samedi 30 mai 2020

Saint MATIYA (MATTHIAS) MULUMBA KALEMBA, martyr


Saint Matthias Kalemba

Martyr en Ouganda (+1886)

Magistrat en Ouganda, il quitta l'Islam et se convertit au Christ pour qui il donna sa vie.

À Kampala en Ouganda, l'an 1886, saint Matthias Kalemba, surnommé Mulumba, c'est-à-dire Fort, martyr. Après avoir abandonné la religion musulmane et reçu le baptême, il abdiqua son office de juge et se dépensa beaucoup à répandre la foi chrétienne. Pour cela, sous le roi Mwanga, il fut soumis à des tortures et, privé de tout soulagement, rendit son âme à Dieu.

Martyrologe romain

SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/7126/Saint-Matthias-Kalemba.html


St. Mathias Mulumba


Kalemba, Matthias Mulumba

1836-1886

Église Catholique

Ouganda


Kalemba était membre de la tribu Soga, et il est né dans le compté de Bunya, dans l’est de l’Ouganda. Il a été capturé, avec sa mère, par un groupe de Ganda du clan des loutres, qui faisaient un raid. Ses ravisseurs l’ont vendu comme esclave à Magatto, l’oncle du chancelier Mukasa, et membre du clan des rats comestibles. Kalemba a grandi dans cette famille, étant traité comme membre du clan et homme libre. Suite à la mort de son père adoptif, il est resté un certain temps chez le frère de Magatto, Buzibwa. Quand il a atteint la maturité, il s’est engagé chez Ddumba, le chef du compté de Ssingo. C’est là qu’il est devenu chef de la maison de son maître, et superviseur de tous les autres serviteurs. Quand Ddumba est mort, son frère a reconnu la position de Kalemba de manière officielle en lui créant un poste en mémoire de Ddumba. A partir de ce moment là, Kalemba était connu comme le Mulumba.
Kalemba était un homme plutôt grand, de teint clair. Il avait une petite barbe, chose rare chez un Ganda. Physiquement parlant, il était extrêmement fort, de caractère joyeux, et c’était quelqu’un qui cherchait la vérité. Cette passion l’a d’abord amené à l’Islam, mais ensuite - suite à l’arrivée des missionnaires anglicans, - vers leur instruction chrétienne. C’était le devoir du chef de Ssingo d’entreprendre la construction au palais royal. Quand le roi Mutesa I a décidé de bâtir des maisons pour les missionnaires catholiques, c’est à Kalemba que la tâche est revenue. Il a donc rencontré des catholiques pour la première fois, et a découvert que les préjudices protestants à leur égard n’étaient pas vrais. Le 31 mai 1880, il s’est inscrit comme catéchumène catholique, mais a parfois continué à aller aux cours bibliques anglicans.
Kalemba a pris son allégiance chrétienne au sérieux. Malgré le fait qu’il possédait un grand nombre de femmes, il a fait d’autres provisions pour toutes celles-ci sauf une, appelée Kikuvwa, qu’il a gardé comme femme. Il a été baptisé par le Père Ludovic Girault le 28 mai, 1882. Kalemba s’est auto inscrit dans l’école de l’humilité en acceptant de faire des tâches serviles, en travaillant dans son jardin, en portant des fardeaux, et même en acceptant des coups qu’il ne méritait pas de la part des soldats du roi. Il déclarait fièrement qu’il était esclave - “l’esclave de Jésus-Christ.” On dit qu’il a chassé un buffle sauvage à l’aide d’un bâton. Il prenait part aux raids de guerre organisés par son chef, mais refusait de participer au pillage, qui était le vrai but des raids. Il refusait aussi d’accepter les pots-de-vin quand il administrait la justice de la part de son maître.
Dans sa maison à Mityana, à une soixantaine de kilomètres de la capitale, Kalemba vivait une vie humble et pratiquait comme métiers la poterie et le tannage. Pendant l’absence des missionnaires catholiques en Ouganda, de 1882 à 1885, Kalemba a organisé une communauté chrétienne à Mityana. C’est là qu’il a fait de l’instruction chrétienne avec les futurs martyrs Noe Mawaggali et Luc Banabakintu. Quand la persécution a éclaté en 1886, il y avait à peu près deux cent croyants dans cette communauté de chrétiens et de catéchumènes.
Quand l’orage a commencé, Kalemba se trouvait dans la capitale, où il était occupé à rebâtir le palais du roi qui avait brûlé en février 1886. Bien qu’il se trouvait en danger imminent, il n’a pas quitté son poste. Le maître de Kalemba, qui était chef de Ssingo, a pensé qu’il vaudrait mieux l’arrêter lui-même, ainsi que son compagnon, Luc Banabakintu. Ils ont passé la nuit du 26 mai en ville à la résidence du chef, leurs pieds dans les fers et le cou dans un joug d’esclave. Le jour suivant, on les a amenés au palais, où le chancelier les a condamnés à une mort terrible simplement parce qu’ils avaient reconnu qu’ils étaient chrétiens. Alors qu’ils étaient en route pour Namugongo, l’endroit traditionnel des exécutions, Kalemba s’est arrêté et a demandé qu’on le mette à mort tout de suite, là où il était encore, dans l’ancienne partie de la ville de Kampala. Les bourreaux se sont attaqués à lui sur l’endroit même, lui coupant les bras et les jambes, et lui arrachant des lambeaux de chair pour les brûler devant lui. Son courage et sa résistance ont été extraordinaires, et les seules paroles à lui échapper aux lèvres ont été, “Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!” Les bourreaux lui ont ensuite ligoté les artères et l’ont laissé sur place pour qu’il meure lentement.
La passion de Matthias Kalemba a commencé à midi le jeudi 27 mai, et ne s’était toujours pas terminée le Samedi. Quelques hommes qui venaient couper des roseaux dans le marais ont entendu une voix qui criait, “De l’eau! De l’eau!” Ils ont été tellement terrifiés par ce qu’ils ont vu qu’ils ont pris la fuite. On suppose qu’il est mort le Dimanche, le 30 mai. Dieu seul peut savoir à quel point il aura souffert l’agonie. Luc est mort avec Charles Lwanga et ses compagnons à Namugongo le 27 mai. Matthias Kalemba, le Mulumba, a été déclaré “Béni” par le Pape Bénédicte XV en 1920, avec les vingt-et-un autres martyrs. Ils ont été proclamés saints canonisés en 1964 par le Pape Paul VI.
Aylward Shorter M. Afr.

