Saint Jean-Marie Muzei, martyr
Il faisait partie des jeunes pages de Mwanga, roi de
l'Ouganda. Il refusa, comme ses compagnons de martyre (dont Charles Lwanga), de
céder aux mœurs perverties du roi à l'égard des jeunes garçons. Il fut décapité
pour cette raison et son corps fut jeté dans un lac, en 1887. Il est le dernier
martyr de cette persécution.
Saint Jean-Marie Muzei
Martyr en Ouganda (+ 1887)
Il faisait partie des jeunes pages de Mwanga, roi de
l'Ouganda. Il refusa, comme ses compagnons de martyre, dont Charles Lwanga, de
céder aux mœurs perverties du roi à l'égard des jeunes garçons. Il fut décapité
pour cette raison et son corps fut jeté dans un lac. Il est le dernier martyr
de cette persécution. Il fut canonisé avec ses compagnons en octobre 1964.
Près de Mengo en Ouganda, l’an 1887, la passion de
saint Jean-Marie, surnommé Muzei, c’est-à-dire Ancien, à cause de la maturité
de son esprit. Familier du roi Mwenga, devenu chrétien, il ne voulut pas
échapper à la persécution, mais il se présenta de lui-même devant le premier
ministre du roi et fit sa profession de foi au Christ. Aussi tomba-t-il
décapité, dernière victime de cette persécution.
SOURCE : http://www.avecmariepourjesus.net/t3093-saints-et-saintes-du-27-janvier
Saint Jean-Marie Muzei
Martyr en Ouganda (+ 1887)
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/5406/Saint-Jean-Marie-Muzei.html
Muzeyi, Jean-Marie
1850-1887
Église Catholique
Tanzanie , Ouganda
Saint Jean-Marie Muyezi est né juste à l’intérieur de
la frontière moderne de la Tanzanie, dans un petit hameau près de Minziro,
(Compté de Buddu, Ouganda). Son père Bunyaga, avait comme devoir de porter le
roi Ganda sur ses épaules lorsque celui-ci se rendait à Buddu. Il était membre
du clan des buffles. La mère de Munyezi, qui s’appelait Mukatunzi ou Nnamalayo,
était du clan des singes. Avant, Muyezi s’appelait Musoke, mais à la cour
royale, il a pris le nom Muddembuga. A cause d’une maladie des yeux
(probablement le trachome), il avait l’air plus âgé qu’il ne l’était. Il se
trouvait, en fait, qu’il était bien plus âgé que la plupart des jeunes hommes à
la cour. Pour cette raison, et aussi à cause de sa réputation d’homme prudent,
on l’appelait Muyezi, un nom qui vient du titre swahili mzee, qui veut dire
“ancien” ou “vieil homme.” Lorsqu’il est devenu musulman, il a pris le prénom
Jamari, qui veut dire “bonne chance.” Le missionnaire Siméon Lourdel lui a
astucieusement donné le prénom chrétien français de consonance semblable,
Jean-Marie.
Quand Muyezi était encore assez jeune, un sous-chef
appelé Kabega l’a vu en train de conduire du bétail et l’a kidnappé. A la
capitale, Kabega a vendu le garçon à quelqu’un qu’il connaissait, un certain
Bigomba. Celui-ci, à son tour, a vendu Muyezi au roi pour une étoffe de tissu
et une gourde de bière. Trop jeune pour devenir page, il a été confié à
Ttamiro, qui était créateur de clôtures pour le roi, et beaucoup par la suite
ont pensé que celui-ci était son vrai père. Devenu adolescent, il a été fait page
royal, et il est devenu musulman quand le roi Mutesa I a commencé à
s’intéresser à cette religion. Quand la peste a éclaté en 1881, il a été
congédié et s’est rendu à Mutundwe, où il a fait la connaissance de quelques
chrétiens ou de catéchumènes qui lui ont appris l’essentiel de la foi
catholique. Lors de son retour à la cour, il est devenu bras droit de Saint
Joseph Mukasa, le majordome. Il s’occupait du roi quand ce dernier était
malade, et aidait à répandre la connaissance du christianisme parmi les pages,
dont certains étaient de futurs martyrs.
Il a été baptisé le 1er novembre, 1885. On lui
demandait souvent conseil parce qu’il était de caractère sérieux et de
conscience scrupuleuse. Il se servait de ses économies modestes pour racheter
de l’esclavage des petits enfants, et il leur donnait une instruction
chrétienne. Il était d’âge mariable et en position d’être marié, mais
Jean-Marie a annoncé son intention de rester célibataire pour le royaume de
Dieu. Quand le roi Mutesa I est mort en 1884, Jean-Marie a été assigné au
tombeau royal à Kasubi, mais il s’est retiré de ce service à cause des rites
païens qui y avaient lieu. Il semble qu’il a joué un rôle dans la décision du
roi Mwanga lorsque celui-ci a invité Lourdel et les autres missionnaires à revenir
en Ouganda en 1885, suite à leur exil auto imposé en Tanzanie.
