Heavenly Father, through the intercession of Saint Bakhita, grant us a poor and simple heart, like that of Mary and of your Son who became poor for the love of us. Hers was not the skin of an Italian aristocrat but rather a child kidnapped and forcibly relocated in the slave trade. After only nine months, Bakhita unexpectedly left Africa with Mimmina who did not want to leave her behind. A total of 114 intricate patterns were cut into her breasts, belly and into her right arm.[13][14]. Her uncle was a tribal chief, and her family was relatively prosperous. She used a wheelchair but she retained her cheerfulness, and if asked how she was, she would always smile and answer: "As the Master desires." Canonized: October 1, 2000. For three days, Michieli tried to force the issue, finally appealing to the attorney general of the King of Italy; while the superior of the Institute for baptismal candidates (catechumenate) that Bakhita attended contacted the Patriarch of Venice about her protege's problem. ADVENTURES: Many weeks after being kidnapped, Bakhita found herself at a slave market, chained to another girl her age. Her voice was pleasing to the little ones, comforting to the poor and suffering. 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. Awareness of how much the family had already suffered increased her pain knowing that her people were suffering for her, too. Mother Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan in 1869 and died in Schio (Vicenza) in 1947. [20] A strong missionary drive animated her throughout her entire life "her mind was always on God, and her heart in Africa".[21]. 800-621-1008 Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. She would suffer a total of 114 scars from this abuse. Dagnino, pp. For the event, some Canossian sisters travelled from Verona to hold a vigil with young people [with the theme]: A light in the night against human trafficking. 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.. Augusto Michieli acquired a large hotel there and decided to sell his property in Italy and to move his family to Sudan permanently. He eventually took her to Italy and gave her to the Michieli family to serve as a nanny. Bakhita died at 8:10 PM on 8 February 1947. Saint Bakhita lived long ago. She was loved by many in the city and was a bastion of comfort during the trials and bombings of World War II. 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. This year, the liturgical feast of Saint Bakhita invited us to rediscover ourselves invited by life to the school of love, and of humanity. As she said: If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, or even those who tortured me, I would kneel down and kiss their hands. 6 Facts About St Josephine Bakhita. She arrived in Italy for the first time. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. A bronze sculpture of Saint Josephine Bakhita, patron of trafficking victims, will be installed in the Vatican. Find out where they obtain services in your community, and volunteer to help. In her later years, she began to suffer physical pain and was forced to use a wheelchair. On December 1st, 1978, Pope John Paul II declared her venerable. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. This project was carried out in collaboration between the municipality and the diocesan Caritas. Selling his house and lands took longer than expected. 2) The name 'Bakhita' was given to her by her ensalver, it means "lucky" or "fortunate". The girls passed long hours telling one another about their families and how they had been kidnapped. For the next 12 years she would be bought, sold and given away over a dozen times. Permission Guidelines Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. 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. Our mistress stood behind us, whip in hand. [16] Two years later, when Legnani himself had to return to Italy, Bakhita begged to go with him. 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. 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. Saint Josephine Bakhita is an African saint, who was born in Sudan around 1869, and died on 8 February 1947, in Italy. The Patriarch of Venice was informed, and he sought the advice of the Kings attorney. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 1869 8 February 1947) was a Sudanese-Italian Canossian religious sister who lived in Italy for 45 years, after having been a slave in Sudan. (Fortunata is the Latin translation for her Arabic name, Bakhita). Also known as: Josephine Margaret Bakhita, Mother Josephine Bakhita. At the age of nine, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery, where a series of owners humiliated, tortured and mutilated her. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. She was born in Sudan, Africa to a loving, and prosperous family. St. Josephine Bakhita - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Saint Josephine Bakhita | EWTN She was a woman of immense faith and forgiveness. She used the flour to draw patterns on her skin and then she cut deeply along the lines before filling the wounds with salt to ensure permanent scarring. The day when her life turned into a nightmare, that terrified 9-year-old girl forgot everything, even her . Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of 7, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate. Bakhita's skin underwent the painful and horrendous Sudanese custom of scarring slaves - where a pattern was cut into the skin with a razor. Author and Publisher - Catholic Online. She spent so much time in captivity that she forgot her original name. 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. Someone asked her, "How are you? Her owners named her Bakhita, Arabic for lucky or fortunate. It is said that the trauma of her abduction caused her to forget her original name; she took one given to her by the slavers, bakhta (), Arabic for 'lucky' or 'fortunate'. She was known for her charisma and gentleness and even expressed gratitude that her past horrors had brought her to her current life. She was baptized in 1890 and given the name Josephine. In total, she bore 144 physical scars for the rest of her life. Her gentleness, calming voice, and the ever-present smile became well known and Vicenzans still refer to her as Sor Moretta ("little brown sister") or Madre Moretta ("black mother"). She once said, Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. She then remained in the catechumenate for four more years. The testimonies present us her filial, apostolic which will see us meet again in Heaven and fraternal friendship. The case went to court, and the court found that slavery had been outlawed in Sudan before Josephine was born, so she could not be lawfully made slave. One year later, when Mrs Michieli returned to take her daughter and Bakhita back to Suakin, she refused for the first time. Her remains were translated to the Church of the Holy Family of the Canossian convent of Schio in 1969. Canonized: October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. Josephine celebrated the sacraments of initiation, receiving the name Josephine. She was declared free. As for many migrants today, she explained to those who asked her the reason for her choices, that if she had given in to the insistence to return to her land, she would have lost body and soul. When speaking of her enslavement, she often professed she would thank her kidnappers. Sadly, the news of her beatification in 1992 was censored in Sudan. [9], In El-Obeid, Bakhita was bought by a rich Arab who used her as a maid for his two daughters. / Holy See Press Office. She lay in state for three days, and mourners noticed that her limbs remained flexible. St. Josephine BakhitaA Model of Faith. On the evening of February 8, 1947, Josephine spoke her last words, "Our Lady, Our Lady!" She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name Josephine. She is the only saint originally from Sudan and she is now the patron saint of Sudan. ", After prayer and discernment, Josephine joined the religious order, pronouncing her religious vows on 8 December 1896 at the age of 27. She and other enslaved women were forced to undergo a traditional Sudanese practice that left her permanently scarred with 114 patterns cut into her skin and rubbed with salt and flour. We increase awareness and teach you how to intercept trafficking as early as possible. This ironic new name did not describe the brutal and humiliating treatment Bakhita received on a daily basis. If anyone asked her how she was, she would reply, "As the master desires.". She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. Your email address will not be published. Saint Josephine Bakhita, pray for us. "[27], Pope Benedict XVI, on 30 November 2007, in the beginning of his second encyclical letter Spe Salvi ("In Hope We Were Saved"), relates her life story as an outstanding example of the Christian hope. I thought I would die, especially when salt was poured in the wounds it was by a miracle of God I didn't die. Amen. 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. The little girl had never worn a dress until the day two scowling men appeared in the fields, blocking her path and holding a knife to her side, kidnapping her much as one might snatch a hen from its coop. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. 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. Bombs did not spare Schio, but the war passed without a single casualty. Josephine Bakhita is the Patron Saint of Human Trafficking. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Her first owner, a wealthy Arab, gave her to his daughters as a maid. Bakhita converted to Christianity and was baptized and confirmed in 1890. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. He canonized her on October 1, 2000. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering. In 1885, to avoid the danger to his life as a result ofpolitical unrest, Consul Legnani was forced to leave Africa and Bakhita convinced him to take her with him. Her body lay on display for three days afterwards. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Over the course of twelve years (18771889) she was sold three more times and then she was finally given her freedom. Bakhita replied, "Yes, I am so happy: Our Lady Our Lady!" She passed away on February 8, 1947. Bakhita is a saint in the Catholic Church. Continue reading about St. Josephine Bakhita St. Josephine Bakhita St. Josephine Vannini 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. Slavery was illegal in Italy, so Bakhita was able to leave her Italian owners and follow Gods calling for her. Her story is noteworthy. Their chance came one day when the overseer carelessly left them unchained and alone. 