Bibliographie


J.F. Faupel, African Holocaust [Holocauste africain] (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/kalemba-matthias/


Saint Matiya Mulumba

Saint Matiya Mulumba


Also known as
  • Mattias Kalemba Murumba
Profile

Born to the Lugave clan. A man who was seeking God, he converted first to Islam, and then to Christianity. One of the Martyrs of Uganda who died in the Mwangan persecutions.

Born
Died

SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-matiya-mulumba/


Kalemba, Matthias Mulumba


1836-1886

Catholic Church

Uganda


Kalemba was a member of the Soga tribe, born in Bunya County in eastern Uganda. Together with his mother, he was captured by Ganda raiders belonging to the Otter clan. His captors sold him as a slave to Magatto, uncle of the Chancellor Mukasa, and a member of the Edible-Rat Clan. Kalemba grew up in this family, treated as a member of the clan and as a free man. After the death of his adoptive father, he remained for a time with Magatto’s brother, Buzibwa. On attaining manhood, he took service with Ddumba, the chief of Ssingo County, becoming effectively the head of his household and supervisor of all the other servants. On Ddumba’s death, his brother gave official recognition to Kalemba’s position, by creating an office for him in memory of Ddumba. Henceforth, Kalemba was known as The Mulumba.
Kalemba was a man of fairly large stature and light colouring. He sported a small beard, unusual for a Ganda. He was immensely strong, of a joyful disposition and a passionate searcher after truth. This passion led him first to Islam, and then - after the arrival of the Anglican missionaries - to their Christian instructions. It was the duty of the chief of Ssingo to carry out construction at the royal palace. When King Mutesa I decided to build houses for the Catholic missionaries, Kalemba was assigned to the task. Coming into contact with Catholics for the first time, he discovered that Protestant prejudices about them were not true. On May 31, 1880 he enrolled as a Catholic catechumen, but continued occasionally to attend Anglican Bible classes.
Kalemba took his Christian allegiance seriously. Although he was the owner of a large number of women, he made other provisions for all except one, called Kikuvwa, whom he kept as wife. He was baptized by Father Ludovic Girault on May 28, 1882. Kalemba schooled himself in humility by undertaking menial tasks, working in his garden, carrying loads and even accepting unmerited blows from the king’s soldiers. He declared proudly that he was a slave - “the slave of Jesus Christ.” He is said to have driven off a wild buffalo with the aid of a stick. He took part in the war-raids organized by his chief, but refused to take share in the looting which was their main object. He also refused to take bribes when administering justice on behalf of his master.
At his home in Mityana, forty-seven miles from the capital, Kalemba lived a humble life, taking up the trades of pottery and tanning. During the absence from Uganda of the Catholic missionaries from 1882 to 1885, Kalemba organized a Christian community at Mityana where, together with the future martyrs Noe Mawaggali and Luke Banabakintu, he gave Christian instruction. When persecution broke out in 1886 this community of Christians and catechumens numbered about two hundred.
When the storm broke, Kalemba was at the capital rebuilding the king’s palace that had burned down in February 1886. Although in imminent danger, he did not leave his post. Kalemba’s master, the chief of Ssingo, deemed it best to arrest him and his companion, Luke Banabakintu, himself. They spent the night of May 26 at the chief’s town residence, with their feet in the stocks and their necks in slave yokes. The following day they were taken to the palace, where the chancellor sentenced them to a savage death for acknowledging that they were Christians. On the way to Namugongo, the traditional place of execution, Kalemba stopped and asked to be put to death there and then in Old Kampala. His executioners butchered him on the spot, cutting off his limbs and tearing strips of flesh from his body, burning them before his eyes. His courage and endurance were extraordinary and the only sound that came from his lips were the words: “My God ! My God !” The executioners then tied up his arteries and left him to die a lingering death.
Matthias Kalemba’s passion began at noon on Thursday, May 27. On Saturday it had not ended. Some men coming to cut reeds in the swamp heard a voice calling: “Water! Water!” They were so horrified by the sight that they fled. He died presumably on Sunday, May 30. God alone knows the full extent of his agony. Luke died with Charles Lwanga and his companions at Namugongo on May 27. Matthias Kalemba, the Mulumba, was declared “Blessed” by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, together with twenty-one other martyrs. They were proclaimed canonized saints in 1964 by Pope Paul VI.
Aylward Shorter M.Afr.