Avant les événements des martyres du mois de juin
1886, Jean-Marie a été confirmé par le premier évêque missionnaire de l’Afrique
Équatoriale, monseigneur Léon Livinhac. Malgré le fait qu’il était menacé de
mort par Mwanga, Jean-Marie n’a pas cherché à se cacher. En septembre 1886, il
était devenu évident que Mwanga avait l’intention de faire exécuter d’autres
chrétiens en secret. En janvier 1887, Muyezi, qui demeurait alors chez
Stanislaus Mugwanya, le futur régent catholique, a été appelé à la cour. En
dépit de toutes tentatives de le dissuader, Jean-Marie a obéi à la sommation.
Il a été reçu gentiment par le roi et le chancelier, mais il a commencé à
soupçonner quelque chose quand ils ont insisté qu’il rentre avec d’autres
chrétiens d’un certain groupe. Dans la matinée du 27 janvier, 1887, Muyezi a
été à la messe, à reçu la communion sainte, et est rentré à la cour tout seul.
Il n’a jamais été revu. On a rapporté de source fiable qu’il avait été décapité
et que son corps avait été jeté dans un étang. C’est ainsi que Jean-Marie
Mutezi est devenu le dernier des martyrs de l’Ouganda. Il a été déclaré “béni”
par le Pape Bénédicte XV en 1920, et a été canonisé saint par le Pape Paul VI
en 1964.
Aylward Shorter M. Afr.
Bibliographie
J.F. Faupel, African Holocaust - The Story of the Uganda Martyrs, 4th edition [Holocauste africain - l’histoire des martyrs de l’Ouganda, 4ème édition] (Nairobi, St. Paul’s Publications Africa, 1984 [1962]).
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/tanzania/museyi-jean-marie/
Saint Charles Lwanga (in the center) and his 21 followers.
Der Heilige Karl Lwanga (in der Mitte) und seine 21 Anhänger.
De Hillige Korl Lwanga (in de Merr) un siene 21 Folgers.
Saint John Maria Muzeyi
Also
known as
- Jean-Marie
Muzeeyi
- Jean-Marie
the Elder
- 27 January
- 3 June as one of the Martyrs of Uganda
Profile
Mbogo clan. Member of the Ugandan royal court. Convert. One of the Martyrs of Uganda who died in the Mwangan persecutions, the last one to die in that persecution.
Born
- beheaded on 27 January 1887 at Mengo, Uganda
- 29 February 1920 by Pope Benedict XV (decree of martyrdom)
Additional Information
- books
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Our Sunday Visitor’s
Encyclopedia of Saints
- other
sites in english
- sitios
en español
- Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
- fonti
in italiano
- Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
- Santi e
Beati
MLA Citation
- “Saint John Maria
Muzeyi“. CatholicSaints.Info. 15 June 2019. Web. 26 January
2021. <https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-maria-muzeyi/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-maria-muzeyi/
John Maria Muzeyi
Roman Catholic Saint. Also known as Jean-Marie or John
Mary Kiwanuka Muzeyi. He was born in Tanzania border near near Minziro Village
in Buddu County in the kingdom of Buganda, Uganda, to his father Bunyaga and
his mother (whose name was either Mukatunzi or Nnamalayo) of the Monkey Clan.
Muzeyi was first called Musoke, but later acquired the name Muddembuga. He
himself was of the Mbogo clan of the tribe of Muganda. When he was young, he
was captured by a sub-chief named Kabega while herding the cattle and sold to
an acquaintance called Bigomba, who offered him to King Mutesa I, who entrusted
him to royal fencemaker Ttamiro. He became a Muslim page of Mutesa (with the
forename Jamari, which means "good luck") when Islam first came into
Uganda, later specializing as a herbalist without using witchcraft. He lived at
the time of Mutesa and his son Mwanga II when Christianity came into Uganda
between 1877 and 1879. When the plague broke out, Muzeyi left for Mutundwe
where he was taught Catholicism, and became a right-hand man to Joseph Mukasa
Balikuddembe, attending to the king in his sickness. After Mutesa's death on
October 19, 1884, Mwanga came to power at age 16 and demanded that Christians
renounce their faith on pain of torture or death, and that his pages engage in
pedophilic activities. Many pages refused to engage in such activities and went
into hiding with some Christian missionaries at a time of persecution. Muzeyi
was baptized by Pere Simeon Lourdel on November 1, 1885, just three days after
the martyrdom of Anglican bishop James Hannington and his companions; and
during the martyrdom of Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe, Charles Lwanga, and 19
other Catholic pages between November 15 of that year and June 3, 1886, Muzeyi
practiced Christian virtues, taught catechism and helped out whatever he could to
those in need. In January 1887, Muzeyi was arrested by Mwanga and sent to the
courts at Mengo. On January 27, after Mass and Holy Communion, Muzeyi returned
to Mengo, where he was beheaded, and his body was thrown into Jugula Swamp
between Mengo and the hills of Namierembe. He became the last Roman Catholic
martyr of Uganda to die, some say between the ages of 30 and 35, others at age
36 or 37. Along with Lwanga and his companions, Muzeyi was beatified in 1920 by
Pope Benedict XV and canonized on October 18, 1964, by Pope Paul VI. He is the
patron saint of doctors, nurses, hospitals and dispensaries; his solo feast day
is January 27, while his joint feast day with Lwanga and 20 others is June 3.
