Her story of deliverance from physical slavery also symbolises all those who find meaning and inspiration in her life for their own deliverance from spiritual slavery. The Pope prayed to Saint Bakhita and asked that she intercede and assist trafficking victims. Watch Two Suitcases: The Story of St. Josephine Bakhita, available to stream or on DVD from Amazon. Saint John Cassian's feast day is February 29. Once liberated from your physical enslavement, Caritas Bakhita House in London, which provides accommodation and support for women escaping human trafficking, is named in her honour. Later in life, she devoted herself to promoting Catholic missions to Africa. In total, she bore 144 physical scars for the rest of her life. An example followed by her successors, who pointed her out both to scholars and the poor, declaring her patroness of the victims and those who work to free people from all slavery, touching the flesh of Christ in those they serve. For the rest of her life, Bakhita remained in Italy and lived as a free woman. Their chance came one day when the overseer carelessly left them unchained and alone. Bakhita lived and worked in various locations in Africa until an Italian consul bought her and moved his family back to their hometown of Schio, Italy. She was forced to wear heavy chains to prevent her from escaping, as she had tried to do by enteringthe forest, where she experienced for the first time the guidance of a divine light; but, having avoided the danger of the jaws of fierce beasts, she was once again captured by deception. Despite the terrible things she had endured, Bakhita dedicated the rest of her life to serving God, her fellow sisters, and mankind; she was a much beloved, respected member of her community. She had freely chosen to belong to God, by whom she felt loved, and accepted once again the separation from those she loved. She rubbed the wounds with salt to make the scars permanent. Dagnino, pp. She felt that she was always walking in the light, guided by the One she did not know, but who she knew was present in the circumstances that brought her to Italy, allowing her to know and love Jesus who for us who are His children was crucified, and she was joyful to belong to him as his bride. Bakhita says: "During all the years I stayed in that house, I do not recall a day that passed without some wound or other. To all our readers, Please don't scroll past this. "It is an act of justice for the rich to help the poor." Saint Josephine, affectionately known as Bakhita ("fortunate one"), was born in the southern Sudan region of Darfur. [14] In May 1992, news of her beatification was banned by Khartoum which Pope John Paul II visited nine months later. Zanini, Roberto Italo (2013). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Since the villa in Zianigo was already sold, Bakhita and Mimmina needed a temporary place to stay while Micheli went to Sudan without them. On the advice of their business agent Illuminato Cecchini, on 29 November 1888, Michieli left both in the care of the Canossian Sisters in Venice. She was baptized on January 9, 1890 and took the name Josephine Margaret and Fortunata. She also traveled and visited other convents telling her story to other sisters and preparing them for work in Africa. Would she be treated like a slave again or could she still hope to have the human dignity she had experienced in the consuls home? They travelled a risky 650-kilometre (400mi) trip on camelback to Suakin, which was the largest port of Sudan. Her memories remind us that what bonds us is the same need for love, well beyond our individual beliefs. She has been adopted as the patron saint of modern Sudan and human trafficking survivors. She was baptized in 1890 and given the name Josephine. This decentralization from herself manifested a creative generosity; for this was already the beginning of a path of redemption that rooted altruism in her. Bakhita was drawn to the Catholic Church. (Fortunata is the Latin translation for her Arabic name, Bakhita). The history of her life inspires not passive acceptance but the firm resolve to work effectively to free girls and women from oppression and violence, and to return them to their dignity in the full exercise of their rights.. For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today". Her simplicity was convincing and danger was averted. you found true redemption in your encounter with Christ and his Church. How can you, your family, or an organization you belong to reach out in solidarity. She became a Canossian nun in December 1896 and remained at the convent for another 42 years. Saint Josephine Bakhita Saint stories - Teaching Catholic Kids Bilinge: Encontrando a Dios / Finding God, Encontrando a Dios / Finding God (Espaol), Encontrando a Dios / Finding God (English), Catequistas Y Maestros / Catechists & Teachers, En El Orden Restaurado: Descripcion Del Programa, Nuestra Seora De GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe. During her 42 years in Schio, Bakhita was employed as the cook, sacristan, and portress (doorkeeper) and was in frequent contact with the local community. With your help we can eradicate human trafficking in our lifetime. She became a Canossian nun in December 1896 and remained at the convent for another 42 years. Image credit: Saint Josephine Bakhita by unknown artist, unknown date. These were her last audible words.