Bibliography

J. F. Faupel, African Holocaust (Nairobi, St. Paul’s 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/kalemba-matthias/


The Uganda Martyrs


Their countercultural Witness Still Speaks Today


BY: BOB FRENCH
In his living room wall, Matthew Segaali has a painting of twenty-two young men and boys in Ugandan tribal dress. Some of them are standing in front of a backdrop of upraised spears; the rest, in front of flames as tall as they are.
While it appears that they are about to be put to death, the expressions on their faces are of peace, trust, and even joy. One of them is holding a palm branch; others have their hands folded in prayer; and others are clasping a cross or a rosary.
They are the men and boys whose martyrdom in 1886 is considered the spark that ignited the flame of Christianity in modern Africa. Canonized in 1964, the Uganda Martyrs are revered for their faith, their courage, and their countercultural witness to Christ.
These saints are highly honored in the Segaali home. Matthew's son Joseph is named after one of them. The whole family regularly prays litanies for their intercession in their native language of Ugandan. Their prayers have been answered so often that Matthew has lost count. "I would not be who I am without the Uganda Martyrs," he says proudly.
You may be surprised to learn that the Segaalis don't actually live in Uganda. As residents of Boston, Massachusetts, they are among the many African expatriates around the world who feel a close connection to the martyrs.
Why are these men so important to the Segaalis and to Africans all over the world? Perhaps because, as Pope John Paul II pointed out during his visit to their shrine, their sacrifice was the seed that "helped to draw Uganda and all of Africa to Christ." Despite the martyrs' youth—most were in their teens and twenties—they are truly "founding fathers" of the modern African church, which displays so much vigor today.
Planting the Seed. Their story begins with the Protestant missionaries who began arriving in Buganda (now Uganda) in 1877. Mutesa—the king, or Kabaka—welcomed them and seemed open to Christianity, perhaps because it had points of contact with his people's belief in the afterlife and in a creator god. He even allowed it to be taught at his court.
When the Catholic White Fathers (now the Missionaries of Africa) arrived in 1879, Mutesa welcomed them as well. However, he also flirted with Islam, which Arab traders had introduced into Buganda decades before, and began favoring now one religious group and then another, mainly for political gain.
The king's shifting favor created an uncertain, often dangerous climate for Christians, but White Father Simeon Lourdel and his companions took advantage of every opportunity Mutesa gave. They founded missions where they could teach people about the faith, and about medicine and agriculture as well.
In the Fathers' Footsteps. Unlike some missionaries of the day, the White Fathers took their time preparing people for baptism. They wanted their new converts to understand what it means to enter into new life with Jesus and to follow him.
Many Bugandans were hungry for their teaching and responded eagerly to this approach. "They were offered the living word of God, not just the historical facts of salvation," says Caroli Lwanga Mpoza, a historian from Uganda. "They grabbed onto it, and it changed them."
The depth of their faith became obvious during a three-year period when Mutesa's hostility forced the White Fathers out of the country. The priests returned from exile after Mutesa's death in 1884 and were pleased to find that their converts had taken it upon themselves to bring their families and friends to the Lord. Many had renounced polygamy and slavery and were devoting their energies to serving and caring for the needy around them.
Hero of the Faith. One exceptionally active convert was Joseph Mukasa, who served as personal attendant for both Mutesa and the new king, his son Mwanga. He had brought Christ to many of the five hundred young men and boys who worked as court pages, and they relied on his leadership and his clear grasp of the faith.
Mukasa had the king's respect, too, for he had once killed a poisonous snake with his bare hands as it was about to strike his master. But King Mwanga was even more unstable than his father. He was soon affected by the poisonous lies of jealous advisors, who called Mukasa disloyal for his allegiance to another king, the "God of the Christians."
Their accusations were reinforced when Mukasa reprimanded King Mwanga for trying to have the newly arrived Anglican bishop put to death. Furious that anyone would dare to oppose him, the Kabaka went ahead with the assassination.
Mukasa could have played it safe and chosen not to cross the king again. Instead, he enraged Mwanga even more by repeatedly opposing his attempts to use the younger pages as his sex partners. Mukasa not only taught the boys to resist but made sure they stayed out of Mwanga's reach.