SOURCE : https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/29229480/john_maria-muzeyi
Muzeyi, Jean-Marie
1850-1887
Catholic Church
Tanzania , Uganda
Saint Jean-Marie Muzeyi was born just inside the
modern border of Tanzania in a small hamlet, near Minziro in Buddu County
(Uganda). His father, Bunyaga, had the duty of carrying the Ganda King on his
shoulders, when he visited Buddu. He was a member of the buffalo clan. Muzeyi’s
mother, Mukatunzi or Nnamalayo, belonged to the monkey clan. Muzeyi was
originally called Musoke, but at the royal court he acquired the name
Muddembuga. Because of an eye affliction (probably trachoma), he looked older
than his years, and he was, in fact, considerably older than most of the young
men at court. Because of this, and because of his reputed prudence, he was
called Muzeyi, from the Swahili title mzee, meaning “elder” or “old man.”
On becoming a Muslim, he took the forename Jamari (“Good Luck”). With a touch
of genius, the missionary, Simeon Lourdel, gave him the similar sounding French
Christian name Jean-Marie.
When Muzeyi was quite young, a sub-chief named Kabega,
saw him herding cattle and kidnapped him. At the capital, Kabega sold the boy
to an acquaintance named Bigomba, who offered him to the king for a piece of
cloth and a gourd of beer. Too young to be a page, he was entrusted to the
royal fence-maker, Ttamiro, whom many came to believe was his real father. In his
teens he was made a royal page and became a Muslim when King Mutesa I began to
be interested in that religion. When the plague broke out in 1881, he was given
leave of absence and went to Mutundwe where he got to know some Christians or
catechumens who taught him the rudiments of the Catholic faith. On his return
to court, he became the right hand man of Saint Joseph Mukasa, the majordomo,
attending the king in his sickness, and helping to spread the knowledge of
Christianity among the pages, several of whom were future martyrs.
He was baptized on November 1, 1885. Because of his
delicacy of conscience and gravity of demeanour, his opinion was often sought
after. He used his small savings to ransom small children from slavery and give
them Christian instruction. Although he was of marriageable age and in a
position to marry, Jean-Marie announced his intention of remaining celibate for
the Kingdom of God. When King Mutesa I died in 1884, he was assigned to the
royal tomb at Kasubi, but withdrew his services because of the pagan rituals
that took place there. He seems to have played a role in persuading the new
king, Mwanga, to invite Lourdel and the missionaries back to Uganda in 1885,
after their self-imposed exile in Tanzania.
Before the martyrdoms of June 1886, Jean-Marie was
confirmed by the first Catholic missionary bishop of equatorial Africa,
Monsignor Leon Livinhac. Although threatened with death by Mwanga, Jean-Marie
did not go into hiding. In September 1886 it became apparent that Mwanga was
intent on the secret execution of some other Christians. In January 1887
Muzeyi, who was staying with Stanislaus Mugwanya, the future Catholic regent,
received a summons to go to court. In spite of all attempts to dissuade him,
Jean-Marie obeyed the summons. Although he was received kindly by the king and
his chancellor, his suspicions were aroused by their insistence that he return
with other selected Christians. On the morning of January 27, 1887 Muzeyi heard
Mass, received Holy Communion and returned to court alone. He was never seen
again. It was reliably reported that he had been beheaded and his body thrown
into a swamp. In this way, Jean-Marie Muzeyi became the last of the Uganda
Martyrs. He was declared “Blessed” by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, and a canonized
saint by Pope Paul VI in 1964.
Aylward Shorter M.Afr.
Bibliography
J. F. Faupel, African Holocaust - The Story of the Uganda Martyrs, 4th edition (Nairobi: St. Paul Publications Africa, 1984).
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.
External link
Encyclopaedia Britannica (complete
article): Martyrs
of Uganda
SOURCE : https://dacb.org/stories/tanzania/museyi-jean-marie/
ST. JOHN MARY KIWANUKA MUZEEYI
Muzeeyi’s
life before converting to Catholicism
Muzeeyi’s
conversion and religious vows
How
Muzeeyi lived up to his virtues
Muzeeyi
evangelises after holocaust
John
Mary Muzeeyi goes in hiding to escape death
Muzeeyi
gets out of hiding to meet his death
Fr.
