dimanche 31 mai 2020

Bienheureux NICOLAS BARRÉ, prêtre de l'Ordre des Minimes et fondateur


Bienheureux Nicolas Barré

Prêtre de l’Ordre des Minimes (+1686)

Béatifié le 7 mars 1999 à Rome.

Voir aussi sa vie sur le site de la Fédération Nicolas Barré.

...Dès ses jeunes années, il est frappé par la misère qui régnait dans les villes et les campagnes. Les enfants de familles modestes manquaient de pain et d'éducation. Aidé par quelques jeunes filles, il commença à les réunir, à Rouen d'abord, à Paris ensuite... (diocèse de Paris)

Un internaute nous signale: "Les deux Instituts issus des Maîtresses Charitables de Nicolas Barré s'appellent maintenant Enfant Jésus - Nicolas Barré et Enfant Jésus - Providence de Rouen."
Il est fêté le 21 octobre, date de sa naissance.

Au martyrologe romain au 31 mai: À Paris, en 1686, le bienheureux Nicolas Barré, prêtre de l'Ordre des Minimes. Né à Amiens, maître en théologie et célèbre directeur spirituel dans l'esprit de l'Évangile, il fonda les Petites Écoles de la charité, les Sœurs de l'Enfant-Jésus de Saint-Maur et les Sœurs de la Providence de Rouen, pour l'éducation gratuite des enfants du peuple.

Martyrologe romain

«Dieu t'aime trop pour te laisser tomber. Appuie-toi sur Lui, fais-Lui confiance» (Nicolas Barré)

SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/10923/Bienheureux-Nicolas-Barre.html


Bienheureux Nicolas Barré, prêtre

Nicolas est né le 21 octobre 1621 à Amiens, Il est l’aîné d’une famille de cinq enfants. Après des études chez les Jésuites il entra à 19 ans chez les Minimes. Il y sera ordonné prêtre en 1645. Pendant dix ans il sera professeur de théologie et bibliothécaire au couvent de la place Royale à Paris. Mais des problèmes de santé nécessitèrent son retour au couvent d’Amiens en 1655. Il y restera deux ans avant d’être envoyé à Rouen.

Là, de 1659 à 1675, il est à la fois conseiller spirituel et missionnaire dans les faubourgs industriels de Rouen sur la rive gauche de la Seine. Avec quelques jeunes, filles et garçons, il donne alors naissance à une communauté éducative en faveur des enfants pauvres. C’est ainsi qu’en 1662 s'ouvre la première école à Sotteville-lès-Rouen. Le Père Barré propose alors à celles qui l’ont aidé de créer la communauté des "Maitresses des écoles charitables du Saint Enfant Jésus"

En 1675, il revient à Paris où il continua ses fondations d'écoles populaires et de communautés. Il fut le conseiller de saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle à qui il enjoignit de renoncer à ses biens et de vivre pauvre avec les maîtres d'école pour réussir comme « les premières maîtresses charitables ont réussi auprès des filles ». Il meurt le 31 mai 1686, à Paris.

SOURCE : http://paroisse-saint-aygulf.fr/index.php/paroisse-saint-aygulf/saint-du-jour/icalrepeat.detail/2017/05/31/28035/-/bienheureux-nicolas-barre-pretre?filter_reset=1

Prière du Bienheureux Nicolas Barré


Voici la Prière « Mon Bien-Aimé est tout à moi et je suis à Lui à jamais » du Révérend Père Nicolas Barré (1621-1686), Prêtre de l’Ordre des Minimes de Saint François de Paule et Fondateur des Sœurs de l'Enfant-Jésus « Les Dames de Saint-Maur » pour l'éducation des enfants pauvres dans des écoles gratuites, béatifié par le Pape Saint Jean-Paul II
La Prière du Père Nicolas Barré « Mon Bien-Aimé est tout à moi et je suis à Lui à jamais » :

« Seigneur je ne veux plus rien, je ne désire plus rien, pour me mettre en état de désirer ce que Tu veux, comme Tu veux. Tu me vois, mon Dieu, Tu t'occupes de tout, Tu présides à tout ce qui me concerne, à tout ce qui m'arrive. Rien n'échappe à Ton adorable Conduite sur ma vie, et cela me suffit. Ô Jésus, ô Amour ! Tu es mon Dieu et mon Tout, Centre et Immensité de bonté et de grandeur ! Seigneur, à Toi de désirer en moi, agis, arrange tout comme il Te plaira et je tâcherai de désirer, d'agir et de Te suivre en Tout et partout, sans réserve et sans limite. Enfin Seigneur, je veux être à Toi, totalement, plus de partage, plus de division, ni dans la vie, ni dans la mort, ni dans la détresse, ni dans la tendresse, ni sur la terre, ni au ciel. Mon Bien-Aimé est tout à moi et je suis à Lui, à jamais ! Ô Jésus, ô Amour ! »

Ainsi soit-il.

