Janani Luwum 			February 17
Archbishop, Martyr of Uganda
The Anglican Church in Uganda, founded as the result of Church Missionary Society work in the 1870s, has long been known for its martyrs. Archbishop Janani Luwum, killed on 16 February 1977 - almost certainly on the orders of President Idi Amin himself - joined that long tradition.
Janani Luwum was born in 1922 in the Acholi district of Uganda. He had no early education, spending his youth as a goatherder. He was given a belated opportunity to begin at school and quickly showed his resourcefulness and ability to learn. His conversion to Christ happened while he was a teacher. He became an enthusiastic evangelist, so much so that he had to leave the school where he was teaching. He eventually gave up teaching and from 1949 studied theology at Buwalasi College. After a period as a lay preacher he was ordained in 1956. As Uganda gained independence from Britain, Luwum was noted as a rising indigenous leader in the church.
He became bishop of the newly-formed Diocese of Northern Uganda in 1969. Following his consecration, Janani was appointed to the Anglican Consultative Council and served on the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. In 1974 he was one of the African bishops who made a lasting impression on those attending the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation. He had been elected archbishop of Uganda shortly before this gathering.
In 1971 General Idi Amin came to power in a military coup. A reign of terror followed, and Luwum and the other bishops became prominent among those protesting Amin’s actions. The bishops wrote to Amin to protest about the many arbitrary deaths and the general reign of terror.
On 16 February 1977, after a meeting with President Amin, the archbishop was driven away, along with two government ministers. Uganda Radio announced that the three of them had been arrested, and the following morning it was stated that they had died in a car accident. It was widely known that they had in fact been shot on the orders of the president. A funeral service planned for the following Sunday was forbidden by the government, and the archbishop’s body was not released. Nevertheless 4,500 people gathered at the cathedral on Namirembe Hill, and a service was held. The singing began with the hymn associated with the martyrs of Uganda of 1885-86, “Daily, daily sing the praises”. This was caught up by the crowds, until the hill rang with the sound of the victory song, sung again and again.
For further reading:
Mary Craig, Candles in the Dark, London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1984.
For Liturgical Use
Janani Luwum was born in 1922 and became bishop of Northern Uganda in 1969 and archbishop of the Church of Uganda in 1974. He was murdered on the orders of President Idi Amin on 16 February 1977. His death was a direct result of protests made by the Ugandan bishops about the abuse of human rights under Amin’s regime. With great courage he had carried a personal protest to the president on behalf of the Church of Uganda, knowing that in doing so he was probably signing his own death warrant.
Sentence
Behold, God is my helper; it is the Lord who upholds my life. 	Psalm 54:4
Collects
Everliving God,
you gave to Janani Luwum
an infectious enthusiasm for your gospel
and courage to proclaim a prophet’s word
at the cost of his life;
give us zeal in your service
and hope in the face of adversity;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

God of the martyrs,
glorified by Janani,
archbishop of Uganda;
should danger come to us
may we be faithful.
Psalms	119:41-48	119:161-168
Readings
1 Kings 22:6-9,15-18,26-28	A persecuted prophet
2 Timothy 4:1-8		Preach the word boldly
Luke 21:12-19		Witness before rulers
Post Communion Sentence
Jesus said, “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world, will keep it for eternal life.” 		John 12:25