Lourdel’s Comments on Muzeeyi’s intellect and devotion to Christianity
Muzeeyi’s life before converting to Catholicism
Muzeeyi, a member of the Buffalo (Mbogo) Clan, was born in the hamlet of Kisomberwa, near Minziiro, in Buddu County, between the years 1852 and 1857. Muzeeyi’s father, Bunyaga, held a royal appointment as Shoulder-Bearer to the Kabaka for the County of Buddu. His duty was to carry the Kabaka on his shoulders when necessary during a royal progress through the county-a task that, in a country as abundantly blessed with swamps as Buganda, can have been no sinecure.
Muzeeyi’s mother, a member of the Monkey (Nkima) Clan, was known as Mukatunzi or Nnamalayo.
Muzeeyi himself seems to have been blessed with a whole series of different names. Originally called Musoke, he became known at court as Muddembuga, meaning, one is told, someone-has-refused-to-obey-you-so-go-to-the-chief-to-settle-the-matter. Later, because of his prudence and maturity of judgment, and because an eye affliction, probably trachoma, made him look older than his years, his friends called him Muzeeyi, a name derived from the Swahili word mzee, old man, grandfather.
He was 30-35 years of age at the time of his martyrdom. He was given the name MUZEEYI because he was exceptionally genius and an excellent adviser. His advice was like that of an experienced old man of about 60 years of age.
When he became a Muslim, he was known as Jamari (Good Luck). One wonders whether he himself hailed with relief the touch of genius shown by Pere Lourdel in christening him Jean-Marie, so that the sound, if not the spelling, of his name might remain unchanged.
When Muzeeyi was still quite young, a sub-chief named Kabega, proceeding on transfer from Ggomba to a new post at Seguku, saw him herding cattle and promptly kidnapped him. On arriving at the capital, he sold the boy to an acquaintance named Bigomba who in turn sold him to the Kabaka for a piece of cloth and a gourd of beer.
‘Still too young to become a page, the lad was entrusted to Ttamiro, the royal fence-maker, in whose household he lived, probably for some time, since many believed Ttamiro to be his father. When he was considered old enough, he became one of the royal pages and, probably at the time when his royal master was showing leanings towards that religion, a Muslim.
When the plague epidemic broke out in 1881, Muzeeyi was granted leave of absence from the Court and went to stay at Mutundwe where he got to know some Christians or catechumens who gave him his first lessons in the Catholic faith.
It was probably on his return from this spell of leave
that he joined the group of pages under Joseph Mukasa and quickly endeared
himself to that young leader by his thirst for knowledge of the faith. He soon
became Joseph’s right-hand man, both in attendance on the sick Kabaka and in
the spread¬ing of Christian knowledge amongst the pages.
Muzeeyi’s conversion and religious vows
Kiwanuka Muzeeyi was baptized on Sunday November 1st 1885 and given the name John Mary. Fr. Lourdel gives the following remark on Muzeeyi soon after his baptism as reported in “EDDINI MU UGANDA VOLUME III” by Rev. Fr. J. L. Ddiba pages 180-182, “God’s Grace today has done wonders in Muzeeyi,” Fr. Lourdel was referring to St. Muzeeyi’s religious vows.
John Kiwanuka Muzeeyi, like Charles Lwanga, practiced virtue of perpetual chastity. But, in addition, Muzeeyi made religious vows.
Matthew Kirevu, one of Muzeeyi’s fellow believers and intimate friends said that he never heard any indecent word from or witnessed a shameful act by Muzeeyi. One day when Muzeeyi was conversing with his friend Kirevu said: “If the missionaries allow me, I would like to be and to serve God like Bro. Amans (a religious).”
After Mass in which 22 catechumens Muzeeyi inclusive, were baptized and given the sacrament of confirmation, John Mary took Father Lourdel aside. He begged the Father to agree to be a witness of his vows he was going to make to God and the Father agreed.
John Mary Kiwanuka Muzeeyi knelt down and made the following four vows to God before the Father:
1. Perpetual Chastity: Never to marry for the whole of his life
2. Perpetual Obedience: He vowed never to do anything
substantial without the permission of his superiors (the Catholic
Missionaries).
3. The Vow of Perpetual Poverty: He vowed to give all
the property he could possibly get for the teaching of
Christianity-conversion of spirituality and to rescue slaves from the
Arabs and chiefs that had enslaved them by paying ransom.
4. The vow Caring for the sick
How Muzeeyi lived up to his virtues
1. Chastity: There was nothing said against his virtue
of chastity by anybody that lived with him until his death. It is believed that
Muzeeyi like Lwanga, practiced an undefiled chastity (Yafa akyali nteeka).
2. Obedience: John Mary Muzeeyi was eager to die a martyr for Christ. On learning that his fellow Christians were arrested and condemned to death for Christ, he decided to rush to the scene to join them. But when he remembered that he had made a vow to God never to do anything substantial without first getting permission from his superiors, instead of going to the scene of Execution, he rushed to the mission to seek permission to go and die for Christ.
