By FR. NICHOLAS ONYAIT MCCJ
Right from the beginnings of the Church, Martyrs have been recognized for their zeal and heroism in accepting to die rather than renounce their faith. Saint Stephen the proto-martyr (Acts 7:54cf) is honoured and revered in the Church for this.
His martyrdom we can say opened doors of courage to many other believers who so daringly were not afraid to die for their faith. As one of the Church fathers Tertullian writes in one of his aphorisms, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Indeed, their blood spilled for Christ yielded many fruits by earning more believers to Christ from the very reason of the audacious faith of the martyrs. No
wonder the beginning of the Church in many parts of the world was marked by martyrdom. In Uganda, we are privileged
that the blood of Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions not only gave roots to the Church in Uganda but also a concrete
example of witness to Christ which every Catholic in Uganda can associate with. “The Church has painstakingly collected the records
of those who persevered to the end in witnessing to their faith. These are the acts of the martyrs. They form the archives of truth written in
letters of blood.” (CCC2474). Described in the Catechism as the archives of truth written in letters of blood, the legacy of the martyrs
remains the treasure of the Church and the proof of her faith.
Still from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2473, martyrdom is defined as “the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith.
It means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears
witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of
