St. Josephine Bakhita
St. Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped as a child in Sudan and sold into slavery, then brought to Italy, where she became a Catholic and a Canossian sister. She is the patron saint of victims of human trafficking. Her feast is February 8.
In three points
- Enslaved at seven and brutally abused, she never despaired
- In Italy she came to know the God she had sensed since childhood
- She was baptized in 1890, and the courts upheld her freedom
- She became a Canossian sister and was canonized in 2000
Slavery
Born in 1869 in Olgossa, Sudan, she was kidnapped at seven and sold into slavery. Her captors named her "Bakhita," Arabic for "fortunate." Sold several times, she was beaten and bore more than a hundred scars. Yet she said, "As a slave I never despaired, because I felt within me a mysterious force that supported me." Her life shows God bringing good from suffering (see 2 Corinthians 12:8-10; Romans 8:28).
Freedom in Christ
The Italian consul Callisto Legnani bought her and treated her kindly, and she went with him to Italy. She lived with the Michieli family as nanny to their daughter Mimmina, and with her went to the Canossian Sisters in Venice. There she came to know the God she had experienced in her heart without knowing who he was (see Acts 17:22-23); as a child, seeing the sun, moon and stars, she had longed to know their Master. On January 9, 1890, she was baptized, confirmed and received First Communion as Josephine Margaret Fortunata. She chose to remain with the Sisters, and the Italian courts upheld her freedom.
St. John Paul II said she came to understand that God, not man, is the true Master of every human life, and that she is an advocate of genuine emancipation, inspiring efforts to free women and girls from oppression and violence.
Religious life and death
She entered the Canossian Sisters in 1893 and made final vows in 1896, serving the poor and teaching God's love and the freedom of forgiveness. Through long, painful illness, including lasting effects of captivity, she radiated the peace Christ promised (John 14:27), trusting God to the end (see Philippians 4:13). She died February 8, 1947.
Saint
John Paul II beatified her in 1992 and canonized her in the Jubilee Year 2000, a fitting time of release and renewal. Her feast raises awareness of human trafficking. She models forgiveness of enemies (see Matthew 5:43-48). A recognized miracle was the healing of a Brazilian woman with diabetes.
Prayer: Loving God, through the example of St. Josephine Bakhita, teach us to trust in your divine plan, even in times of suffering. May we, like her, find peace in your will and bring hope to others. Amen.
Read online with linked Scripture: catholic.id/tracts/saint-josephine-bakhita/