His superiors (the missionaries) prevented him from joining the condemned. This refusal hurt Muzeeyi very much. To make the situation worse, they persuaded him to hide. Because of the vow of obedience, Muzeeyi willingly agreed to go into hiding.
But before departing, he begged to be allowed to seek
his hideout a bit near the mission so that he could be able to attend the
mid-night Masses which the missionaries used to say at that time for security’s
sake. While in hiding, Muzeeyi was met with some other Christians, also sent
there by the missionaries for fear of exterminating the Christians.
3. Poverty: John Mary Muzeeyi had no property of his
own. All his property was spent and distributed to the sick, the poor and to the
work of evangelization. Up to the time of his death, Muzeeyi never defiled his
vow of poverty.
4. Work for the Sick: For the whole of his life, particularly from the time he made his vows, Muzeeyi dedicated his life to the good of others. He gave up his life without fear of death or contagious and dangerous diseases like plague, small pox, sleeping sickness etc.
In 1881 a very contagious disease broke out in King
Muteesa’s palace at Lubaga and the king fell victim to the disease. He was
forced to abandon Lubaga palace and flee to Kasubi-Nabulagala palace. Many
people in the area were affected and several victims died of the plague. Under
such situation Muzeeyi offered himself wholeheartedly to treat the sick, to go
round teaching catechism and preparing the sick for good death, and finally to
bury those who had died of the disease. Many people rejected the dying people
in fear of the contagious disease.
Muzeeyi evangelises after holocaust
Soon after his baptism and confirmation Muzeeyi was forced by the Missionaries to go into hiding. He had to flee for his life from King Mwanga’s rage of killing the Christians. Muzeeyi, with other fugitive Christians, wandered from place to place through forests, marshes, thick jungle etc. They generally suffered from the extremely hot sun, the chilly weather, the heavy rains, hunger, thirst, fatigue, constant fevers and other diseases, cuts and wounds etc without proper medication, and above all, they were always worried that the worst was yet to come.
Muzeeyi collected the former slaves he had rescued by paying a ransom to the Arabs and Muslim chiefs who had enslaved them and went with him into hiding because their lives were not safe either. Muzeeyi’s main aim in taking the boys with him was to teach them religion and to save their lives.
In spite of the hiding atmosphere, Muzeeyi managed to give religious instructions to some children and catechumens. He had some assistants in the persons of Matthew Kirevu, Joseph Kaddu, Matthew Kisuule, Cyprian Kamya and others.
They occasionally used to sneak into the Catholic Mission and were able to attend the mid-night Masses. During that time of the Christian persecution Masses were generally said at mid-night for security purposes on their person.
When they learnt that Bishop Livinhac, the first
Catholic Bishop of Victoria Nyanza Vicariate (comprising Uganda, part of
Northern Tanzania, part of western Kenya and part of Eastern Congo) had come to
Nalukolongo mission, Muzeeyi took his catechism class to the mission for the
newly consecrated Bishop’s blessings. During the Christian persecution when the
bishop was in Uganda, he confirmed 97 Bamasia (Catholics).
John Mary Muzeeyi goes in hiding to escape death
John Mary Muzeeyi was eager to die a martyr for Christ. On learning that his fellow Christians were arrested and condemned to death for Christ, he decided to rush to the scene to join them. But when he remembered that he had made a vow to God never to do anything substantial without first getting permission from his superiors, instead of going to the scene of Execution, he rushed to the mission to seek permission to go and die for Christ.
His superiors (the missionaries) prevented him from joining the condemned. This refusal hurt Muzeeyi very much. To make the situation worse, they persuaded him to hide. Because of the vow of obedience, Muzeeyi willingly agreed to go into hiding.
But before departing, he begged to be allowed to seek his hideout a bit near the mission so that he could be able to attend the mid-night Masses which the missionaries used to say at that time for security’s sake. While in hiding, Muzeeyi was met with some other Christians, also sent there by the missionaries for fear of exterminating the Christians. They were mainly children and some catechumens as shown in the photo in which Muzeeyi was taken. In the hiding place, Muzeeyi, assisted by Joseph Kaddu, Matthew Kirevu and Cyprian Kamya seriously continued to give religious instructions.
King Mwanga learnt of some Christians in hiding, Muzeeyi in particular. The king was bent on eliminating them so that he could stamp out Christianity in his kingdom. But how to get them out of hiding was his problem. However, he soon hit upon a plan to accomplish his wish: The king deceitfully sent out this announcement: “I have forgiven all the Christians, let them come out of hiding, return to me so that we all live in harmony and enjoy the prosperity of the kingdom” But his intention was to round them up and eliminate all the Christians. Although Muzeeyi foresaw the king’s trick, he decided to come out of hiding and test King Mwanga’s sincerity.
“If the king kills me,” he said, “the other Christians would stay in hiding; but if he is true to his word, then the other Christians would come out of hiding.
The King was not sincere because the moment he set his
eyes on Muzeeyi, he ordered his men to slaughter the martyr.