Père Nicolas Barré (1621-1686)

SOURCE : http://site-catholique.fr/index.php?post/Priere-de-Nicolas-Barre

Prière du Bienheureux Nicolas Barré


Voici la Prière « Mon Bien-Aimé est tout à moi et je suis à Lui à jamais » du Révérend Père Nicolas Barré (1621-1686), Prêtre de l’Ordre des Minimes de Saint François de Paule et Fondateur des Sœurs de l'Enfant-Jésus « Les Dames de Saint-Maur » pour l'éducation des enfants pauvres dans des écoles gratuites, béatifié par le Pape Saint Jean-Paul II
La Prière du Père Nicolas Barré « Mon Bien-Aimé est tout à moi et je suis à Lui à jamais » :

« Seigneur je ne veux plus rien, je ne désire plus rien, pour me mettre en état de désirer ce que Tu veux, comme Tu veux. Tu me vois, mon Dieu, Tu t'occupes de tout, Tu présides à tout ce qui me concerne, à tout ce qui m'arrive. Rien n'échappe à Ton adorable Conduite sur ma vie, et cela me suffit. Ô Jésus, ô Amour ! Tu es mon Dieu et mon Tout, Centre et Immensité de bonté et de grandeur ! Seigneur, à Toi de désirer en moi, agis, arrange tout comme il Te plaira et je tâcherai de désirer, d'agir et de Te suivre en Tout et partout, sans réserve et sans limite. Enfin Seigneur, je veux être à Toi, totalement, plus de partage, plus de division, ni dans la vie, ni dans la mort, ni dans la détresse, ni dans la tendresse, ni sur la terre, ni au ciel. Mon Bien-Aimé est tout à moi et je suis à Lui, à jamais ! Ô Jésus, ô Amour ! »

Ainsi soit-il.

Père Nicolas Barré (1621-1686)

SOURCE : http://site-catholique.fr/index.php?post/Priere-de-Nicolas-Barre

Prière du Bhx Père Nicolas Barré


Voici la Prière « Il faut Le chercher, on Le trouve mais de loin » du Révérend Père Nicolas Barré (1621-1686), Prêtre de l’Ordre des Minimes qui fonda à Paris la Congrégation des Sœurs de l'Instruction charitable du Saint-Enfant-Jésus (aujourd'hui appelées « Sœurs de l'Enfant-Jésus »), au service de l'enfance et de la jeunesse défavorisée, béatifié par le Pape St Jean-Paul II.
La Prière du P. Nicolas Barré « Il faut Le chercher, on Le trouve mais de loin » :

« Il faut Le chercher, on Le trouve mais de loin, et on ne fait que L'entrevoir, on approche de Lui. On Le regarde avec étonnement ; ensuite on Le contemple avec humilité, et enfin avec amour et confiance. On Lui parle. On L'écoute. On L'embrasse. On Le serre. On tombe amoureusement en Lui. On repose en Lui. On se perd en Lui. Et enfin on se transforme en Lui. Mais à qui est-ce que tout cela se donne ? À ceux et à celles qui ne veulent que cela ».

Ainsi soit-il.

Père Nicolas Barré (1621-1686)

Le Bienheureux Nicolas Barré fait de brillantes études chez les Jésuites d'Amiens avant de choisir les humbles Minimes. Ordonné prêtre en 1645, il est envoyé à Paris comme professeur de théologie et bibliothécaire. S'il est comblé sur le plan intellectuel, il souffre de ne pouvoir pratiquer la charité au cœur de sa vocation. S'ensuit une période d'angoisse et de doute qui mine sa santé. De retour à Amiens, il comprend qu'il lui faut s'abandonner à Dieu au plus profond de son âme. A Rouen à partir de 1659, comme à Paris après 1675, il prêche des missions populaires et crée des écoles gratuites pour les enfants pauvres. Ces écoles sont tenues par les « maîtresses charitables du Saint Enfant-Jésus », laïques vivant en communauté, sans vœux. Malgré une santé fragile, Nicolas continue jusqu'à sa mort en 1686 à fortifier et éclairer ceux qui viennent lui demander conseil. Il enseigne notamment que c'est en contemplant Jésus fait homme et même petit enfant qu'on puise l'amour, la patience, le désintéressement et l'humilité.

SOURCE : http://site-catholique.fr/index.php?post/Priere-de-Nicolas-Barre-au-Seigneur

Blessed Nicolas Barré


Profile

Educated by Jesuits. Joined the Minims of Saint Francis of Paola at age 19. Taught philosophy while still a deaconPriest. Director of the library at the convent of Place Royale, ParisFrance. Noted preacher. Falling ill, he was sent to the friary in AmiensFrance, and then to RouenFrance. After much prayer and thought, Nicholas decided that a lack of education was behind most social evils as young people were unable to fit into society, and so he started an educational movement. Small general classes were begun in many parishes, and trade schools and apprentice programs soon developed. He helped found a community of men and women teachers dedicated to public education; these Charitable Teachers helped found several other groups with the same mission. Consulted several times by Saint John Baptist de la Salle who used Nicolas’s thought when founding the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Noted spiritual director who taught an abandonment to faith. Founded Sisters of the Infant JesusSisters of the Infant Jesus – Providence Sisters of Rouen (n.o.) and Sisters of Providence of Lisieux (n.o.).

Born

SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-nicolas-barre/


Beato Nicolas Barrè Religioso, fondatore


Amiens (Francia), 21 ottobre 1621 – Parigi, 31 maggio 1686

Il beato Nicolas Barrè nacque il 21 ottobre 1621 ad Amiens in Francia. Dopo gli studi nel Liceo della diocesi di Amiens retto dai Gesuiti, decise di entrare fra i religiosi Minimi, l'Ordine fondato in Italia da san Francesco da Paola (1416-1507). Nel 1640 fu accolto nel noviziato di Parigi, dove fu ordinato sacerdote nel 1645. Svolse il suo apostolato fra Parigi, Amiens e Rouen, apprezzato professore di teologia ed esperto bibliotecario della celebre biblioteca, che i Minimi avevano nel loro convento di Place Royale a Parigi. Dopo aver avuto modo di conoscere la situazione delle famiglie operaie con la collaborazione di due giovani donne Francesca Duval e Margherita Lestocq, organizzò una missione a Sotteville, alla periferia di Rouen, radunando molte ragazze per istruirle e fare della catechesi. Sorsero così le «Maestre di Carità» che insegnavano nelle «Scuole di Carità». Le Maestre, formanti due grosse comunità, facenti capo a Rouen e a Parigi, col tempo divennero sempre più autonome e dopo la morte del fondatore, il 31 maggio 1686, diedero vita a due Congregazioni. (Avvenire)

Martirologio Romano: A Parigi in Francia, beato Nicola Barré, sacerdote, che, docente di teologia e celebre educatore di anime nello spirito del Vangelo, istituì ovunque in Francia le Scuole Cristiane e della Carità e le Suore Maestre di Gesù Bambino per impartire istruzione gratuita ai figli del popolo.