[23]. (Fortunata is the Latin translation for her Arabic name, Bakhita). On the evening of February 8, 1947, Josephine spoke her last words, "Our Lady, Our Lady!" If Catholic Online has given you $5.00 worth of knowledge this year, take a minute to donate. Bakhita is a saint in the Catholic Church. Bakhita Charities is named after her. Josephine was her confirmation name. She was five years old when her older sister was kidnapped and when Bakhita was about seven years old, she experienced the same tragedy herself. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering. Saint Josephine Bakhita is the patron saint of Sudan and her feast day is celebrated on February 8. She was kidnapped by slave traders at the age of seven; they gave her the name Bakhita, which means lucky. She died in 1947 in Italy. Another owner, a Turkish general, gave Josephine to his wife and mother-in-law, who would beat her daily. This ironic new name did not describe the brutal and humiliating treatment Bakhita received on a daily basis. What happened to the Catholic Knights Hospitaller? 2) The name 'Bakhita' was given to her by her ensalver, it means "lucky" or "fortunate". We partner with people like you. Birth: 1869. She said, "during that time I could hear more and more clearly the gentle voice of the Lord, urging me to consecrate myself to God. In 1902, she was transferred to the city of Schio (northeast of Verona), where she assisted her religious community through cooking, sewing, embroidery, and welcoming visitors at the door. The colour of her skin had either frightened or attracted the little ones, who thought she was made of chocolate, and intrigued the grown-ups, who had never seen people of other ethnic groups; but that very colour became the privilege given them to have known and loved someone who was different, and to receive love in return. . But she always remained cheerful. Spanish court to investigate artists for exhibiting blasphemous sculptures, Full text of Bishop Paul Coakleys pastoral letter on gender dysphoria, transgender movement, Hundreds of faithful gather in prayer for Pope Francis at Budapests oldest parish church, Pope Francis says he did not lose consciousness before hospitalization in March, Pope Francis warns of technological domination, threat to human ecology at university in Hungary, The Good Shepherd calls us to open our hearts to love, Pope Francis says at Mass in Hungary, TEXT: Dont be couch potatoes! Pope Francis urges youth. In Venice, her story of ransom from slavery, the gift of her faith was well known. She is the only saint originally from Sudan and she is now the patron saint of Sudan. It was then that we felt how in these years the passage from testimony to devotion was taking place. Her mistress spent three days trying to persuade her to leave the sisters, but Josephine remained steadfast. Thank you. Surrounded by the sisters, she died at age 78. She was forced to walk barefoot about 960 kilometres (600mi) to El-Obeid and was sold and bought twice before she arrived there. Five interesting facts about St. Josephine Bakhita is she was a former slave who became a Canossian Religious sister in Italy. Assisted suicide in the United States: Where is it legal? This is the awareness of those who recognize in her a prophecy for these times of migration flows towards Italy, a land considered by many as the doorway to Europe. Bakhita remained in the catechumenate where she experienced the call . She even received a new name at her baptism: Josephine Margaret Bakhita. She was gentle and charismatic, and was often referred to lovingly as the "little brown sister" or honorably as the "black mother.". In March 1885 they left Suakin for Italy and arrived at the port of Genoa in April. According to Josephine, she had always known about God, who created all things, but she did not know who He was. Although she was just a child, she was forced to walk barefoot over 600 miles to a slave market in El Obeid. [6][7][8] She was also forcibly converted to Islam. Josephine Bakhita was made a saint on by October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul ll. This caused the superior of the institute for baptismal candidates among the sisters to complain to Italian authorities on Josephine's behalf. On that 8 February 1947, young and old still sought her for a greeting, to touch her hand, still soft and warm, and to receive a last caress from her: they wanted to hold her forever. She who worked under many masters was finally happy to address God as master and carry out everything that she believed to be Gods will for her. What St. Josephine Bakhita's story taught me about suffering She would suffer a total of 114 scars from this abuse. Her owners named her Bakhita, Arabic for lucky or fortunate. In some instances these are homes that hosted