Namugongo Martyrs Day
Every year on 3 June, our school joins the pilgrims at Namugongo Shrine to remember the Uganda Martyrs. It is a day of travel, prayer and faith that we share as one school community.
Applications are open for Senior 1, Senior 5 and transfer students.
3 June
Martyrs Day is on 3 June every year.
A day the whole school keeps
The feast of the Uganda Martyrs on 3 June is one of the most important days for Christians in Uganda. Millions of people travel to Namugongo to pray and give thanks for the 45 young Christians, 22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans, who were killed for their faith between 1885 and 1887.
As a Catholic founded school, we go to Namugongo every year. It is part of who we are, and for many students it becomes one of the days they remember most from school.
"Many of the martyrs were teenagers. Going to Namugongo reminds us what it means to hold on to what is right, even when it costs you."
More about the day
A national pilgrimage
Pilgrims come from all over Uganda and East Africa, on foot or by road. Schools, parishes and families all make the journey. It is one of the largest Christian gatherings in Africa.
Why we go
Our school is named after St. Joseph and founded on Catholic values. Going to Namugongo each year is how we remember the faith the martyrs died for.
Students of other faiths
We welcome students of all faiths. Students who are not Catholic come as members of the school family and are not asked to take part in Catholic worship. Many Anglicans and other Christians also keep this day, because martyrs from both churches died.
What students take home
Travelling with thousands of pilgrims, praying at the shrine and coming back together as a school is something students remember long after they leave.
- 1Who they wereForty-five young men, 22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans, killed between 1885 and 1887 on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II of Buganda. Many were pages at the royal court who had become Christians and would not give up their faith. St. Charles Lwanga, who led the Catholic group, was in his mid-twenties.
- 2How they diedMany were burned to death at Namugongo on 3 June 1886. Others were killed in other places in the months before and after. Their courage led many more people in Uganda to become Christians.
- 3Made saintsThe 22 Catholic martyrs were declared Blessed by Pope Benedict XV in 1920 and made saints by Pope Paul VI on 18 October 1964. They were among the first saints from Africa south of the Sahara in modern times. Martyrs Day, 3 June, is now a public holiday in Uganda.
- 4Why NamugongoNamugongo is where St. Charles Lwanga and many of the martyrs were killed. The Uganda Martyrs Basilica now stands there, and it is the place pilgrims travel to every 3 June.
- 1Getting readyIn the weeks before 3 June, students learn about the martyrs and what the pilgrimage means, so the day is more than a break from school.
- 2Travelling togetherThe school organises the journey. Students and staff travel together and stay together as a school group at the shrine.
- 3At the shrineCatholic students and staff join the prayers, processions and Mass of the feast day.
- 4Back at schoolStudents return the same day. In the days after, they have time to talk about what the day meant to them.
For parents: travel and supervision plans for 3 June are shared at the start of Term 2. Email info@jonahs.ac.ug or call +256 788 262 797 to ask.
Places for 2027
A Catholic founded school that welcomes every student. Apply for Senior 1 or Senior 5.