“Egli ha testimoniato eroicamente la spiritualità penitenziale del suo Ordine, vivendone armonicamente tutte le componenti: preghiera, ascesi, opere di carità”; così si esprimeva in occasione della beatificazione di padre Nicolas Barré, il Generale dei Minimi, padre Giuseppe Fiorini Morosini.
Primo figlio di una coppia di commercianti, Nicolas Barré nacque il 21 ottobre 1621 ad Amiens in Francia; la famiglia s’ingrandì poi con la nascita di altre quattro sorelle.

Il suo tempo, il XVII secolo, fu pervaso in Francia da un fervore di straordinario rinnovamento spirituale; padre Pierre de Berulle introdusse il Carmelo nel 1611; nel 1622 morì s. Francesco di Sales ma l’Ordine della Visitazione da lui avviato, si estese rapidamente con molti monasteri; s. Vincenzo de’ Paoli fondò nel 1625 i Preti della Missione e nel 1633 le Figlie della Carità; s. Giovanni Eudes darà vita alla Congregazione di Gesù e Maria.

I Seminari per i sacerdoti si moltiplicavano e missionari cattolici andavano ad evangelizzare il Canada, l’America del Nord e l’Asia, grazie alla nuova Società delle Missioni Estere di Parigi.

Dopo gli studi nel Liceo della Diocesi di Amiens retto dai Gesuiti, decise di entrare fra i religiosi Minimi, l’Ordine fondato in Italia da s. Francesco da Paola (1416-1507), che nel 1635 era molto diffuso in Francia con ben 156 conventi.

Nicolas era attratto dalla penitenza evangelica, anzi di una “maggiore penitenza”, sull’esempio del grande eremita pentente calabrese e dalla spiritualità francescana dell’Ordine.

Nel 1640 fu accolto nel noviziato di Parigi, dove fu ordinato sacerdote nel 1645. Svolse il suo apostolato fra Parigi, Amiens e Rouen, apprezzato professore di teologia ed esperto bibliotecario della celebre biblioteca, che i Minimi avevano nel loro convento di Place Royale a Parigi; esperto direttore di anime, era ricercatissimo per consigli e guida spirituale.

A 38 anni nel 1659 era nel convento di Rouen, dove oltre ad essere impegnato nella predicazione e confessioni, partecipò anche alle Missioni parrocchiali, avendo così l’opportunità di conoscere le condizioni di vita delle famiglie povere e di quelle in cui qualcuno dei membri, lavorava nelle locali fabbriche di tessuti o maioliche.

Così poté constatare che i figli delle famiglie povere, in quell’epoca non frequentavano la scuola, in particolare le ragazze; allora padre Nicolas Barré decise di fare qualcosa e giacché per i ragazzi già esisteva a Rouen qualche iniziativa, cominciò con le fanciulle.

Con la collaborazione di due giovani donne Francesca Duval e Margherita Lestocq, organizzò una missione a Sotteville, alla periferia di Rouen, radunando in un anno molte ragazze per istruirle e catechizzarle, con il contatto con le famiglie che ne derivò, anche le madri furono invitate a partecipare ad un percorso di formazione cristiana.

Con l’aiuto di persone agiate furono aperte nella città diverse scuole e alcune nubili si proposero per fare insegnamento. Sorsero così le “Maestre di Carità” che insegnavano nelle “Scuole di Carità”, con delle “Massime di condotta per le maestre” dettate da padre Nicolas Barré, il quale volle che fossero libere da vincoli religiosi tipici delle suore e che vivessero in povertà, per stare più unite e comprensive alle fanciulle povere del popolo.

Nonostante le difficoltà, sorte proprio nel vivere in povertà, le ‘Scuole di Carità’ si moltiplicarono a Rouen e la loro fama si estese fuori dai confini della diocesi; così pure le “Maestre di Carità” vennero richieste in tante città della Francia compreso Parigi.

Da padre Barré vennero per consiglio anche il futuro beato Nicolas Roland (1642-1678) di Reims, il futuro santo Giovanni Battista de La Salle (1651-1719) e Carlo Demia di Lione, tutti poi fondatori di Ordini religiosi, di Scuole e soprattutto di sistemi scolastici, aperti in altre regioni della Francia, ispirati all’esperienza delle “Scuole di Carità” di padre Barré.

Padre Nicolas Barré si venne così a trovare, primo di una triade di grandi educatori, al centro di tutto il movimento suscitato nella Francia del XVII secolo, per l’educazione cristiana dei fanciulli.

Nel 1675 egli venne nominato dai superiori professore di teologia e confessore a Parigi, dove ben presto le sue Scuole ebbero uno sviluppo notevole, fungendo da trampolino di lancio per il diffondersi dell’esperienza scolastica e per l’affluire delle ‘Maestre di Carità’, che inizialmente erano Terziarie Minime; laiche impegnate nell’apostolato, anche se con una forma di vita comune, antesignane dei moderni Istituti Secolari.

Le Maestre, formanti due grosse comunità, facenti capo a Rouen e a Parigi, col tempo divennero sempre più autonome e dopo la morte del fondatore, avvenuta il 31 maggio 1686 nel convento dei Minimi di Place Royale di Parigi, pian piano finirono per accettare i voti religiosi.