Muzeeyi gets out of hiding to meet his death
Later in January 1887, King Mwanga II deceitfully announced that he had forgiven the Christians. He begged them to return from hiding and enjoy the prosperity of their kingdom.
He made special mention of John Mary Muzeeyi, Joseph Kaddu, Cyprian Kamya, Matthew Kirevu and others.
At the same time the king knew that Kalungi, one of the pages, was an intimate friend of Muzeeyi. He was sure, therefore, that Kalungi knew very well the whereabouts of Muzeeyi. King Mwanga then called the page and, pretending to be kind to him and expressing special love for Muzeeyi, sent him to find John Mary, the beloved and faithful servant of his late father, and ask him to come out of hiding and enjoy the prosperity of his country. Once again, on account of his vow of obedience, before going to the king, Muzeeyi went to the mission seeking permission from his superiors. This time they allowed him to go and find out whether the King was sincere to his word or not. Inwardly, Muzeeyi felt very happy because he thought that could be his chance of dying a martyr for Christ. ‘.
John Mary Kiwanuka Muzeeyi went to the King through (Prime Minister) Mukasa’s office. As it turned out, the King was not sincere; Muzeeyi was arrested and killed on Thursday morning 27th January 1887 inside the Prime Minister’s enclosure.
His body was wrapped in leaves of bitembe (wild banana) and thrown into Jugula River. This ended his life in obedience.
On hearing about the death of Muzeeyi, his fellow
Christians remained in hiding. John Mary Kiwanuka Muzeeyi was the last of the
twenty-two Catholic Martyrs to be killed
Fr. Lourdel’s Comments on Muzeeyi’s intellect and devotion to Christianity
Fr. Lourdel, when speaking of Muzeeyi, said that he had never met an African who was so intelligent like Muzeeyi. Mapeera (Fr. Lourdel) continued to tell us that it took Muzeeyi only 3 days to learn all the prayers and catechism that used to take an average student three months to master.
John Mary was an excellent and famous Traditional Healer (herbalist). At the same time he was gifted and talented at teaching the catechism. He had a special zeal for saving and working for the souls and for bodily needs of others without caring for himself.
In a very short time in 1881 Muzeeyi had mastered catechism lessons. But although he knew very well all that was required for one to receive Baptism, he was not baptized forthwith because a longer time for assessment was required before one was allowed to receive the baptism. During that very year, a very contagious disease broke out in King Muteesa’s palace at Lubaga and the king fell victim to the disease. He was forced to abandon Lubaga palace and flee to Kasubi-Nabulagala palace. Many people in the area were affected and several victims died of the plague. Under such situation Muzeeyi offered himself wholeheartedly to treat the sick, to go round teaching catechism and preparing the sick for good death, and finally to bury those who had died of the disease. Many people rejected the dying people in fear of the contagious disease.
Pere Lourdel has left on record his own impressions of this young man who was to be the last of the martyrs. He writes:
Jean-Marie received baptism on 1st November 1885. He continued to be a model to his companions … It was he who solved for them their small questions of conscience. When they disagreed, they sub¬mitted the case unreservedly to his arbitration with complete con¬fidence in his right judgment and in his kindness. Quite un¬affected and simple in manner, he possessed, despite his youth, a gravity such as I have not met within any other negro. In the midst of the laughter, often boisterous, of his companions, one would scarcely detect a smile on his face. His thoughts were constantly con¬cerned with religious matters. Of a rare delicacy of conscience, he received the sacraments as frequently as he could. During the plague, he showed a heroic devotion to those stricken, exhorting them and baptizing those at the point of death. His small savings were used on the redemption from slavery of young children whom he then instructed.
Jean-Marie was always seeking an opportunity to give us pleasure.
Learning that we wished to redeem a young slave who was a Christian, and that the child’s master refused to let us have him, he went in search of the man and by sheer persistence and importunity got him to give way and accept the purchase price, which he him¬self paid. Full of joy, he then brought the child and offered him to us, without the slightest desire for anything in return.
Of marriageable age and in a position to marry advantageously, Jean-Marie chose to remain celibate.
On the death of Kabaka Muteesa, Muzeeyi left the Court and was appointed to help tend the tomb of his late royal master at Kasubi. Finding the pagan rites performed at the tomb incompatible with Christianity, Muzeeyi left this post and went to live with Matthew Kirevu, a fellow Christian who held a small sub-chieftainship near Bbuye. He still maintained contact with his friends who remained in the royal enclosure, visiting them and taking part in their discus¬sions of the best method of approaching the new Kabaka about recalling the Catholic missionaries to Buganda.
There is a considerable divergence of opinion about
Jean-Marie’s age. Pere Lourdel thought that he was twenty at the time of his
baptism in 1885, and Denis Kamyuka estimated his age at between thirty and
thirty-five at the time of his martyrdom in 1887.