The Kabaka finally decided to make Mukasa an example, ordering him to be burned alive as a conspirator. But here, too, Mukasa proved the stronger and braver. He assured his executioner that "a Christian who gives his life for God has no reason to fear death. . . . Tell Mwanga," he also said, "that he has condemned me unjustly, but I forgive him with all my heart." The executioner was so impressed with Mukasa that he beheaded him swiftly before tying him to the stake and burning his body.
A Terrible Vengeance. Now on a rampage, King Mwanga threatened to have all his Christian pages killed unless they renounced their faith. This failed to intimidate them, however, for Mukasa's example had inspired them. Even the catechumens among them followed Mukasa's bravery by asking to be baptized before they died.
Among them was Charles Lwanga, who took over both Mukasa's position as head of the pages and his role of spiritual leader. Like Mukasa, Lwanga professed loyalty to the king but fell into disfavor for protecting the boys and holding onto his faith.
King Mwanga's simmering rage boiled over one evening, when he returned from a hunting trip and learned that a page named Denis Ssebuggwawo had been teaching the catechism to a younger boy, Mwanga's favorite. The king gave Denis a brutal beating and handed him to the executioners, who hacked him to pieces.
The following day, Mwanga gathered all the pages in front of his residence. "Let all those who do not pray stay here by my side," he shouted. "Those who pray" he commanded to stand before a fence on his left. Charles Lwanga led the way, followed by the other Christian pages, Catholic and Anglican. The youngest, Kizito, was only fourteen.
The king's vengeance was terrible: He sentenced the group to be burnt alive at Namugongo, a village twenty miles away.
No Cause for Sadness. The prisoners were strikingly peaceful and joyful in the face of this verdict. Fr. Lourdel, who tried to save them, reported that afterwards, "they were tied so closely that they could scarcely walk, and I saw little Kizito laughing merrily at this, as though it were a game." Another page asked the priest, "Mapera [Father], why be sad? What I suffer now is little compared with the eternal happiness you have taught me to look forward to!"
The prisoners suffered greatly during the long march to the execution site, but they prayed aloud and recited the catechism all along the way. Three of them were speared to death before reaching the village. The others were led out to a massive funeral pyre. It was Ascension Thursday morning.
Eyewitnesses said that the martyrs were lighthearted, cheering and encouraging one another as the executioners sent up menacing chants. Each of the pages was wrapped in reeds and placed on the giant bonfire, which soon became an inferno.
"Call on your God, and see if he can save you," called one executioner. "Poor madman," replied Lwanga. "You are burning me, but it is as if you are pouring water over my body."
The other prisoners were equally calm. From the raging flames, only their prayers and songs could be heard, growing fainter and fainter. Those who witnessed the fire said they had never seen men die that way.
But the martyrs at Namugongo were not Mwanga's only victims. Dozens more Christians were killed in the surrounding countryside, and some of those who had taught the faith were singled out for special retribution.
Andrew Kaggwa, a friend of the king's, was beheaded. Impatient to meet his fate, he said to his executioner, "Why don't you carry out your orders? I'm afraid delay will get you into serious trouble." Noe Mawaggali was speared, then attacked by wild dogs. Matthias Kalemba was dismembered and pieces of his flesh roasted before his eyes. Before he died, he said, "Surely Katonda [God] will deliver me, but you will not see how he does it. He will take my soul and leave you my body."
Against the Grain. The martyrs of Uganda were young, but they were not seduced by the values of the royal court. They took a stand for God's law, even when it meant defying the king himself. Out of allegiance to a higher king and a nobler law, they rejected the earthly security that could have been theirs had they given in to the king's lusts.
Their example is extremely important today, Caroli Mpoza points out. It shows how faith can become a "rudder" that sustains us in times of trial and temptation. It also shows how critical it is to instill godliness in our children. If they learn to honor God and put him first, he says, they too will stand firm against the seductive values of our culture.
Like the parable of the sower, the story of the Uganda Martyrs invites us to examine our commitment to the Lord. Here are young people whose whole life of faith was marked by simple, luminous, joyful trust in God—even in the face of a gruesome death. They were "rich soil" indeed—not just for Africa, but for the whole church.
Bob French lives in Alexandria, Virginia. This story was based mainly on J.F Faupel's African Holocaust and Caroli Lwanga Mpoza's Heroes of African Origin Are Our Ancestors in the Faith, as well as personal interviews.

