Her memories remind us that what bonds us is the same need for love, well beyond our individual beliefs. During World War II, the people of the village of Schio regarded her as their protector. [28], Josephine Margaret Bakhita is honored with a Lesser Feast on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America,[1] also on 8 February.[29]. Spend some time reflecting on areas of your life where you are not free. 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. I am dark but beautiful: this is her song of love, the gift of her closeness to those who seek her as a humble sister freed from the love that God has planted in our hearts. 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. 'Bakhita' was not the name she received from her parents at birth. Imitating Him, let us place our confidence not in riches, but in your love and embrace. And although bombs fell on their village, not one citizen died. Read her story here. (ca. Her mistress spent three days trying to persuade her to leave the sisters, but Josephine remained steadfast. state of slavery; Thank you. 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. The day when her life turned into a nightmare, that terrified 9-year-old girl forgot everything, even her . Author and Publisher - Catholic Online. Died: 1947 in Italy She wanted to be good, to obey the one who gave her joy in following his voice that enlightened her from the heart. He had destined me for better things." Where would she be taken? The next fifty years of her life were marked by simplicity, witnessing to Gods love through cooking, sewing, embroidery and attending to the door. Josephine was born in the Daju village of Olgossa in Darfur. [24], The petitions for her canonization began immediately, and the process commenced by Pope John XXIII in 1959, twelve years after her death. This martyrdom ended when, in 1882, she was bought by Callisto Legnani, an Italian consular agent in Sudan. 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. She is the only saint originally from Sudan and she is now the patron saint of Sudan. Saint Bakhita lived long ago. 2) The name 'Bakhita' was given to her by her ensalver, it means "lucky" or "fortunate". For 10 years, this inheritance has been taken up by the Bakhita Committee which has now become an Association in order to continue the caring work that today Bakhita would have liked to carry out for her own people. Bakhita is a saint in the Catholic Church. While Mimmina was being instructed, Josephine felt drawn to the Catholic Church. Josephine Bakhita, you were sold into slavery as a child Daughter of St. Magdalene. She chose to remain with the Canossian Sisters. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering. "[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. Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. For the next 12 years she would be bought, sold and given away over a dozen times. Birth: 1869. Mothers lifted her hands and placed them on the heads of their children, praying for her blessing. Another owner, a Turkish general, gave Josephine to his wife and mother-in-law, who would beat her daily. Advertising The sisters answered her questions. 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. Who are the immigrants in your local community? In 2000, she was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Everything is amazing in her, just as the restoring water which gushes out of a spring! Through Christ Our Lord. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In 2015, her feast day became the first international day for prayer and reflection on human trafficking. Everyone plays a rolein helping to end human trafficking. Beatified: May 17, 1992 Her story is noteworthy. Born in the village of Olgossa (Darfur, Sudan) in 1869, Bakhita had a twin sister, she was loved and she lived peacefully. Given the name "Bakhita", which means "lucky one" Tortured, abused, and mutilated Forced to receive over 60 tattoos made painfully with a razor and salt Finally at age 14 she was a nanny to an Italian family Learned about God from the Sisters of Charity while attending to a Christian child If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Bakhita knew how to value true riches and chose eternal treasures. Customer Service:cservice @franciscanmedia.org, Technical Questions:support @franciscanmedia.org, Writers GuidelinesPrivacy PolicyPost a Prayer RequestDonor Portal. It was there that Bakhita first heard the gospel and believed that it was Gods will that she be free. She was resold several times, finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani, Italian consul in Khartoum, Sudan. 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. Bulk Subscription, About Indeed, she spent twelve years in cruel slavery. The figure pointed the way to go, and Bakhita led her companion in that direction. Everyone assured us that they had met her. She then died. Although Bakhita never learned to read and write, she became well versed in scripture and told her story, which became her astounding biography. 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. St. Josephine BakhitaA Model of Faith. On February 8, the Church commemorates the life of St. Josephine Bakhita, a Canossian Sister who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Sudan. For her arrival in Italy, there had been no need for a passport. ATIs tools are designed to ensure that your efforts deliver effective results. Evangelii Gaudium, n. 224). She was seven years old when her good heart experienced the pain of seeing her companions unjustly suffer as slaves. She has been adopted as the patron saint of modern Sudan and human trafficking survivors. At the age of 13 she was sold to a Turkish general and every day his mistresses punished her with whips and beatings. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. 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." 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. When she had made her patterns; the woman took the razor and made incisions along the lines. But that was not the end of her story. Melissa Petruzzello is Associate Editor of Plant and Environmental Science and covers a range of content from plants, algae, and fungi, to renewable energy and environmental engineering. By William Hartston 00:00, Thu, May 29, 2014 Bookmark. Those who lived with her still permit us to meet her: smiling like a mother, serene and calm because she has no enemies while expressing herself with affectionate tenderness. When visited and asked how she was, shed respond: "As the Master desires.". 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. What did she do while she was ministering She ministered as a cook, seamstress, sacristan, and doorkeeper, living simply and lovingly. Everything in her reveals an inner order, a reflection of a healthy and good nature. Salt was poured into each of the wounds. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. uCatholic. 