault? Being a Catholic catechist, moreover, having accused the king of killing the Anglican bishop. He also protected the young pages from the sexual advances of theking. Giuseppe Mkasa Balikuddembè belonged to the Kayozi clan and was just 25.
He was replaced in the prestigious post by Charles Lwanga, from the Ngabi clan, who now focuses the morbid attention of the King. Even Lwanga, however, has thedefect of being Catholic, and more, in that stormy period in which the missionaries were banned, took therole of “leader” and supported the faith of neoconvertiti.
On 25 May 1886 he was sentenced to death along with a group of Christians and four catechumens, the night that he secretly baptized, the youngest, Kizito of Mmamba clan, who was just 14. On May 26 vemgono killed Andrew Kaggwa, head of the players of the king and his family, who had proved particularly generous and courageous during an epidemic, and Dionigi Ssebuggwawo.
Others were transferred from Munyonyo, where there was the royal palace in which they were sentenced to Namugongo, the place of executions, a “Way of the Cross” by 27 miles, traveled in eight days, between the pressures of relatives li la abiurare go to faith and the violence of the soldiers. Someone is killed along the road: May 26 is pierced by a coup launched Pontian Ngondwe of clan Nnyonyi Nnyange, real page, who had received the baptism while already raged for the persecution and was immediately arrested, the page real Athanasius Bazzekuketta of Nkima clan, was martyred on May 27.

A few hours after, the servant of King Gong of the Gonzaga clan Mpologoma fell, pierced by spears of the soldiers, followed shortly after by Matthias Mulumba of clan Lugana, elevated to the rank of “court”, in his fifties, converted to Catholicism for just three years.
On May 31, nailed to a tree with the spears of the soldiers and then hung was Mawaggali Noah, another servant of the king of the clan Ngabi.
On June 3, on the hill of Namugongo, a 31 Christians as well as some Anglicans were burned alive, the group of thirteen Catholics, one of which was Carlo Lwanga, who had promised the young Kizito: “I will take you by the hand, if we die for Jesus we will die together, hand in hand. ” The group of these martyrs also includes Luke Baanabakintu, Gyaviira Musoke and MBAG Tuzinde, all of the clan Mmamba; Buuzabalyawo James, son of the weaver and belonging to the royal clan Ngeye; Ambrose Kibuuka, the clan and Lugana Anatolia Kiriggwajjo, guardian of herds King, a waiter from the king, Mukasa Kiriwawanvu and the guardian of herds of the king, Adolofo Game Mukasa, the clan Ba’Toro; tailor the real Mugagga Łubowo of Ngo clan, from Achilleus Kiwanuka (Lugave clan) and Bruno Sserunkuuma ( Ndiga clan).
Those who assisted were impressed that they heard praying to the end, without a groan. It ‘a martyr who do not turn off the faith in Uganda, and indeed becomes the seed of many conversions, as prophetically had sensed Bruno Sserunkuuma shortly before suffering martyrdom “A source who has many sources do not ever inaridirà; us when we are there other will come after us. ”
The number of Catholic martyrs raised to the glory of the altars closes on January 27, 1887 with the killing of the servant of the king, Giovanni Maria Museums, who voluntarily confessed his faith in front of the Prime Minister of King Mwangi and for this reason was immediately beheaded.
Charles Lwanga with his 21 young comrades was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1964 and at the place of his martyrdom today there is a magnificent shrine, a short distance, another Protestant sanctuary reminds Christians of the confession, martyred together with Carlo Lwanga. To remember that all Christians were martyred some Muslims: either the others had witnessed and recognized by the blood that “Katonda” (the supreme God of their ancestors) was the same God to which you refer is the Bible that Koran.
Author: Gianpiero pettiti

Roman Martyrology: At Mengo in Uganda, St Joseph Mkasa Balikuddembé, martyr, who, head of the royal court, having received baptism, converted many young people to Christ and defended the boys from court vices of king Mwenga, and at twenty-five year, was beheaded by order of the angry king, becoming the first victim of his persecution.

His beatification in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV, together with twenty-one other martyrs of Ugandan origin, was a sensation, perhaps because then, certainly more than now, the glory of the altars was linked to certain canons of race, language and culture. In fact, they were first sub-Saharans to be recognized as martyrs and, as such, venerated by the Catholic Church.

Their earthly takes place during the reign of Mwangi, a young king who, despite having attended the school of missionaries (the “White Fathers” of Cardinal Lavigerie), was unable to learn or to read or write because he was “stubborn, indocile and incapable of concentration. ” Some doubted that he was in full possession of his mental faculties. He learned vice from white merchants coming from the north: he smoked hashish, drank alcohol in large quantities and indulged in homosexual practices. For the latter, he built harem of pages, servants and children of the nobility of his court.