Si formeranno così due Congregazioni: Le ‘Suore del Bambino Gesù o di S. Mauro” a Parigi e le “Suore del Bambino Gesù - Provvidenza” di Rouen, oggi federate, nella quale potranno essere raggiunte dalle “Suore della Provvidenza” di Lisieux.

Padre Nicolas Barré è stato proclamato Beato il 7 marzo 1999 da papa Giovanni Paolo II nella Basilica di S. Pietro in Vaticano; la sua celebrazione liturgica è il 31 maggio.

Autore: Antonio Borrelli

SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/92304

samedi 30 mai 2020

Saint NOÉ MAWAGGALI, martyr


Saint Nowa Mawaggali

Saint Noé Mawaggali

Martyr en Ouganda (+1886)

Page du roi Mwanga, quand commença la persécution, il refusa, sans peur, de fuir et offrit spontanément sa poitrine aux lances des soldats. Percé de coups, il fut alors pendu à un arbre, jusqu'à ce qu'il rendît l'esprit pour le Christ à Mityana en Ouganda.

Béatifié par Benoît XV en 1920 et canonisé par Paul VI en 1964, membre du groupe des 22 martyrs de l'Ouganda.

Martyrologe romain

SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/10924/Saint-Noe-Mawaggali.html

Image of St. Noe Mawaggali


Mawaggali, Noé

1850-1886

Église Catholique

Ouganda
Noé Mawaggali était un des trois martyrs catholiques de Mityana, Ouganda, les deux autres étant Matthias Kalemba et Luc Banabakintu. Mawaggali était le fils de Musazi et membre du clan des cerfs de la brousse (Ngabi), et sa mère s’appelait Meme. Il est né à Nkazibaku dans le compté Ssingo de Buganda, vers 1850. Il était maître potier, et avait été nommé potier du chef de compté, car celui-ci admirait beaucoup son travail. Après avoir vécu un certain temps dans la maison du chef, Mawaggali est devenu locataire de Matthias Kalemba et a bâti une maison sur la propriété de celui-ci. Kalemba était non seulement son propriétaire mais aussi son ami, et c’est cette amitié, ajoutée au zèle et à l’exemple chrétien de Matthias, qui a attiré Mawaggali vers lui et qui l’a persuadé à s’inscrire au catéchisme catholique. Il a éventuellement été baptisé le 1er novembre, 1885, avec un groupe de vingt-deux personnes.
En plus de la poterie, Mawaggali faisait aussi du tannage de peaux, et avait la réputation d’être un ouvrier industrieux et stable. Physiquement parlant, il était grand et mince. Quoiqu’il ne se soit toujours pas marié avant l’époque de son martyre, son comportement moral était rigoureusement correct. Par la suite, sa mère Meme a été baptisée, et a pris le nom de Valeria, alors que sa sœur Munaku, qui avait dix-huit ans de moins, a souffert pour sa foi au temps du martyre de son frère. Elle aussi à été baptisée, prenant le nom de Maria Matilda, et elle a vécu jusqu’à l’âge de soixante-seize ans.
En 1881, Mawaggali faisait partie d’un groupe de plusieurs catéchumènes catholiques qui prenaient des cours sur l’évangile de St. Matthieu et sur les Actes des Apôtres donnés par le missionnaire anglican Alexander Mackay. Quand la persécution de 1886 a éclaté, Mawaggali était à Mityana, à quelques soixante kilomètres de la capitale, mais la communauté chrétienne qui existait là était bien connue et n’échappa pas au regard. Les détails de la mort de son frère ont été racontés plus tard par Munaku. Mawaggali était à la tête de la maison de Matthias Kalemba, qui était à Mengo avec Luc Banabakintu. Les chrétiens à Mityana avaient pris l’habitude d’envoyer des représentants chaque semaine au cours de catéchisme qui était donné à la mission catholique. Le matin du 31 mai, Mawaggali était allé à Kawingo pour voir les hommes à qui c’était le tour. Pendant qu’il était parti, le groupe qui faisait le raid est arrivé.
Mawaggali était dans la maison de Banabakintu en train de donner des instructions finales aux hommes, et discutant avec eux la nouvelle de l’arrestation de Matthias et de Luc. Le parti du raid dirigé par Mbugano, le légat royal, arrivait enfin à la maison. Mawaggali est allé à leur rencontre, donnant ainsi à ses frères chrétiens le temps de s’échapper. “Est-ce que c’est toi, Mawaggali ?” a crié un des membres du raid. “Oui, c’est moi,” il a répondu, tirant en même temps sur la tête le tissu qu’il portait, pour qu’il ne voie pas le coup mortel qui allait arriver. Le maître des tambours du roi, Kamanyi, a plongé sa lance dans le dos de Mawaggali, qui est tombé, mortellement blessé. Un des membres du raid a suggéré qu’on devrait le donner à manger aux chiens. Ils ont donc attaché le martyre blessé à un arbre, et ont lâché les chiens. De plus en plus excités par l’odeur du sang qui venait des lacérations successives, les chiens l’ont déchiré. On dit que son agonie a duré jusqu’au soir. A la tombée de la nuit, son corps mutilé a été détaché de l’arbre et laissé sur la route comme avertissement aux autres chrétiens. Lorsque les bourreaux ont quitté Mityana le jour suivant, il ne restait pratiquement rien du corps car les hyènes avaient achevé le travail commencé par les chiens.
Noé Mawaggali a été béatifié par le Pape Bénédicte XV en 1920, et déclaré saint canonisé par le Pape Paul VI en 1964. Une partie de l’arbre auquel on avait attaché le martyr a été préservé à Mityana, où un tombeau moderne magnifique commémore les trois martyrs de Mityana.
Aylward Shorter M. Afr.

