Faith Under Pressure · Week 1 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Charles Lwanga
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
The kingdom of Buganda
Charles Lwanga was born around 1860 in Buganda, a powerful kingdom on the shore of Lake Victoria. It is now part of Uganda. Its people, the Baganda, were ruled by a king called the blank 1.
In blank 2 Catholic missionaries known as the White Fathers arrived. Anglican missionaries had come two years earlier. Many young people at the royal court began to study Christianity.
Charles served at court among the pages, the young men who attended the king. He learned the faith from another court official, Joseph Mukasa, who led the blank 3 there.
From court to martyrdom
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| c. 1860 | Write your answer |
| 1879 | Write your answer |
| 1884 | Write your answer |
| 1885 | Write your answer |
| 1886 | Write your answer |
| 1920 | Write your answer |
| 1964 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
Who led the Catholics at court before Charles Lwanga? Circle one.
- A Joseph Mukasa
- B Kabaka Mutesa
- C Pope Paul VI
- D Young Kizito
Why is that the right answer?
A king’s demands, a leader’s choice
Kabaka Mwanga was a young king under pressure. Foreign powers were moving into East Africa, and he feared that the new blank 4 would weaken his rule.
He also tried to use the pages in ways that were seriously wrong. Joseph Mukasa told him so and was killed. Charles then took charge of the pages. He protected them and kept teaching them the faith.
In late May 1886 the king ordered the blank 5 pages to step forward. Charles led them. That night he baptized several who were still preparing, including Kizito, who was about 14.
They were marched to blank 6 and put to death on June 3, 1886.
Why did he stay?
After Joseph Mukasa was killed, what did Charles do? Circle one.
- A He left the court to keep himself safe
- B He led an armed revolt against the king
- C He stayed, guarding and teaching the pages
- D He hid his faith until the danger passed
Why is that the right answer?
Conscience under pressure
Charles kept his conscience when a powerful person pushed. Sort each choice: does it follow conscience or cave to pressure? Check one box for each.
| Item | Follows conscience | Caves to pressure |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving a group chat that is sharing a cruel photo | ||
| Sending a picture you do not want to send because someone keeps asking | ||
| Telling an adult when an older student pressures a younger one | ||
| Laughing along so a popular kid will like you | ||
| Warning a younger sibling about an unsafe app | ||
| Keeping quiet about cheating because the team captain asked | ||
| Refusing a dare even when others are filming | ||
| Deleting the evidence so a friend stays out of trouble |
The whole picture
Which statement about the Uganda Martyrs is true? Circle one.
- A All of them were foreign missionaries
- B Catholics and Anglicans both died for Christ
- C They were all killed on the same day
- D They were canonized within ten years
Why is that the right answer?
Talk it over
Charles served the king loyally in everything that was right and refused what was wrong. Where do you feel pressure from someone older, more popular or more powerful, in person or online? What would help you hold your ground?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “Pressure is hardest to resist when ...”“Online, the pressure often looks like ...”“Charles had his companions. The people who help me are ...”“One line I will not cross is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, you gave your martyrs courage.
Give us clear consciences and the strength to follow them.
Make us protectors of those who are younger and weaker.
St. Charles Lwanga and companions, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
The Church in Uganda grew quickly after the martyrs died. Every June 3, huge crowds of pilgrims gather at Namugongo to honor them.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Charles Lwanga shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Choose one of the three virtue practices and do it before next week’s saint.