I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear. Philippians 1:12-14 (NRSV)
James Hannington (1885)
Last Words
The last words of James, the first Anglican bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa, were: “Go, tell Mwanga I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood.”
James, who had been sent from London to East Africa as a missionary bishop in 1884, was apprehended at the orders of Mwanga, king of Buganda (a region within Uganda) and an active persecutor of Christians, as he travelled towards Uganda. After a week of brutal captivity he was murdered along with many other Christians, who had also been detained, in late October 1885.
Almighty God and Creator. You are the Father of all people on the earth. Guide, I pray, all the nations and their leaders in the ways of justice and peace. Protect us from the evils of injustice, prejudice, exploitation, conflict and war. Help us to put away mistrust, bitterness and hatred… Lead us to find peace, respect and freedom. Unite us in the making and sharing of tools of peace against ignorance, poverty, disease and oppression. Grant that we may grow in harmony and friendship as brothers and sisters created in your image to your honour and praise. Amen.
Orthodox Prayer