Bibliographie

J.F. Faupel, African Holocaust, the Story of the Uganda Martyrs [Holocauste africain, l’histoire des martyrs de l’ouganda] (Nairobi, St. Paul’s Publications Africa, 1984 [1962]).
J.P. Thoonen, Black Martyrs [Martyres noirs] (London: Sheed and Ward, 1941).

Cet article, soumis en 2003, a été recherché et rédigé par le dr. Aylward Shorter M. Afr., directeur émérite de Tangaza College Nairobi, université catholique de l’Afrique de l’Est.

SOURCE : https://dacb.org/fr/stories/uganda/mawaggali-noe/

Saint Nowa Mawaggali


Also known as
  • Noah Mawaggali
  • Noe Mawaggali
Profile

Member of the Ngabi clan. Convert. One of the Martyrs of Uganda who died in the Mwangan persecutions.

Born

SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-nowa-mawaggali/


Mawaggali, Noé

1850-1886

Catholic Church

Uganda
Noé (Noah) Mawaggali was one of the three Catholic martyrs of Mityana, Uganda, the other two being Matthias Kalemba and Luke Banabakintu. Mawaggali was the son of Musazi and a member of the Bush-Buck (Ngabi) Clan. His mother’s name was Meme. He was born at Nkazibaku in the Ssingo County of Buganda about 1850. He was an expert potter and was appointed potter to the county chief who greatly admired his work. After living for a time in the chief’s household, Mawaggali became a tenant of Matthias Kalemba and built a house on his land. Kalemba was his friend, as well as his landlord, and it was this friendship, as well as the zeal and Christian example of Matthias, which drew Mawaggali to him and which induced him to join the Catholic catechumenate. He was eventually baptized on November 1st, the Feast of All Saints, 1885 in a group of twenty-two.
Besides making pots, Mawaggali also tanned hides, and had a reputation as a steady and industrious worker. In appearance, he was tall and slender. Although he had not married by the time of his martyrdom, his moral behaviour was scrupulously correct. His mother Meme was later baptized and took the name Valeria, while his sister Munaku, who was eighteen years younger, suffered for her faith at the time of her brother’s martyrdom. She, too, was baptized, taking the name Maria Matilda, and lived to the age of seventy-six.
In 1881, Mawaggali was among several Catholic catechumens who attended classes on St. Matthew’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, given by the Anglican missionary, Alexander Mackay. When the persecution of 1886 broke out, Mawaggali was at Mityana, some forty-five miles from the capital, but the Christian community there was too well known to escape notice. The details of her brother’s death were later related by Munaku. Mawaggali was in charge of the household of Matthias Kalemba, who was away at Mengo with Luke Banabakintu. It was the custom for the Christians of Mityana to send representatives each week to the catechetical class at the Catholic mission. On the morning of May 31, Mawaggali went to Kawingo to see the men whose turn it was. While he was gone, the raiders arrived.
Mawaggali was in Banabakintu’s house giving the men their final instructions and discussing with them the news of the arrest of Matthias and Luke. The raiding party led by Mbugano, the royal legate, closed in on the house. Mawaggali went to meet them, thus giving his fellow Christians the chance to escape. “Is that you Mawaggali?” called out one of the raiders. “Yes, it is,” he replied, at the same time drawing over his head the bark cloth he was wearing, so that he should not see the death stroke coming. Kamanyi, the king’s chief drummer, plunged his spear into Mawaggali’s back, who fell grievously wounded. One of the raiders suggested that Noë should be fed to the dogs. The wounded martyr was therefore tied to a tree and dogs were set upon him. Maddened by the scent of blood from further lacerations, they tore him to pieces. It is said that his agony lasted until evening. At nightfall his mangled remains were untied from the tree and left on the road as a warning to other Christians. By the time the executioners left Mityana the following day, there was virtually nothing left of the body. Hyenas had finished the work begun by the dogs.
Noé Mawaggali was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, and declared a canonized saint by Pope Paul VI in 1964. A portion of the tree to which the martyr was tied is preserved at Mityana, where a magnificent modern shrine commemorates all three martyrs of Mityana.
Aylward Shorter M.Afr.

Bibliography

J. F. Faupel, African Holocaust, the Story of the Uganda Martyrs (Nairobi: St. Paul Publications Africa, 1984 [1962]).
J. P. Thoonen, *Black Martyrs * (London: Sheed and Ward, 1941).

This article, submitted in 2003, was researched and written by Dr. Aylward Shorter M.Afr., Emeritus Principal of Tangaza College Nairobi, Catholic University of Eastern Africa.

SOURCE : https://dacb.org/stories/uganda/mawaggali-noe/



ST. NOE MAWAGGALI






Mawaggali’s parentage and conversion to Catholicism

Noe Mawaggali was a son of Musaazi and a member of the Bush-Buck (Ngabi) Clan. He was a native of Ssingo County, having been born at Nkazibaku about 1850. Mawaggali was an expert potter, turning out all manner of articles such as earthenware dishes, water-pots, cooking-pots, jugs, bowls and pipes. He became by appointment potter to the county chief, who greatly admired his work, and lived for a time in the chief’s household. Later, he built a simple house for himself on the land of Matthias Kalemba Mulumba, a move that seems to have been prompted partly by friendship for the Mulumba and largely by the desire to remove himself from the pagan atmosphere of the chiefs court, because it was about the same time that the zeal and example of Matthias won him over to the Catholic Faith. He was not, however, baptized until the Feast of All Saints, 1885.

As well as making pots, Mawaggali used to tan hides and, unlike his fellows, who spent most of their time visiting and taking part in the interminable beer-parties, was known as a steady and industrious worker, quiet and unassuming in manner. He was tall and slender, with a head that narrowed towards the crown. He never married and was scrupulously correct in his moral behaviour.