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. She was given away to another family as a gift and she served them as a nanny. 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. Meet St. Josephine Bakhita! By the end of 1882, El-Obeid came under the threat of an attack of Mahdist revolutionaries. Saint of the Day for Monday, May 1st, 2023. She soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters school and the local citizens. Birth: 1869. It is interesting what Ida Zanolini, a lay Canossian woman who published Mother Bakhitas first biography, wrote about her. This is the secret of her inner freedom, of her upstanding will, of her courageous choices born of a hope which does not disappoint, but sustains faith and charity of heart. Josephine wrote that as soon as one wound would heal, they would inflict another. 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. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a24650c9343008eb8a6585a97221ebfb" );document.getElementById("c8429a34be").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sadly, the news of her beatification in 1992 was censored in Sudan. Italian saint and former slave (18691947), Dagnino, p.10. Customer Service Josephine Bakhita was born around 1869 in Sudan. [3][22] During the Second World War (19391945) she shared the fears and hopes of the townspeople, who considered her a saint and felt protected by her presence. When she died her tenderness transfused into her mortal flesh and carried on attracting people. Beatified: May 17, 1992 The first steps toward her beatification began in 1959. It was then that we felt how in these years the passage from testimony to devotion was taking place. She also traveled and visited other convents telling her story to other sisters and preparing them for work in Africa. The Archbishop who gave her the sacraments was none other than Giusseppe Sarto, the Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, who would later become Pope Pius X. Josephine became a novice with the CanossianDaughters of Charity religious order on December 7, 1893, and took her final vows on December 8, 1896. During the war, because of her colour, she was also mistaken for being a spy, but she did not get upset, she accompanied those who wanted to arrest her to where she lived and, showing them the window in her room, explained that since her arrival in Italy she had received the gift of vocation. In 1883, the Turkish general sold her to the Italian Vice Consul, Callisto Legani. She was born around 1869 in Darfur (now in western Sudan) in the village of Olgossa, west of Nyala and close to Mount Agilerei. Evangelii Gaudium, n. 224). In 1883, Bakhita was bought in Khartoum by the Italian Vice Consul Callisto Legnani, who did not beat or punish her. Although she was just a child, she was forced to walk barefoot over 600 miles to a slave market in El Obeid. Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. Privacy Statement, Five ways for parents to prepare children for First Holy Communion, Four quick and crafty ways to celebrate Thanksgiving with Catholic kids, 9 tips for a successful family prayer time. Faith can be an important component in the road to recovery for many survivors, as was the case for Bakhita. In the new house she found peace of heart and dignity of the body, finally dressed not in a straw tutu but in a white robe. Updates? When Pope Francis enlightens us on social justice, to give us the joy of the Gospel, he seems to illustrate the program already carried out by Saint Bakhita that uses the word humanity to describe what, instead, was inhuman, such as the treatment of slaves. Omissions? If Catholic Online has given you $5.00 worth of knowledge this year, take a minute to donate. In her later years, she began to suffer physical pain and was forced to use a wheelchair. She was bought and sold at least twice during the grueling journey. Forced to walk 600 miles to southern Sudan, she was bought and sold before arriving in El Obeid. 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. 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? Imitating Him, let us place our confidence not in riches, but in your love and embrace. Through Christ Our Lord. She was known for her gentle voice and smile. Public Domain via Wikimedia. She has her M.S. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. In her final days she relived the agony of her enslavement and is said to have called out, Please, loosen the chains. On this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, as organizations, governments, and individuals all over the world pause to rededicate themselves to their anti-trafficking goals, it is important that we listen to the stories of survivors and let them guide us in our work. 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. 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. "[10], She once said that the most terrifying of all of her memories there was when she (along with other slaves) was marked by a process resembling both scarification and tattooing, which was a traditional practice throughout Sudan. With your help we can eradicate human trafficking in our lifetime. LIVED: Bakhita was born in 1869 in Sudan. Gift Subscription During World War II, the people of the village of Schio regarded her as their protector. Shop St. Josephine Bakhita. 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. Daughter of St. Magdalene.
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