Joseph Mukasa
Encyclopedia
Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe (1860 - 15 November 1885) was a Uganda
n Roman Catholic
and the majordomo at the court of Mwanga II of Buganda
, recognized as a martyr
and saint
by the Catholic Church. Early in his reign, the new king Mwanga began to crack down on Christian
missionaries
and converts in his country, and executed the British
Anglican
bishop James Hannington
and his companions on October 29, 1885, ignoring Mukasa's pleas to spare the bishop. After a night-long interview Mwanga condemned him to death. Mukasa was taken to a place near the Nakivubo river where he was knifed and his body burned. His duties were assumed by the young catechist Charles Lwanga. Mukasa is remembered as first of the Martyrs of Uganda
.
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and the majordomo at the court of Mwanga II of Buganda
Mwanga II of Buganda
Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa was Kabaka from 1884 until 1888 and from 1889 until 1897. He was the thirty-first Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
, recognized as a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
and saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
by the Catholic Church. Early in his reign, the new king Mwanga began to crack down on Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and converts in his country, and executed the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
bishop James Hannington
James Hannington
James Hannington was an Anglican missionary, saint and martyr.-Life:Hannington was born at Hurstpierpoint in Sussex, England, on 3 September 1847. A poor scholar, he left school at fifteen to work in his father's Brighton counting house. At twenty-one, Hannington decided to pursue a clerical...
and his companions on October 29, 1885, ignoring Mukasa's pleas to spare the bishop. After a night-long interview Mwanga condemned him to death. Mukasa was taken to a place near the Nakivubo river where he was knifed and his body burned. His duties were assumed by the young catechist Charles Lwanga. Mukasa is remembered as first of the Martyrs of Uganda
Martyrs of Uganda
The Uganda Martyrs were Christian converts who were murdered for their faith in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda.-Charles Lwanga and his companions:...
.