Namugongo
Encyclopedia
Location
Namugongo is located in Kira MunicipalityKira Town
Kira Town is a municipality in Wakiso District in Central Uganda. It is administered by Kira Town Council, an Urban Local Government within Wakiso District Administration.-Location:...
, Wakiso District
Wakiso District
Wakiso District is a district in Central Uganda that encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The district is named after the town of Wakiso, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
, Central Uganda, approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) northeast of Uganda's capital Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
. The coordinates of the township are: 00 23 07N; 32 39 05E
Uganda Martyrs
On 3 June 1886, thirty-two young men, pages of the court of King Mwanga II of BugandaBuganda
Buganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala, with the exception of the disputed eastern Kayunga District...
, were burned to death at Namugongo for their refusal to renounce Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Some of the men were of the Anglican faith and others were of the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith. Annually, on June 03, 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...
s from all parts 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...
, East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
and other parts of the world congregate at Namugongo to commemorate the lives of the Uganda Martyrs and their dedication to their religious beliefs. Crowds have been estimated in hundreds of thousands in some years.
Canonization
Twenty two of the Catholic MartyrMartyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s were canonized by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
on October 18, 1964 and are regarded as Saints in the Catholic Church. A Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
has been built at the spot where the majority of them were burned to death. A church stands at the place where the Anglican martyrs met their death, about 2 miles (3.2 km) further east from the Catholic Basilica. Documentation is available on a total of forty five (45) martyrs but it is believed that many more believers met their death at the command of Kabaka
Kabaka
Kabaka may refer to:*Kabaka of Buganda, the title of the king of Buganda*Kabaka Puttur, a village in the state of Karnataka, India...
Mwanga II between 1885 and 1887.
Uganda Martyrs Senior Secondary School
Namugongo is also the location of Uganda Martyrs Senior Secondary School, one of Uganda's leading high schools. The mixed boarding school is a partner with the Stephen Shames Foundation, based in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York State in the instruction of Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
methods and applications to high school students in Uganda.
Landmarks
The landmarks at Namugongo or near its boundaries include:- The Uganda Martyrs BasilicaBasilica of the Uganda MartyrsThe Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to the Ugandan Martyrs located in Namugongo, Uganda. The basilica is under the circumscription of the Archdiocese of Kampala. The basilica was decreed on April 28, 1993....
- A place of worship affiliated with the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe 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...
. - The Anglican Uganda Martyrs Shrine - A place of worship affiliated with the Church of UgandaChurch of UgandaThe Church of the Province of Uganda is a member church of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 34 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop....
- Uganda Martyrs Primary School - A public, mixed, elementary school (grades 1 - 7)
- Uganda Martyrs Senior Secondary School - A public, mixed, boarding high school (grades 8 - 13)
External links
- Uganda Martyrs' Story and Video
- Profiles of the Uganda Martyrs
- Stephen Shames Foundation LEAD Program
See also
- Uganda Martyrs
- Basilica of the Uganda MartyrsBasilica of the Uganda MartyrsThe Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to the Ugandan Martyrs located in Namugongo, Uganda. The basilica is under the circumscription of the Archdiocese of Kampala. The basilica was decreed on April 28, 1993....
- Roman Catholicism in UgandaRoman Catholicism in UgandaThe Roman Catholic Church in Uganda is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. There are an estimated 13.6 million Catholics — about 42% of the total population, estimated at about 32.4 million in 2010...
- Kira, UgandaKira TownKira Town is a municipality in Wakiso District in Central Uganda. It is administered by Kira Town Council, an Urban Local Government within Wakiso District Administration.-Location:...
- Wakiso DistrictWakiso DistrictWakiso District is a district in Central Uganda that encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The district is named after the town of Wakiso, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
- Central Region, UgandaCentral Region, UgandaCentral Region is a region of Uganda. It is coterminous with the Kingdom of Buganda, one of the ancient African monarchies that are constitutionally recognised in Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...