The Story of St. Kizito
In May of 1886, King Mwanga discovered that some of his pages were Catholic. He killed one page and prohibited anyone from leaving his headquarters. Charles Lwanga, religious instructor to the pages, secretly baptized four young men, including Kizito, a cheerful 13-year-old he often protected from the king’s i9mmoral conduct.
When the baptisms were discovered, Mwanga assembled all the pages and ordered the Christians to separate from the others. They were asked if they wished to remain Christian and each replied, “Until death.” Mwanga then ordered the execution of every Catholic and Protestant living in the royal household. The martyrs were taken to Namugongo where they were imprisoned for seven days and then burned alive on June 3, 1886.
St. Kizito is the youngest of the Martyrs of Uganda who died in the Mwangan persecutions. Kizito’s martyrdom came just weeks after his baptism. Twenty-two of the Martyrs of Uganda were canonized October 18, 1964.