SOURCE : http://www.munyonyo-shrine.ug/martyrs/other-uganda-martyrs/st-john-mary-kiwanuka-muzeeyi/
San Giovanni Maria, detto Muzei Martire
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Visualizza la Scheda del Gruppo cui appartiene
† Mengo, Uganda, 27 gennaio 1887
Martirologio Romano: Vicino a Mengo in Uganda,
passione di san Giovanni Maria, detto per la maturità d’animo Muzei, l’Anziano:
domestico del re, una volta divenuto cristiano non volle sottrarsi alla
persecuzione, ma professò spontaneamente davanti al primo ministro del re
Mwenga la sua fede in Cristo e fu perciò decapitato, ultima vittima di quella
persecuzione.
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/38840
Santi Martiri Ugandesi
Senza data (celebrazioni singole)
† Uganda, 15 novembre 1885 / 27 gennaio 1887
La Chiesa cattolica venera quali Santi Martiri
Ugandesi un gruppo di ventidue servitori, paggi e funzionari del re di Buganda,
nell’odierna Uganda, convertiti al cattolicesimo dai missionari d'Africa del
cardinale Charles Lavigerie, i cosiddetti “padri bianchi”, che vennero fatti
uccidere in quanto cristiani sotto il regno di Mwanga II (1884-1903) tra il 15
novembre 1885 ed il 27 gennaio 1887.
Papa Benedetto XV beatificò questi gloriosi martiri il
6 giugno 1920 ed infine furono canonizzati l’8 ottobre 1964 dal pontefice Paolo
VI. Questi, durante il suo viaggio in Africa del 1969, intitolò loro anche il
grande santuario di Namugongo, eretto sul luogo del martirio di San Carlo
Lwanga, il più celebre del gruppo, e dei suoi compagni.
Questo gruppo costituisce il primo caso di fedeli
cattolici dell’Africa sub-sahariana ad essere proclamati santi. Il
Martyrologium Romanum pone le commemorazioni dei singoli martiri nei rispettivi
anniversari di morte: ne consegue che al 3 giugno ricorre la memoria comune di
Carlo Lwanga e 12 compagni, i più celebri tra gli appartenenti al gruppo,
inseriti anche nel calendario liturgico latino.
Nel 1886, nel cuore dell'Uganda, alle sorgenti del misterioso Nilo, viveva la tribù dei Buganda, erede della razza Bantù proveniente dall'Etiopia, che si diceva evangelizzata da san Matteo. Popolo essenzialmente guerriero, si dedicava anche all'agricoltura e all'allevamento. Le leggende locali parlavano di Kintu, fondatore del loro impero, messaggero del cielo, uomo bianco che aveva orrore del sangue e che chiamava tutti suoi figli e sarebbe stato lui a portare in dono il prezioso frutto della banana... insomma leggende e realtà si intrecciavano, mantenendo intatti alcuni riti cristiani, come quello di versare sul capo dei nascituri dell'acqua e credendo che la morte non distruggesse ma piuttosto "custodisse". Verso il 1852 il re Suma cominciò però a favorire l'insediamento degli Arabi nelle sue terre e là essi costruirono una moschea e cominciarono a diffondere l'islamismo, facendo molti proseliti anche a causa del fatto che l'Islam era favorevole alla poligamia, mentre il cristianesimo no.
Quando Stanley, nel 1875, scoprì questo popolo così curioso e differente dagli altri, si affrettò a chiedere dei missionari, pensando che in poco tempo egli sarebbe riuscito a far comprendere la grandezza della Bibbia. Nel 1877 ne arrivarono alcuni che erano anche ingegneri ed architetti, desiderosi di mettere a disposizione non solo il loro zelo apostolico, successivamente coadiuvati da un missionario che giunse con un Crocifisso in mano e la corona del Rosario al collo. All'inizio il re provò simpatia per la religione cattolica ma dopo un pò preferì l'islam. Nonostante tutto, la missione prosperava e vi erano molti catecumeni, ma il re temendo che l'Inghilterra desiderasse appropriarsi del suo regno allontanò dalla sua tribù i missionari cristiani. Morto lui, però, il figlio Mwanga che ne prese il posto, richiamò i Padri ed essi trovarono una comunità cristiana piuttosto fiorente, con oltre 800 catecumeni. Tuttavia gli odi interni e le dissolutezze del re, portarono ad un triste epilogo; i grandi del regno e soprattutto il primo ministro decisero di uccidere il loro capo per poi eleggere il fratello. Un amico intimo del re, Andrea Kagwa, lo asvvertì, assicurandogli che poteva contare sull'aiuto di tutti i cristiani della comunità. Il ministro riuscì a farsi perdonare dal re ma il suo odio contro i cristiani si inasprì e cominciò a cercare ogni pretesto per rovinarli, suggerendo al sovrano che se il loro numero fosse aumentato, essi l'avrebbero senza dubbio scalzato dal trono per eleggere uno di