Supported at the beginning of his reign by Christians (Catholics and Anglicans), which together made him a common front against the tyranny of King Muslim Kalemie, soon re Mwangi saw in Christianity the greatest danger to tribal traditions and the largest obstacle for its debauchery. A sobillarlo against Christians is above all were sorcerers and fetishists, who saw compromise their role and their power and thus, in 1885, opened un’accesa persecution, whose first famous victim is the Anglican Bishop Hannington, but at least one another 200 young people killed for their faith.

On November 15, 1885 Mwangi beheaded the master of pages and prefect of the actual room. His greatest fault? Being a Catholic catechist, moreover, having accused the king of killing the Anglican bishop. He also protected the young pages from the sexual advances of theking. Giuseppe Mkasa Balikuddembè belonged to the Kayozi clan and was just 25.

He was replaced in the prestigious post by Charles Lwanga, from the Ngabi clan, who now focuses the morbid attention of the King. Even Lwanga, however, has thedefect of being Catholic, and more, in that stormy period in which the missionaries were banned, took therole of “leader” and supported the faith of neoconvertiti.

On 25 May 1886 he was sentenced to death along with a group of Christians and four catechumens, the night that he secretly baptized, the youngest, Kizito of Mmamba clan, who was just 14. On May 26 vemgono killed Andrew Kaggwa, head of the players of the king and his family, who had proved particularly generous and courageous during an epidemic, and Dionigi Ssebuggwawo.

Others were transferred from Munyonyo, where there was the royal palace in which they were sentenced to Namugongo, the place of executions, a “Way of the Cross” by 27 miles, traveled in eight days, between the pressures of relatives li la abiurare go to faith and the violence of the soldiers. Someone is killed along the road: May 26 is pierced by a coup launched Pontian Ngondwe of clan Nnyonyi Nnyange, real page, who had received the baptism while already raged for the persecution and was immediately arrested, the page real Athanasius Bazzekuketta of Nkima clan, was martyred on May 27.

A few hours after, the servant of King Gong of the Gonzaga clan Mpologoma fell, pierced by spears of the soldiers, followed shortly after by Matthias Mulumba of clan Lugana, elevated to the rank of “court”, in his fifties, converted to Catholicism for just three years.

On May 31, nailed to a tree with the spears of the soldiers and then hung was Mawaggali Noah, another servant of the king of the clan Ngabi.

On June 3, on the hill of Namugongo, a 31 Christians as well as some Anglicans were burned alive, the group of thirteen Catholics, one of which was Carlo Lwanga, who had promised the young Kizito: “I will take you by the hand, if we die for Jesus we will die together, hand in hand. ” The group of these martyrs also includes Luke Baanabakintu, Gyaviira Musoke and MBAG Tuzinde, all of the clan Mmamba; Buuzabalyawo James, son of the weaver and belonging to the royal clan Ngeye; Ambrose Kibuuka, the clan and Lugana Anatolia Kiriggwajjo, guardian of herds King, a waiter from the king, Mukasa Kiriwawanvu and the guardian of herds of the king, Adolofo Game Mukasa, the clan Ba’Toro; tailor the real Mugagga Łubowo of Ngo clan, from Achilleus Kiwanuka (Lugave clan) and Bruno Sserunkuuma ( Ndiga clan).

Those who assisted were impressed that they heard praying to the end, without a groan. It ‘a martyr who do not turn off the faith in Uganda, and indeed becomes the seed of many conversions, as prophetically had sensed Bruno Sserunkuuma shortly before suffering martyrdom “A source who has many sources do not ever inaridirà; us when we are there other will come after us. “

The number of Catholic martyrs raised to the glory of the altars closes on January 27, 1887 with the killing of the servant of the king, Giovanni Maria Museums, who voluntarily confessed his faith in front of the Prime Minister of King Mwangi and for this reason was immediately beheaded.

Charles Lwanga with his 21 young comrades was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1964 and at the place of his martyrdom today there is a magnificent shrine, a short distance, another Protestant sanctuary reminds Christians of the confession, martyred together with Carlo Lwanga. To remember that all Christians were martyred some Muslims: either the others had witnessed and recognized by the blood that “Katonda” (the supreme God of their ancestors) was the same God to which you refer is the Bible that Koran.

Author: Gianpiero pettiti

SOURCE: Santi e Beati