Several years ago, a group of priests and lay faithful came together in my Diocese of Kiyinda-Mityana in Uganda. The convener of the meeting asked them a question: “Which one of you is a missionary?” They all looked around amongst themselves to see if there was someone who had come from another country, place, or wearing a missionary cross. After a brief silence one of the priests stood up and said that all of them were local clergy and lay persons from within the diocese. He went on to add that the religious and missionary priests were not part of that meeting.
Really? Do you sometimes think that a missionary is only that person who comes from outside of your area, but not that ordinary lay person or priest who follows Jesus’ teaching? Jesus says to all his disciples, “Go therefore and proclaim the Good News… baptizing in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… And I am with you until the end of time.”(Matt. 28:19-20).
I am happy to be here at Queen of Apostles parish as a missionary among you! I come from Uganda in Africa, where the church is vibrant and relatively young. The first Anglican and Catholic missionaries come to Uganda in 1878 and 1879. It was pagan territory back then.
After a few years of evangelization by these missionaries, young people who were working in the palace of the king converted to Christianity and began to resist and abandon the pagan practices that pleased the king and his officials. They attended catechism classes day and night; always loyal to their assigned duties but not going back to the unchristian way of living. They learned how to read and write. They had found the truth and light that comes from Jesus Christ. Once set on fire for Christ, they shared the good news about Jesus Christ with their relatives and all the people they encountered. I tell you; it was a great missionary adventure!
Fearing for his kingdom and being ill-advised by his officials, the king expelled the missionaries from his kingdom. In the intervening time, these young men, some baptized and others who were catechumens who had converted to Christianity, went about catechizing others. This angered the king the more, he ordered these young men and all who had become Christians to be killed by being burned at the stake at a place called Namugongo. In all, 22 Catholic and 24 Anglican martyrs were killed in the period between 1885 and 1887.
In 1964, the 22 Catholic Martyrs were canonized by Pope St. Paul VI. And of course, the 24 Anglican martyrs are also in heaven. Their feast comes on 3rd June every year. You must come and see for yourselves how the blood of these martyrs, Charles Lwanga, Matthias Mulumba and their companions has become the seed of Christian faith! We not only have ancestors and martyrs of faith in the Uganda martyrs, but we also have an example of how all of us, each and everyone of us can become missionaries to others right where we are. Afterall, we are baptized and sent to carry out the mission of Christ, the mission of the Church.
I look forward to sharing with you how the mission of the Church is taking place in Uganda and ask you to support this growing church with prayer and missionary charity.
Have a blessed Labor Day Weekend.
Fr. Pontian Kaweesa
National director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Uganda.