loro. Un giorno del 1885, poichè il Re soffriva di un male agli occhi, mandò Giuseppe Mukasa, precettore cristiano che vegliava sui paggi cercando di tenerli lontani dall'atmosfera pericolosa della corte, a chiedere al vecchio missionario, Padre Lourdel, un calmante che però gli provocò un grande malessere. Nulla di meglio, per il primo ministro, per accusare il prete ed i cristiani di aver voluto uccidere il re. Ciò scatenò nel sovrano un'ingiustificato odio: Giuseppe venne arso vivo sul rogo, a un paggio che non aveva risposto subito ad una sua chiamata vennero tagliate le orecchie, poi si incattivì contro gli altri paggi che non volevano abiurare alla loro fede e soprattutto s'inasprì dopo aver saputo che anche una delle sue figlie si era convertita al cattolicesimo. Come un pazzo il re afferrò una lancia avvelenata con cui ferì, condannandoli a morte, alcuni dei giovani, dando inizio ad uno spaventoso massacro. Visto che la situazione precipitava, i paggi che erano ancora catecumeni vennero subito battezzati e si riunirono davanti al re, attendendo che si compisse la loro sorte, mentre tutti i guerrieri della tribù si erano intanto radunati per dare inizio ai rituali dell'esecuzione. I condannati furono tutti legati e portati verso il luogo dove si effettuavano le uccisioni, posto che raggiunsero solo dopo molti giorni di cammino e di torture, mentre alcuni di essi, stremati, morivano per strada.... La sera del settimo giorno i carnefici si riunirono al suono del tamburi e i giovinetti vennero condotti al rogo ed arsi lentamente mentre le loro giovani voci si alzavano oranti al cielo. Solo tre di essi vennero chissà per quale ragione risparmiati e non si davano pace di ciò, ma la loro salvezza diede modo al mondo di conoscere l'esempio di fede dei piccoli perseguitati. La missione cattolica, da quel momento si sviluppò ulteriormente, mentre i persecutori fecero una tragica fine.
Autore: Patrizia Fontana Roca
Fonte: www.cartantica.it
Ecco i nomi dei martiri ed alcune informazioni su ciascuno:
93397 - Giuseppe Mkasa Balikuddembé († Nakivubo, 15 novembre 1885), del clan Kayozi, fu la prima vittima della persecuzione scatenata dal re Mwanga II contro i cristiani, prefetto della sala del re, protesse i fanciulli di corte dai vizi del re e per questo motivo venne decapitato all’età di soli venticinque anni;
54690 - Dionigi Ssebuggwawo († Munyonyo, 25 maggio 1886), del clan Musu;
54830 - Andrea Kaggwa († Munyonyo, 26 maggio 1886), capo dei suonatori del re e suo familiare;
54840 - Ponziano Ngondwe (†Ttaka Jiunge, 26 maggio 1886), del clan Nnyonyi Nnyange, paggio regale, mentre ormai infuriava la persecuzione ricevette il battesimo e venne subito incarcerato, condotto al luogo del supplizio venne trafitto da una lancia;
92074 - Atanasio Bazzekuketta († Nakivubo, 27 maggio 1886), del clan Nkima, paggio della casa regale, colpito a morte;
54920 - Gonzaga Gonza († Lubawo, 27 maggio 1886), del clan Mpologoma, uno dei servi del re, mentre veniva condotto in catene al rogo cui era stato condannato venne trafitto dalle lance dei carnefici;
55180 - Mattia Kalemba detto Mulumba († Kampala, 30 maggio 1886), del clan Lugave;
55460 - Noè Mawaggali († Mityana, 31 maggio 1886), del clan Ngabi, servo del re, offrì il petto alle lance dei soldati con le quali venne inchiodato ad un albero e quindi impiccato;
23250 - Carlo Lwanga († Namugongo, 3 giugno 1886), del clan Ngabi, poiché si rifiutò di acconsentire ai turpi voleri del re, venne arso vivo sul colle Namugongo. Insieme a lui morirono sul rogo anche altri dodici giovani compagni, di età compresa tra i quattordici e i trent’anni, membri della schiera regale dei giovani nobili o addetti alla sicurezza del sovrano:
-------- Luca Baanabakintu, del clan Mmamba;
-------- Giacomo Buuzabalyawo, del clan Ngeye, figlio del tessitore reale;
-------- Gyaviira, del clan Mmamba;
-------- Ambrogio Kibuuka, del clan Lugave;
-------- Anatolio Kiriggwajjo, nato a Bunyoro, guardiano delle mandrie del re;
-------- Mukasa Kiriwawanvu, del clan Ndiga, cameriere del re;
-------- Achilleo Kiwanuka, del clan Lugave;
-------- Kizito, nato nel 1872, del clan Mmamba, è il più giovane del gruppo;
-------- Adolofo Mukasa Ludigo, del clan BaToro, guardiano delle mandrie del re;
-------- Mugagga, del clan Ngo, sarto reale;
-------- Bruno Sserunkuuma, del clan Ndiga;
-------- Mbaga Tuzinde, del clan Mmamba;
Autore: Fabio Arduino
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/93398
