Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe
Ugandan Catholic Martyr
Feast: 3 June (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
At Mengo in Uganda, Saint Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe, martyr, who, head of the royal court, after receiving baptism, won many young people for Christ and defended the court pages from the vices of King Mwanga; for this, at only twenty-five years of age, he was beheaded on the order of the angry king, becoming the first victim of his persecution.
The miracles
The Roman Martyrology does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers him on 15 November as the head of the Ugandan royal court beheaded by King Mwanga, the first victim of his persecution.
Connected on this site
- Denis Ssebuggwawo Wasswa Saint“Ssebuggwawo and his twin brother Kato became catechumens and were instructed by Saint Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe.” — Wikipedia
- Roman Martyrology, 15 November (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q116550711 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.