her during her life, and which have now been made available for humanitarian corridors as in Olate in the province of Lecco or they are employment training centres, even places to play football in high risk areas. The judge concluded that since slavery was illegal in Italy, she had actually been free since 1885. Josephine Bakhita (c. 1869 - 8 February 1947) was a Sudanese-born former slave who became a Roman Catholic Canossian nun in Italy, living and working there for 45 years. She was deeply moved by her time with the sisters and discerned a call to follow Christ. LIVED: Bakhita was born in 1869 in Sudan. She was given to people she did not know, albeit with the promise of good treatment, but as she left Genoa her heart was in turmoil. Who is Bakhita? Bakhita Kids With a passion to eradicate human trafficking, Elizabeth Lee is ATIs Volunteer/Intern Coordinator and Senior Advisor. New Subscription In 2019, Pope Francis drew attention to the scourge of human trafficking on Saint Bakhitas feast day and called upon government leaders worldwide to intervene and stop the trafficking of persons. Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan . She also received the sacraments of her first holy communion and confirmation on the same day. Bakhita was not a Christian, but she had always looked to the night sky and wanted to know the One who had created the moon and stars. Learn more about the people of Sudan and the ongoing conflict in their country. In her final days she relived the agony of her enslavement and is said to have called out, Please, loosen the chains. Imitating Him, let us place our confidence not in riches, but in your love and embrace. As her mistress watched, ready with a whip, another woman drew patterns on her skin with flour, then cut into her flesh with a blade. When her mistress returned from Sudan, Josephine refused to leave. While she was in the custody of the sisters, she came to learn about God. Two years later, he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his friend Augusto Michieli. To the girls who asked her if she wished to be born white she said no: for her everything her Master/her Lord had done was fine. Alice Michieli was born in Zianigo, the municipality of Mirano in the Veneto region, in 1886. In 2015, her feast day became the first international day for prayer and reflection on human trafficking. St. Josephine Bakhita | Roman Catholic saint | Britannica But that was not the end of her story. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. She was given away to another family as a gift and she served them as a nanny. Josephines body was mutilated by those who enslaved her, but they could not touch her spirit. Now she looked to the sky for guidance once morebut this time, to her surprise, she saw a beautiful figure, bathed in light and smiling at her. Josephine Bakhita is the Patron Saint of Human Trafficking. At some point during her captivity she was given the name Bakhita, which is Arabic for fortunate., One of her early captors forced her to serve as a maid. 2023 Loyola Press. [20] A strong missionary drive animated her throughout her entire life "her mind was always on God, and her heart in Africa".[21]. When Bakhita was seven or eight, Arab slave traders kidnapped her and sold her into slavery. Your email address will not be published. Read his story here. Josephine wrote that as soon as one wound would heal, they would inflict another. Copyright 2023 Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Irondale, Alabama. Author and Publisher - Catholic Online As a slave, her experiences varied from fair treatment to cruel. We rejoiced to learn that the human integration centre in Cerignola is dedicated to her. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. [11] She lived there for three years and became nanny to the Michieli's daughter Alice, known as 'Mimmina', born in February 1886. Italian saint and former slave (18691947), Dagnino, p.10. She died on 8 February 1947 in the country of Italy, in the city of Vincenza. The terrified girl was bought and sold at least two times over the next few months and forced to walk hundreds of miles on foot to a slave market in Al-Ubayyi in south-central Sudan. She spent so much time in captivity that she forgot her original name. When she died her tenderness transfused into her mortal flesh and carried on attracting people. Her story is noteworthy. Amen. Her new owners, needing to do business in Sudan, temporarily placed her and their daughter in the custody of the Canossian Sisters at the Institute of the Catechumens in Venice in 1888. On 29 November 1889, at the Catechumens, something similar to a trial took place regarding her choice not to return to the life of slavery, and she was declared free. Saint Josephine Bakhita, pray for us. 29-32. Saint Josephine Bakhita- Patron Saint of Human Trafficking Customer Service:cservice @franciscanmedia.org, Technical Questions:support @franciscanmedia.org, Writers GuidelinesPrivacy PolicyPost a Prayer RequestDonor Portal. But she always remained cheerful. In the new house in Schio she found herself