SOURCE : https://wau.org/archives/article/the_uganda_martyrs/



ST. MATTIAS MULUMBA KALEMBA



The capture of Matthias and his mother from Busoga and how he became a Christian


This most remarkable man was a Musoga. Born about 1836 in Bunya County in Busoga, the country lying across the Nile from Buganda, he, together with his mother, was captured by a raiding party of Baganda belonging to the Otter Clan and, at a very early age, carried off to Buganda as a slave.

His captors sold him to a member of the Edible-Rat (Musu) Clan, named Magatto, an uncle of the Chancellor Mukasa, who seems to have treated the little fellow as a member of the family rather than as a slave. As often happened in such cases he was, as he grew up, grad¬ually treated as a member of the clan and as a free man. Possibly it was in recognition of this that he changed his name from the original Wante to Kalemba.

After the death of his adopted father, Kalemba remained for a time with Magatto’s brother, Buzibwa, but, on attaining manhood, he left and took service with Ddumba, the county chief of Ssingo. In this service he displayed such loyalty and trustworthiness that Ddumba came to rely upon him more and more until he became, in fact if not in name, head of the chief’s household and supervisor of all the other servants.

On the death of Ddumba, his brother Kabunga who succeeded to the chieftainship seems to have realized the treasure he had in Kalemba, for not only did he confirm him in his many duties but gave them official recognition by creating for him the post of Ekirumba, so called in memory of Ddumba. As holder of this office, Kalemba became known as the Mulumba.

Matthias Kalemba, the Mulumba, was of fairly large stature and rather light colouring. His face, somewhat longer than the average and adorned with a small beard, an unusual feature amongst Baganda, was slightly pock-marked. He was immensely strong, quite fearless and endowed with a powerful voice, a joyous disposition and a passionate love for the truth. His search for the truth led him first to the Muslim faith, which appealed to him by its obvious super¬iority to the paganism that surrounded him. When the Protestant missionaries arrived, he was at once attracted by Christianity and began to attend their instructions; but before he had made up his mind to ask for baptism he came, in the course of his duties, into contact with the Catholic Fathers. It was the traditional duty of the chief of Ssingo to erect and repair the buildings of the royal enclo¬sure, so that when Kabaka Muteesa undertook to build houses for the Catholic missionaries he naturally commissioned this chief to build them. The chief in turn placed his trusted headman, Kalemba, in charge of the work. The rest of the story is best told in Kalemba’s own words to Pere Livinhac:

My father (almost certainly Magatto, his father by adoption) had always believed that the Baganda had not the truth, and he sought it in his heart. He had often mentioned this to me, and before his death he told me that men would one day come to teach us the right way.

These words made a profound impression on me and, whenever the arrival of some stranger was reported, I watched him and tried to get in touch with him, saying to myself that here perhaps was the man foretold by my father. Thus I associated with the Arabs who came first in the reign of Ssuuna. Their creed seemed to me superior to our superstitions. I received instructions and, together with a number of Baganda, I embraced their religion. Muteesa himself, anxious to please the Sultan of Zanzibar, of whose power and wealth he had been given an exaggerated account, declared that he also wanted to become a Muslim. Orders were given to build mosques in all the counties. For a short time, it looked as if the whole country was going to embrace the religion of the false prophet, but Muteesa had an extreme repugnance to circumcision. Consequently, changing his mind all of a sudden, he gave orders to exterminate all who had become Muslims. Many perished in the massacre, two or three hundred managed to escape and, with Arab caravans, made their way to the Island of Zanzibar. I succeeded with a few others in concealing the fact of my conversion, and continued to pass for a friend of our own gods, though in secret I remained faith¬ful to the practices of Islam.