After the death of his father, Mawaggali took his ageing mother and his young sister to live with him and provided for them. His mother Meeme was later baptized, taking the name Valeria. His sister Munaku, about eighteen years his junior, suffered cruelly and heroically in the persecution and was later, after her freedom had been purchased by the missionaries, baptized Maria Mathilda. She lived to the age of seventy-six, devoted to prayer and good works, and is the source of much of the information about her brother.

Mawaggali evangelizes in difficulty


The journey was not easy, the traveler had to go through thick and extensive forests and jungles to cross River Mayanja twice, wade through deep, and strong and wide currents in some places. That was not all, he would on a number of occasions encounter wild animals, highway robbers, dangerous snakes etc.

Noe’s last moments


It was still early in the morning and Noe Mawaggali was inside Baanabakintu’s house, giving final instruction to the two catechumens who were going to the capital and discussing with them the news of the arrest of Matthias and Luke. Suddenly, the raiding party under Mbugano closed in on the house, shouting as they did so that they were looking for Christians. Noe, walking-stick in hand, came out from the house to meet the raiders, saying, ‘Here we are!’ and, incidentally, giving his companions an opportunity, of which they availed themselves, to escape through the back of the house.

‘Is that you, Mawaggali?’ called out one of the raiders.

‘Yes, it is I,’ replied the potter, at the same time drawing over his head the bark-cloth he was wearing, so that he might not see the death-stroke that he was expecting. It came from the spear of Kamanyi, the chief’s drummer, acting as legate, who well knew Mawaggali to be one of the leading Christians. Levelling his spear, Kamanyi plunged it into the martyr’s back, and Noe fell to the ground grievously wounded. At this, one of Mbugano’s followers, attempting to outvie his companions in cruelty, proposed: ‘Now that this Christian can no longer defend himself, let us feed him to the dogs.’

This horrible suggestion was adopted. The wounded martyr was lashed to a tree, and the dogs of the village set upon him, further wounds being first inflicted upon his defenceless body so that the animals might become maddened by the scent of blood.

Archbishop Streicher mentions reports to the effect that Mawa¬ggali’s agony lasted until evening. Throughout the day, until con¬sciousness mercifully left him, he could feel the savage dogs leaping at him and tearing at his flesh, which they devoured before his eyes. At nightfall, his mangled remains were untied from the tree and thrown on to the main road, to serve as a warning to other Christians, and to those with leanings towards that religion.

The brutal treatment of Noe Mawaggali seems to have shocked one at least of his executioners, men hardened to cruelty.

Noe’s sister Munaku, from her place of concealment, overheard one of them addressing his companions: ‘What men these Christians are!’ he exclaimed. ‘How obstinate in their religion and how hardened to pain! This Mawaggali now, we gave him what he deserved, but, all the same, it was cruel to feed him to the dogs.’

Then Munaku, with her mother a captive and her brother dead, decided to give herself up. She emerged hastily from her place of concealment and ran after the murderers of her brother, crying out, ‘I am Mawaggali’s sister. You have killed my brother:

Kill me too!’ The men, taken aback, looked at her in astonish¬ment. ‘My brother has died for his religion,’ insisted the girl, ‘I wish to die also. Plunge your spears into me!’ ‘You are mad!’ answered the men, ignoring the girl’s plea and continuing on their way.

Munaku refused to be put off. She followed the men to the square before the county headquarters, where she found some thirty Christ¬ians in bonds, including her own mother, Meeme, the widow and daughter of Matthias Kalemba, the boy, Arsenius or Anselm and a boy who lodged with this family. Mbugano, the legate, seeing in this comely young girl of eighteen an unexpected windfall, decided to take her as part of his share of the spoils and had her tied up with the others.

During the evening, the boy who had been captured in the Mulumba’s house, and also Meeme, the mother of Noe and Munaku, managed to free themselves from their bonds and escape. When Mbugano and his captives finally left Mityana, their route led them past the spot where Noe Mawaggali’s body had been thrown, but hyenas had completed the work begun by the dogs, and very few traces of the body remained on the road.
Noe’s tells his sister ‘Never to abandon Christ’

On Sunday 30 May, when rumours of the outbreak of persecution were circulating in Mityana, Noe took me aside after the instruction. When we were alone, he said, ‘Munaku, I see that you are a good girl; you keep the commandments of God; you are industrious and neat at your work and you pray well; but you have yet to learn what the priests made very clear to us on the eve of our baptism. To be a Christian implies a readiness to follow Our Lord to Calvary and even, if need be, to a painful death. As for myself, I am convinced that there is a life after death, and I am not afraid of losing this one; but what about you? Are you determined to remain loyal to the Faith?’ ‘Certainly, I am,’ I replied. ‘Very well then,’ he continued, ‘when we have been killed, never cease to be a good Christian and to love the Christians who will come after us.’ He said this to strengthen me in the faith, because I was not yet baptized.

When Noe left me, he said that he was going to Kiwanga, Luke Baanabakintu’s place, to appoint a man to go to the capital. The Christians of Ssingo were accustomed to send one of their members every week to the mission at the capital to attend the priest’s explanation of the catechism, so that he could repeat what he had learnt to his fellow-Christians at home. On this occasion, the man was also to bring back tidings of Matthias and Luke.

Next morning, Monday 31 May, after saying our morning prayers, my mother and I went to cultivate our plot, and Noe went across the swamp to Kiwanga, about a mile away, to see the man who was to leave that morning for the capital.

We were working in the bananary when we heard the approach of the raiders who had come from the capital to arrest us and loot our property. They entered the house of Matthias not far from that of Noe, and seized his wife, Kikuvwa, his two children, Arsenius aged ten and Julia aged two or three, and a boy who only slept there. When my mother and I heard them coming, we ran into the elephant-grass that surrounded the bananary and tried to hide. However, they overtook my mother and arrested her. Then they went on to the house of Luke Baanabakintu.