dressed like the other Canossian sisters, but so different from them as to arouse curiosity and the desire to meet her. Mother Josephine Bakhita - Vatican Renew your gift subscription St. Josephine BakhitaA Model of Faith | Franciscan Media Bakhita Charities for Southern Africa, Inc. 2014 by Bakhita Charities Created with wix.com, 2014 by Bakhita Charities Created with w. She was beatified on May 17, 1992, by Pope John Paul II and canonized by him on October 1, 2000. What did she do while she was ministering She ministered as a cook, seamstress, sacristan, and doorkeeper, living simply and lovingly. She chose to remain with the Canossian Sisters. ", After prayer and discernment, Josephine joined the religious order, pronouncing her religious vows on 8 December 1896 at the age of 27. When she was on door duty, she would gently lay her hands on the heads of the children who attended the nearby school and caress them. They ran through the wilderness all night, terrified of being caught and even more terrified of the roars of wild beasts; whenever the animals came too close, they took shelter in a tree. Mothers lifted her hands and placed them on the heads of their children, praying for her blessing. Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. [2] She was one of the Daju people;[3][4] her respected and reasonably prosperous father was brother of the village chief. Corrections? What happened to the Catholic Knights Hospitaller? She patiently suffered long painful years of sickness in her old age and continued to attest to Christian hope. When the child was about seven months old, Bakhita accompanied her to Suakin in Africa, where, in the hotel bought by the Michieli family, she experienced the awful conditions she would have fallen back into, had she stayed there. In 1877, when she was 7-8 years old, she was seized by Arab slave traders, who had abducted her elder sister two years earlier. Her first owner, a wealthy Arab, gave her to his daughters as a maid. Towards the end of her testimony at the canonization process, where she recounted her meetings with Mother Bakhita which inspired her first biography entitled Storia meravigliosa(Tale of Wonder) in 1931, she said: When I wrote the story of Bakhita I scrupulously followed the accounts and considerations that Mother Bakhita had told me in Venice. At the age of 13 she was sold to a Turkish general and every day his mistresses punished her with whips and beatings. Author and Publisher - Catholic Online. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering. She was kidnapped by slave traders at the age of seven; they gave her the name Bakhita, which means "lucky." She died in 1947 in Italy. When the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take Mimmina and Josephine back with them, the future saint refused to go. Top 10 facts about Josephine | Express.co.uk She left Suakin, then a flourishing port on the Red Sea, and arrived in Genoa where she witnessed what Italian migrants, leaving the same port to look for work, would experience on their arrival in foreign lands. Through baptism she discovered that what makes us free is Gods breath in us and with this freedom she wanted to free everyone: with understanding, advice, gently, always giving thanks, saying: See you in Heaven!. Her story is noteworthy. By. Amen. 3) Her feast day marks an international day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking. Her historical experience suggests anthropological and spiritual reflections that amazingly manifest the divine imprint of the Creator in a good heart which the harshness of slavery, torture and tireless work have revealed almost as a precious metal purified by fire. On 17 May 1992, she was declared Blessed and given 8 February as her feast day. Her owners named her Bakhita, Arabic for lucky or fortunate. 5 things the Catholic woman should keep in her purse, St. Marculf: Saint of the Day for Monday, May 01, 2023, To Saint Peregrine: Prayer of the Day for Monday, May 01, 2023. Before long, they were planning an escape. According to Josephine, she had always known about God, who created all things, but she did not know who He was. She is venerated as a modern African saint, and as a statement against the brutal history of slavery. While she was in the custody of the sisters, she came to learn about God. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. Her sacraments were administered by Archbishop Giuseppe Sarto, who would later become Pope Pius X. She was of the Daju people; her respected and reasonably prosperous father was a brother of the village chief. St. Josephine Bakhita Novena | Pray Catholic Novenas For three days, her body lay in repose while thousands of people arrived to pay their respects. Saint Josephine Bakhita | Franciscan Media Bakhita herself never mentions this incident. Born in a village in Sudan, kidnapped by slavers, often beaten and abused, and later sold to Federico Marin, a Venetian merchant, Bakhita then came to Italy and became the nanny servant of Federico's daughter, Aurora, who had lost her mother at birth. The sisters she lived with experienced the humanizing power of motherhood in her friendship. If you are one of our rare donors, you have our gratitude and we warmly thank you. When Mrs. Michieli returned to fetch her daughter and the enslaved nanny, Josephine resolutely refused to leave the institute. 