That was how things stood when the Protestants arrived. Muteesa received them very well; he had their book read in public audience, and seemed to incline to their religion, which he declared to be much superior to that of the Arabs. I asked myself whether I had not made a mistake, and whether, perhaps, the newcomers were not the true messengers of God. I often went to visit them and attended their instructions. It seemed to me that their teaching was an improvement on that of my first masters. I therefore abandoned Islam, without however asking for baptism.

Several months had elapsed when Mapeera (Lourdel) arrived.

My instructor, Mackay, took care to tell me that the white men who had just arrived did not know the truth. He called their religion the ‘worship of the woman’; they adored, he said, the Virgin Mary. He also advised me to avoid them with the greatest care. I therefore kept away from you and, probably, I would never have set foot in your place if my chief had not ordered me to supervise the building of one of your houses. But God showed his love for me.

The first time when I saw you nearby, I was very much impressed.

Nevertheless, I continued to watch you closely at your prayers and in your dealings with the people. Then seeing your goodness, I said to myself, ‘How can people who appear so good be the messengers of the devil?’

I talked with those who had placed themselves under instruction and questioned them on your doctrine. What they told me was just the contrary of what Mackay had assured me. Then I felt strongly urged to attend personally your catechetical instructions. God gave me the grace to understand that you taught the truth, and that you really were the man of God of whom my father had spoken. Since then, I have never had the slightest doubt about the truth of your religion, and I feel truly happy.
Kalemba’s actual enrolment as a catechumen seems to have taken place on 31 May 1880.

Matthias Kalemba Mulumba separates with his women for Christianity


Matthias Kalemba Mulumba, a man of about 50, was an assistant county chief to Mukwenda (the county chief of Ssingo) and had many wives. In the African tradition, it was prestigeous to marry many wives, the bigger the number of wives one had, the greater the honour. The exact number of wives Mulumba had is not known. But Matthew Kirevu, the eyewitness remembered the following three:

(a) Bwamunnyondo Taakulaba: She was a Muganda of the Ndiga (sheep/Ovil) clan in the family of Muguluka. When Kalemba’s master known as Kaabunga succeeded his father Ddumba as county chief of Ssingo, he gave Bwamunnyondo, Kaabunga’s widowed step-mother, to Kalemba Mulumba to be his wife. When Mulumba embraced Christianity, he separated with Bwamunnyondo without fear of annoying his master Kaabunga, to whom Mulumba was the Assistant. But he gave out some property to support her for a considerable length of time.

Bwamunnyondo went back to his father Muguluka in Buddu County. She had been a young lady, but her beauty had faded away with age. Thus she named herself “ATAAKULABA,” which means “he or she who never saw you in your youth, cannot understand your former beauty.” Later Bwamunnyondo became a catholic and was baptized and given the name Berta at Villa Maria Parish in 1907. She died a very pius and devoted catholic in 1932.

(b) Tibajjukira: This was a Musoga of Mulumba’s tribe (a Musoga). When Kalemba Mulumba became a catholic, he separated from her according to the Christian law as he had done to Bwamunnyondo. He also surrendered some property for her upkeep. She named herself ”TIBAJJUKIRA,” which means “the Christians do not remember the good done to them.” She also later became a catholic, but Matthew Kirevu, the eyewitness and the informer did not remember her Christian name. Tibajjukira died during the Muslim/Christian wars of 1888.

(c) Kikuwambazza or Kikuwa: was a Muganda, with whom Kalemba Mulumba got properly married in the Catholic Church. Both were faithful to each other. Kikuwa soon embraced the catholic religion. By the time Mulumba died for his religion they had two children, a girl Julia “Baalekatebaawudde” (they left before identifying) who was 4 years and a boy who was about 2 years of age.

Kikuwa was a pius and devoted Catholic. When her husband was arrested for being a Christian, she voluntarily gave up herself to the executioners to be killed for her religion. But Mbugano, the leader of the Mityana executioners’ expedition refused, saying, “We do not kill women.” Instead one of the executioners wanted take her for his wife. But she totally refused. After the martyrdom of her husband, Kikuwa lived a very pius, devoted and self-sacrificial life.

Though Mulumba had had many wives from whom he separated remaining with only one, Kikuwa, still the priests hesitated in giving him the sacrament of Baptism. They had fear that Mulumba would bring back some of his former wives after receiving baptism. This was revealed to Mulumba before receiving that sacrament.