I did not see with my own eyes the manner of my brother’s death, but, from my place of concealment in the elephant-grass, I overheard some of the villagers, who had accompanied the raiders, discussing the details as they walked along the nearby path.

Munaku indeed kept the promise as she fought had to keep her virtue of chastity up to the age of 76 when she breathed her last.

Noe’s last message to his sister

On Sunday 30 May, when rumours of the outbreak of persecution were circulating in Mityana, Noe took me aside after the instruction. When we were alone, he said, ‘Munaku, I see that you are a good girl; you keep the commandments of God; you are industrious and neat at your work and you pray well; but you have yet to learn what the priests made very clear to us on the eve of our baptism. To be a Christian implies a readiness to follow Our Lord to Calvary and even, if need be, to a painful death. As for myself, I am convinced that there is a life after death, and I am not afraid of losing this one; but what about you? Are you determined to remain loyal to the Faith?’ ‘Certainly, I am,’ I replied. ‘Very well then,’ he continued, ‘when we have been killed, never cease to be a good Christian and to love the Christians who will come after us.’ He said this to strengthen me in the faith, because I was not yet baptized.

Munaku indeed kept the promise as she fought had to keep her virtue of chastity up to the age of 76 when she breathed her last.

Noe Mawaggali’s sister follows her brother determination


Munaku had confided to the Mulumba’s widow Kikuvwa, her intention of forcing the soldiers to kill her when they reached this spot, by refusing to go any further. The older woman managed to dissuade her young companion from this course of action and offered her some wise and timely advice. She explained that although martyrdom was a noble and glorious death, God did not desire his followers to seek it for themselves. She also warned the girl that the greatest danger to which her captors were likely to expose her was not to her life, but to her chastity and to her soul. Munaku pondered over this warning. She had already promised her brother that she would not, after his death, endanger her new-found faith by going to live with their pagan relatives. She therefore decided that she would renounce these entirely and begged the older woman not to reveal to anyone who they were.

What Kikuvwa had foretold soon came to pass. Mbugano de¬clared his intention of taking Munaku as one of his wives and began to question her about her male relatives, so that he might learn which was entitled to receive the bride-price. The girl asserted that, since her father was dead and he had killed her brother, she had no male relatives. She also refused to reveal the name of her clan, de¬claring that her status was now that of a slave. As for becoming his wife, she would rather die. Greatly offended by this rejection, Mbugano determined to break the spirit of this courageous girl.

On reaching the capital, Mbugano went to report to the Chan¬cellor the success of his mission.

The boy Arsenius escaped and took refuge at the Catholic mission, and Mawaggali’s sister, Munaku, was taken by Mbugano to his home in Kyaggwe County, where heavy stocks were fastened to both her feet. For a full month he tried every means to bend her to his will. After a few days in the stocks, all the skin had gone from the girl’s ankles and raw wounds encircled her legs. Mbugano’s other women, moved with pity, wished to pack the apertures of the stocks with soft fibres to lessen the friction, but their master would not allow it. ‘Her feet will be cared for,’ he said, ‘and even freed entirely, when she has come to her senses.’ He resorted also to daily beatings and threats to sell her to the Arab slave-traders but nothing he could do was able to break down her resistance.

Finally, baffled by Munaku’s constancy, Mbugano decided to cut his losses. Professing pity and admiration for his victim, he offered Pere Lourdel the chance to redeem her. The priest was de¬lighted and a bargain was struck. That same night, July 1886, in exchange for a gun and some ammunition, Mbugano handed the girl over to the care of the mission.

Pere Lourdel decided that the heroic profession of faith made by this young catechumen merited her exemption from the customary four years’ period of probation before baptism. She was therefore given an intensive course of instruction and some weeks later, on 22 August, baptized and given the name Maria-Mathilda. She became a religious (Sister)

Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine

SOURCE : http://www.munyonyo-shrine.ug/martyrs/other-uganda-martyrs/st-noe-mawaggali/


Saint Noa Mawaggali Cathedral, Mityana, Uganda.



San Noè Mawaggali Martire



† Mityana, Uganda, 31 maggio 1886

Martirologio Romano: In località Mityana in Uganda, san Noè Mawaggali, martire, che fu domestico del re: rifiutando impavidamente di cercare la fuga durante la persecuzione, offrì spontaneamente il petto alle lance dei soldati e, dopo esserne stato trafitto, fu appeso ad un albero, finché rese lo spirito per Cristo.

Fece un certo scalpore, nel 1920, la beatificazione da parte di Papa Benedetto XV di ventidue martiri di origine ugandese, forse perché allora, sicuramente più di ora, la gloria degli altari era legata a determinati canoni di razza, lingua e cultura. In effetti, si trattava dei primi sub-sahariani (dell’”Africa nera”, tanto per intenderci) ad essere riconosciuti martiri e, in quanto tali, venerati dalla Chiesa cattolica.

La loro vicenda terrena si svolge sotto il regno di Mwanga, un giovane re che, pur avendo frequentato la scuola dei missionari (i cosiddetti “Padri Bianchi” del Cardinal Lavigerie) non è riuscito ad imparare né a leggere né a scrivere perché “testardo, indocile e incapace di concentrazione”. Certi suoi atteggiamenti fanno dubitare che sia nel pieno possesso delle sue facoltà mentali ed inoltre, da mercanti bianchi venuti dal nord, ha imparato quanto di peggio questi abitualmente facevano: fumare hascisc, bere alcool in gran quantità e abbandonarsi a pratiche omosessuali. Per queste ultime, si costruisce un fornitissimo harem costituito da paggi, servi e figli dei nobili della sua corte.