800-621-1008 Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. Born in Darfur in 1869, Josephine Bakhita was taken by Arab slave traders when she was 9. And although bombs fell on their village, not one citizen died. Although the figure led Bakhita and her friend safely out of the wilderness, the girls were caught by another slaver late the next day and sold on. At the end of 1884 they escaped from a besieged Khartoum with a friend, Augusto Michieli. In 1958, the process of canonization began for Josephine under Pope John XXIII. Under their care, Josephine was drawn to the Roman Catholic Church. After that, she was sold. Whether airline employees, medical professionals, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, or businesses,ATI stops trafficking before it startsby partnering with you at the community-level toeliminate the threat. Spend some time reflecting on areas of your life where you are not free. 1751 Pinnacle Drive Suite 600 | McLean, Virginia 22102, National Human Trafficking Intelligence Center, Parent Coalition to End Human Trafficking. [11][12] As her mistress was watching her with a whip in her hand, a dish of white flour, a dish of salt and a razor were brought by a woman. Birth: 1869. Her only extended time away was between 1935 and 1939, when she stayed at the Missionary Novitiate in Vimercate (Milan); mostly visiting other Canossian communities in Italy, talking about her experiences and helping to prepare young sisters for work in Africa. If you donate just $5.00, or whatever you can, Catholic Online could keep thriving for years. Something maybe not as well-known about St. Josephine Bakhita is that her body was scarred all over. She was given away to another family as a gift and she served them as a nanny. She was eventually assigned to a convent in Schio. Each ofATIs initiatives equips you in the fight against human traffickingby providing focused resources developed by survivors as well as experts with firsthand experience. On 29 November 1889, an Italian court ruled that because the British had outlawed slavery in Sudan before Bakhita's birth and because Italian law had never recognized slavery as legal, Bakhita had never legally been a slave. Her last years were marked by pain and sickness. She lay in state for three days, and mourners noticed that her limbs remained flexible. She was declared free. She was bought and sold at least twice during the grueling journey. Our mistress stood behind us, whip in hand. February 8 is the feast day of Saint Josephine Bakhita. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Saint Gabriel Francis Possenti's feast day is February 28. [16] Two years later, when Legnani himself had to return to Italy, Bakhita begged to go with him. For had she not been kidnapped, she might never have come to know Jesus Christ and entered His Church. Bakhita: From Slave to Saint, p. 81. Customer Service Because, if those things had not happened, I would not have become a Christian and would not be a Sister today.. This was the school of the Creator that she attended after the school of her family, which she always longed for. As a slave, her experiences varied from fair treatment to cruel. Patron Saint - St Josephine Bakhita - Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. And although bombs fell on their village, not one citizen died. She would suffer a total of 114 scars from this abuse. Her body lay on display for three days afterwards. 42743. Who is St. Josephine Bakhita? 5 Lessons from a 20th Century Saint - FOCUS Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! She seems to be always ready, on the right hand of her Master, ready to become his spokesperson to help us and support us in the trials of life. Although she was just a child, she was forced to walk barefoot over 600 miles to a slave market in El Obeid. For the next 12 years she would be bought, sold and given away over a dozen times. Provide comfort to survivors of slavery and let them look to you as an example of hope Josephine wrote that as soon as one wound would heal, they would inflict another. Advertising Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Episcopal Church in the United States of America, "AFROL Background Josephine Bakhita an African Saint", "Canossian Daughters of Charity Who We Are", Black Catholic Theology: A Historical Perspective, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josephine_Bakhita&oldid=1152154584, 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns, Sudanese Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns, Christian female saints of the Late Modern era, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using Template:Post-nominals with customized linking, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 1 October 2000, St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 15:04.