But Mulumba assured them, saying: ”Do not be afraid, I have made up my mind through my own free will, I am a mature man, I am determined to be a Catholic and abide by all the Catholic laws, never to turn back to my old ways be that as it may.”

On hearing that, the priests resolved to baptize him. Kalemba Mulumba was baptized on Pentecost Sunday 28th May 1882 and was given the name MATTHIAS.

When Mulumba sent away his other wives and retained only one for God’s Sake, he was brought to the Katikkiro’s (Prime Minister) tribunal on Wednesday 26th May 1886. Besides being a Christian, the Mulumba was furiously rebuked by the Katikkiro saying: “This was certainly an act of putting chiefs to shame by sending away all your wives and cooking your own food”. To which Mulumba retorted: “Have I been arrested and brought before you because I am thin or for the religion I am practicing?”

Mulumba evangelises with utmost difficulty


When Mulumba embraced the Catholic faith, he set free all his servants and treated them in the best way possible, allowing them all full liberty for their well-being and prosperity. Out of humility Mulumba often carried his luggage on journeys instead of giving it to his servants to carry it, an act that was considered very humiliating.

When the Catholic Missionaries had fled Uganda to Tanganyika (Tanzania), from November 1882 to July 1885, Matthias Mulumba was allocated a big part of the country for evangelizing. He was in charge of evangelizing the whole Buganda excluding the palace, Kampala and the neighbourhood.

His headquarters were at Mityana in Ssingo county, a distance of 42 miles or 64 kilometers from Kampala (the capital).

For evangelization purposes Mulumba had opened up three other stations, namely:

1. NSEEGE: Near Bbowa Buzinde in Bulemeezi county, about 60 miles or 96 kilometres from Mityana.

2. KIYEGGA (MUKONO): This was 65 miles or 104 kilometres from Mityana.

3. MASAKA (Headquarterss of Buddu county): 100 miles or 160 kilometers (short-cut) from Mityana, but 120 miles or 192 kilometres from Mityana via Kampala.

To reach out to each of these centres, Mulumba had to travel on foot all the way from Mityana. He was working very hard to spread and stabilize Catholicism in all these centers. Although he was extremely busy with evangelization work, he never neglected or abandoned his work as a chief. It was never heard of that Mulumba ever failed to carry out his duties as a civil servant.

During the time of Lent Mulumba used to fast the whole day, and even at supper he used to take very little food. He worked vigorously and unceasingly almost the whole day. At other times, i.e. outside Lenten period: on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays of every week, Mulumba did not eat meat and very often on those days he would fast.


Mulumba dies the most cruel, brutal and lingering death


When the storm of persecution broke, Matthias was at Mmengo with his chief, who had the task of rebuilding the royal palace, des¬troyed by fire in February.

Because Mulumba had sent away his other wives and retained only one for God’s Sake, he was brought to the Katikkiro’s (Prime Minister) tribunal on Wednesday 26th May 1886.

The Chancellor began by asking: ‘Are you the Mulumba?’ Matthias replied, ‘Yes I am.’

‘Why do you pray? What has induced a man of your standing to adopt the white men’s religion, at your age too?’

‘I follow that religion because I wish to.’

‘You have sent away all your wives, I am told. So you cook your own food, I suppose?’

‘Is it because I am thin, or because of my religion that I have been brought before you?’ asked Matthias.

Addressing Mulumba and Luke Baanabakintu, another Christian who had been arrested, the Chancellor said with a sneer, ‘So you are the people who are content to marry only one woman? And you are trying to persuade other people to agree to such a monstrosity!’

Besides being a Christian, the Mulumba was furiously rebuked by the Katikkiro saying: “This was certainly an act of putting chiefs to shame by sending away all your wives and cooking your own food”. To this Mulumba retorted: “Have I been arrested and brought before you because I am thin or for the religion I am practicing?”

The Katikkiro became more furious and ordered the executioners, Tabawomuyombi and Lukowe in particular to take Mulumba to Namugongo to be killed in the cruelest manner.

On reaching Old Kampala, and for fear of his being pardoned by the King, Mulumba told the executioners: “Why do you take me all the way to Namugongo as if there is no death here, kill me here.” Then he said to Luke Baanabakintu, ‘Au revoir, my friend. We shall meet again in Heaven.’ ‘Yes, with God,’ answered Luke. The executioners were annoyed, took Mulumba a little distance into the jungle of elephant grass and proceeded to butcher him on the Spot, employing every refinement of cruelty of which they were capable.