Sostenuto all’inizio del suo regno dai cristiani (cattolici e anglicani) che fanno insieme a lui fronte comune contro la tirannia del re musulmano Kalema, ben presto re Mwanga vede nel cristianesimo il maggior pericolo per le tradizioni tribali ed il maggior ostacolo per le sue dissolutezze. A sobillarlo contro i cristiani sono soprattutto gli stregoni e i feticisti, che vedono compromesso il loro ruolo ed il loro potere e così, nel 1885, ha inizio un’accesa persecuzione, la cui prima illustre vittima è il vescovo anglicano Hannington, ma che annovera almeno altri 200 giovani uccisi per la fede.

Il 15 novembre 1885 Mwanga fa decapitare il maestro dei paggi e prefetto della sala reale. La sua colpa maggiore? Essere cattolico e per di più catechista, aver rimproverato al re l’uccisione del vescovo anglicano e aver difeso a più riprese i giovani paggi dalle “avances” sessuali del re. Giuseppe Mkasa Balikuddembè apparteneva al clan Kayozi ed ha appena 25 anni.

Viene sostituito nel prestigioso incarico da Carlo Lwanga, del clan Ngabi, sul quale si concentrano subito le attenzioni morbose del re. Anche Lwanga, però, ha il “difetto” di essere cattolico; per di più, in quel periodo burrascoso in cui i missionari sono messi al bando, assume una funzione di “leader” e sostiene la fede dei neoconvertiti.

Il 25 maggio 1886 viene condannato a morte insieme ad un gruppo di cristiani e quattro catecumeni, che nella notte riesce a battezzare segretamente; il più giovane, Kizito, del clan Mmamba, ha appena 14 anni. Il 26 maggio vemgono uccisi Andrea Kaggwa, capo dei suonatori del re e suo familiare, che si era dimostrato particolarmente generoso e coraggioso durante un’epidemia, e Dionigi Ssebuggwawo.

Si dispone il trasferimento degli altri da Munyonyo, dove c’era il palazzo reale in cui erano stati condannati, a Namugongo, luogo delle esecuzioni capitali: una “via crucis” di 27 miglia, percorsa in otto giorni, tra le pressioni dei parenti che li spingono ad abiurare la fede e le violenze dei soldati. Qualcuno viene ucciso lungo la strada: il 26 maggio viene trafitto da un colpo di lancia Ponziano Ngondwe, del clan Nnyonyi Nnyange, paggio reale, che aveva ricevuto il battesimo mentre già infuriava la persecuzione e per questo era stato immediatamente arrestato; il paggio reale Atanasio Bazzekuketta, del clan Nkima, viene martirizzato il 27 maggio.

Alcune ore dopo cade trafitto dalle lance dei soldati il servo del re Gonzaga Gonga del clan Mpologoma, seguito poco dopo da Mattia Mulumba del clan Lugane, elevato al rango di “giudice”, cinquantenne, da appena tre anni convertito al cattolicesimo.

Il 31 maggio viene inchiodato ad un albero con le lance dei soldati e quindi impiccato Noè Mawaggali, un altro servo del re, del clan Ngabi.

Il 3 giugno, sulla collina di Namugongo, vengono arsi vivi 31 cristiani: oltre ad alcuni anglicani, il gruppo di tredici cattolici che fa capo a Carlo Lwanga, il quale aveva promesso al giovanissimo Kizito: “Io ti prenderò per mano, se dobbiamo morire per Gesù moriremo insieme, mano nella mano”. Il gruppo di questi martiri è costituito inoltre da: Luca Baanabakintu, Gyaviira Musoke e Mbaga Tuzinde, tutti del clan Mmamba; Giacomo Buuzabalyawo, figlio del tessitore reale e appartenente al clan Ngeye; Ambrogio Kibuuka, del clan Lugane e Anatolio Kiriggwajjo, guardiano delle mandrie del re; dal cameriere del re, Mukasa Kiriwawanvu e dal guardiano delle mandrie del re, Adolofo Mukasa Ludico, del clan Ba’Toro; dal sarto reale Mugagga Lubowa, del clan Ngo, da Achilleo Kiwanuka (clan Lugave) e da Bruno Sserunkuuma (clan Ndiga).

Chi assiste all’esecuzione è impressionato dal sentirli pregare fino alla fine, senza un gemito. E’ un martirio che non spegne la fede in Uganda, anzi diventa seme di tantissime conversioni, come profeticamente aveva intuito Bruno Sserunkuuma poco prima di subire il martirio “Una fonte che ha molte sorgenti non si inaridirà mai; quando noi non ci saremo più altri verranno dopo di noi”.

La serie dei martiri cattolici elevati alla gloria degli altari si chiude il 27 gennaio 1887 con l’uccisione del servitore del re, Giovanni Maria Musei, che spontaneamente confessò la sua fede davanti al primo ministro di re Mwanga e per questo motivo venne immediatamente decapitato.

Carlo Lwanga con i suoi 21 giovani compagni è stato canonizzato da Paolo VI nel 1964 e sul luogo del suo martirio oggi è stato edificato un magnifico santuario; a poca distanza, un altro santuario protestante ricorda i cristiani dell’altra confessione, martirizzati insieme a Carlo Lwanga. Da ricordare che insieme ai cristiani furono martirizzati anche alcuni musulmani: gli uni e gli altri avevano riconosciuto e testimoniato con il sangue che “Katonda” (cioè il Dio supremo dei loro antenati) era lo stesso Dio al quale si riferiscono sia la Bibbia che il Corano.

Autore: Gianpiero Pettiti

SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/55460

Voir aussi : https://www.lastampa.it/vatican-insider/it/2014/05/30/news/noe-mawaggali-1.35760572