They cut off his arms at the elbows, then cut off his legs at the ankles and knees. Finally, they cut off strips of flesh from his back and roasted them before him. The executioners used skillful means of stopping the bleeding so that he could stay longer in pain and poor Mulumba was left there a victim to be devoured by vouchers, wild animals, dogs, insects etc. But he suffered quietly without any complaint; only one word came repeatedly to his lips, the invocation, ‘Katonda! Katonda! (My God!, My God!)’, and for three days and three nights he lay there mortionless, until he died.

Mulumba died the cruelest, brutal and lingering death, from Thursday 27th to Sunday 30th May 1886.

The suffering


Left alone, in untold agony and without the consolation of anyone save his Lord and Master, Matthias suffered in silence both the excruciating thirst caused by the loss of so much blood, and the smarting pains of the wounds which had been inflicted over his whole body. Deprived of his limbs and attacked by swarms of flies and other biting insects, and exposed to the scorching heat, Mulumba lay suffering at his place of sacrifice for two full days, and on the second day, hearing human voices near, Matthias called out to them, and when they approached, asked them for a drop of water. But the men, instead of taking pity on the poor sufferer, ran away instead, fearing to come near such a spectacle any more. And thus Matthias, deserted by all, passed away in agony and went to his reward.

Mulumba’s pains can better be imagined than described. And the heroism with which he bore his sufferings for two long days is beyond comprehension. God alone can know to the full the extent of the agonies of his martyrs; we poor mortals can only feebly imagine and less accurately describe them.

Matthias Kalemba, the Mulumba, died, presumably on Sunday 30 May on Kampala Hill, now generally known as Old Kampala.


Chancellor regrets killing Mulumba


It was then that the Chancellor learnt that Matthias Kalemba, whom he had so cruelly done to death a few days before, had been adopted and brought up by his own uncle, Magatto. On hearing this, he said, ‘If I had known that, I would not have put him to death, but I would have installed him in my household, and given him charge over all my goods, for I know that those who practise religion do not steal!’ Because of the newly discovered relationship the Chancellor ordered his brother to establish Matthias’s widow on their own family estate.


What Catholic Missionaries had to say about Matthias Mulumba


Kalemba was baptized on the feast of Pentecost. After their baptism, he and Luke and the other two neophytes were confirmed by Pere Livinhac and then, at the High Mass sung by Pere Levesque, made their first Holy Communion. Profoundly impressed by at least one of those he had been privileged to admit into the Church, Pere Girault wrote:

Among those who have been baptized this morning there is one in whom the action of Grace has been truly apparent, namely the Mulumba, a man of about thirty to forty years of age (actually nearer fifty), who throughout his whole life has had a fervent desire to know the true religion.

Before admitting Kalemba to baptism, the mission superior, Pere Livinhac, had asked him whether he was resolved to persevere and intimated that, if not, it would be better for him not to receive the sacrament. ‘Have no fear, Father,’ was the reply. ‘It is two years now since I made up my mind, and nothing can make me change it. I am a Catholic and I shall die a Catholic.’

Naturally of a haughty and violent disposition, Matthias Kalemba began to school himself in Christian humility and meekness, even in the smallest details of his daily life.
Within a week he had complied with the conditions and set his affairs in order. Pere Lourdel’s diary has the following entry for 7 June 1880:

“Yesterday, a young man among our catechumens, an overseer of the slaves of a great chief called Mukwenda, an ex-disciple of the Protestants and owner of a large number of women, sent them all away except one, and then came to ask us to baptize him.”

It was not, however, until two years later that Kalemba received the sacrament he so ardently desired. It was only then that, taking advantage of the permission given by Bishop Lavigerie to make some exceptions to the rule of the four years’ catechumenate, Pere Lourdel baptized four on 30 April 1882 and Pere Girault four more on 28 May. Both priests had the great privilege of baptizing two future martyrs, Pere Lourdel baptizing Joseph Mukasa and Andrew Kaggwa, and Pere Girault J: having in his group Matthias Kalemba and Luke Baanabakintu.


Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine

SOURCE : http://www.munyonyo-shrine.ug/martyrs/other-uganda-martyrs/st-mattias-mulumba-kalemba/


San Mattia Kalemba Martire



† Kampala, Uganda, 30 maggio 1886

Martirologio Romano: A Kampala in Uganda, san Mattia Kalemba, detto Mulumba o il Forte, martire, che, lasciata la religione maomettana, ricevette il battesimo in Cristo e, deposto l’incarico di giudice, si impegnò nella diffusione della fede cristiana; per questo, sotto il re Mwanga fu sottoposto a tortura e, privo di ogni conforto, rese il suo spirito a Dio.

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/55180





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