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. Our mistress stood behind us, whip in hand. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering. Bakhita: From Slave to Saint, p. 81. She was known for her charisma and gentleness and even expressed gratitude that her past horrors had brought her to her current life. [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. According to Josephine, she had always known about God, who created all things, but she did not know who He was. She was forced to walk barefoot about 960 kilometres (600mi) to El-Obeid and was sold and bought twice before she arrived there. Amen. She left for the second time, a land she felt she would never see again. She once said, Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. [20] A strong missionary drive animated her throughout her entire life "her mind was always on God, and her heart in Africa".[21]. It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. 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 Charities for Southern Africa, Inc. 2014 by Bakhita Charities Created with wix.com, 2014 by Bakhita Charities Created with w. Ida Zanolini, in Positio, p. 113 233). I thought I would die, especially when salt was poured in the wounds it was by a miracle of God I didn't die. 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. When speaking of her enslavement, she often professed she would thank her kidnappers. 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. LIVED: Bakhita was born in 1869 in Sudan. Their chance came one day when the overseer carelessly left them unchained and alone. The greatest revelation of such love was forgiveness, which was expressed with gratitude in grasping Gods Providence in the traumas of the experience of being kidnapped as a child and the inhuman life that followed. She died on 8 February 1947 in the country of Italy, in the city of Vincenza. Bakhita wanted to become a Christian, to receive baptism. Bakhita remained in the catechumenate where she experienced the call . She said, "A woman skilled in this cruel art came to the general's house. She passed away on February 8, 1947. 1) Sudanese-Italian Canossian nun who survived 12 years of brutal slavery. What a great grace it is to know God!. Public Domain via Wikimedia. After a long and dangerous journey across Sudan, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean, they arrived in Italy. She even received a new name at her baptism: Josephine Margaret Bakhita. The most recent one known to us is the Casa Santa Giuseppina Bakhita"(Saint Josephine Bakhita House), dedicated as a temporary reception centre for women, located on the island of SantElena, in Venice. It was then that we felt how in these years the passage from testimony to devotion was taking place. Saint Bakhita lived long ago. Born in Darfur in 1869, Josephine Bakhita was taken by Arab slave traders when she was 9. We increase awareness and teach you how to intercept trafficking as early as possible. Saint Magdalene of Canossa referred to Venice as a city of projects; also from Venice came Gods dream for Mother Bakhita, who arrived at the Canossian Institute. 3) Her feast day marks an international day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking. As punishment, she was beaten so severely she was incapacitated for a month. A total of 114 intricate patterns were cut into her breasts, belly and into her right arm.[13][14]. Bakhita knew the reality of being a slave, an immigrant, and a spiritual seeker. Activity: The Kindness Chain. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. When Bakhita was seven or eight, Arab slave traders kidnapped her and sold her into slavery. It is interesting what Ida Zanolini, a lay Canossian woman who published Mother Bakhitas first biography, wrote about her. In 1883, Bakhita was sold to an Italian family who treated her with kindness and respect. When it was time for him to return to Italy, she begged to be taken with him, and he agreed. New Subscription The Pope prayed to Saint Bakhita and asked that she intercede and assist trafficking victims. She was eventually assigned to a convent in Schio, Vicenza. 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 felt that she had always known God as the creator of all things and was deeply moved by the story of Jesus and by the answers she received from the sisters. She rubbed the wounds with salt to make the scars permanent. Josephine wrote that as soon as one wound would heal, they would inflict another. Once, they hid behind a thorn hedge for two hours while a long caravan passed nearby. 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. 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. 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. I had then the confused feeling that, since she was an extraordinary soul, my writing would sooner or later be useful, thinking that in time the Church would take this story and this extraordinary soul into account (cf. Saints for kids, Two Suitcases: The Story of St. Josephine Bakhita. She also traveled and visited other convents telling her story to other sisters and preparing them for work in Africa. Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. All rights reserved. Listening to nature and her heart manifested in her the law of love that unites us all, making us capable of a social life in which rights and duties are expressed in the happy union of truth and justice, an encounter of gift and gratitude. Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. She lay in state for three days, and mourners noticed that her limbs remained flexible. [25], Bakhita's legacy is that transformation is possible through suffering. Bakhita underwent the excruciating ordeal of tattooing. Her first owner, a wealthy Arab, gave her to his daughters as a maid. She was declared free. My face was spared, but 6 patterns were designed on my breasts, and 60 more on my belly and arms. He had destined me for better things.. They travelled a risky 650-kilometre (400mi) trip on camelback to Suakin, which was the largest port of Sudan. 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. She also received the sacraments of her first holy communion and confirmation on the same day. "[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. She served her convent humbly, cooking, embroidering, and sewing, and was responsible for attending the door of the convent to welcome visitors, where she was noted for her warm smile and hospitality. 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. St Josephine Bakhita, also known as 'Mother Moretta' was kidnapped at the age of nine and sold into slavery. Top 10 facts about Josephine THE Empress Josephine of France, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, died 200 years ago today, on May 29, 1814. He canonized her on October 1, 2000. Her fourth owner was a Turkish general, and she had to serve his mother-in-law and his wife, who were cruel to their slaves. Before long, they were planning an escape. Bakhita Charities is named after her. Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan . 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. . What happened to the Catholic Knights Hospitaller? Mother Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan in 1869 and died in Schio (Vicenza) in 1947. 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 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. Saint Bakhita seems to be a made-to-measure saint to comfort the peace and reconciliation workers of our time. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The feast of Saint Bakhita is in fact the day chosen by the Church to ask collectively for liberation from ancient and new contemporary slavery. She was loved by many in the city and was a bastion of comfort during the trials and bombings of World War II. She was also known as Mother Moretta, our Black Mother. She became a novice at the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa on December 7, 1893, and took her final vows in 1896. She was known for her gentle voice and smile. Bakhita says: "During all the years I stayed in that house, I do not recall a day that passed without some wound or other. Her trauma was so great that she forgot her birth name and her kidnappers gave her the name Bakhita which means fortunate. Not a a day went by without wounds being inflicted on her body. The first steps toward her beatification began in 1959. Flogging and maltreatment were part of her daily life. Josephine Bakhita entered the convent in 1893 and took her vows December 8, 1896. 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. 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. After the years of trauma that she endured, she did not remember the name her parents had given her and went by Bakhita from then on. She also received the sacraments of her first holy communion and confirmation on the same day. As a slave, her experiences varied from fair treatment to cruel. After the years of trauma that she endured, she did not remember the name her parents had given her and went by Bakhita from then on. You will need: colored construction . Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and eventually that spirit prevailed. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Her new owners took her to their family villa at Zianigo, near Mirano, Veneto, about 25km (16mi) west of Venice. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. She was gentle and charismatic, and was often referred to lovingly as the "little brown sister" or honorably as the "black mother.". This caused the superior of the institute for baptismal candidates among the sisters to complain to Italian authorities on Josephine's behalf. This year, the liturgical feast of Saint Bakhita invited us to rediscover ourselves invited by life to the school of love, and of humanity. [11] She lived there for three years and became nanny to the Michieli's daughter Alice, known as 'Mimmina', born in February 1886. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. Her first owner, a wealthy Arab, gave her to his daughters as a maid. 29-32. He canonized her on October 1, 2000. 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. 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. Seeing no one around, they linked hands and ran into the countryside as fast as their legs could go. On 1 October 2000, she was canonized as Saint Josephine Bakhita. She was often beaten and kicked and whipped. Josephine Bakhita was born in 1869, in a small. Author and Publisher - Catholic Online. Image credit: Saint Josephine Bakhita by unknown artist, unknown date. It does, however, foretell and describe her later life. In 1877, when she was 78 years old, she was seized by Arab slave traders, who had abducted her elder sister two years earlier. Intercede with God on their behalf We do not know her exact birthdate, but we know that she was born in the village of Olgossa, which is near Darfur, Sudan. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was of the Daju people; her respected and reasonably prosperous father was a brother of the village chief. 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. St. Josephine Bakhita, in full Josephine Margaret Bakhita, also called Mother Josephine Bakhita, (born c. 1869, Olgossa, Darfur (now in Sudan)died February 8, 1947, Schio, Italy; canonized October 1, 2000; feast day February 8), Sudanese-born Roman Catholic saint who survived kidnapping and enslavement. She left Venice and arrived in Schio in 1902, after simply replying: Yes, Father, to the question concerning her transfer. Known as Mimmina, she was treated like a daughter by Bakhita. Josephine Bakhita is the Patron Saint of Human Trafficking. We serve youth, parents, and those on the frontlines of combatting human trafficking. St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin. During World War II, the people of the village of Schio regarded her as their protector. Her constant smile, humility and simplicity won peoples hearts. Finally in possession of her human autonomy for the first time in her adult life, Josephine chose to remain with the Canossian Sisters. She also traveled and visited other convents telling her story to other sisters and preparing them for work in Africa. Children who are now elderly, told us to call her Mother Moretta, because this is her name for us. Over the next decade of enslavement, Josephine was passed from owner to owner, bought and sold so many times that she forgot her birth name. 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'. Bakhita came to believe it was her guardian angel, who stayed with her all along, guiding her to God. The consul was her guarantee. Bakhita wished to stay in Italy when her owners readied for a relocation. Selling his house and lands took longer than expected. Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom she accompanied to Venices Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters. She arrived in Italy for the first time. Historians believe that sometime in February 1877, Josephine was kidnapped by Arab slave traders. 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. In 2000, she was declared a saint, the first Black woman to receive the honor in the modern era. Omissions? This decentralization from herself manifested a creative generosity; for this was already the beginning of a path of redemption that rooted altruism in her. The theme: With Bakhita at the school of humanity was chosen in Schio following an encounter between the Schio-Sudan Bakhita Association, the parish of Saint Peters, where theShrine of Saint Bakhita is located and we Canossian sisters, members of the community where Mother Moretta (Black Mother) lived, almost continuously, from 1902 until 8 February 1947. But she always remained cheerful. Her Baptism set her on an eventual path toward asserting her civic freedom and then service to Gods people as a Canossian Sister. On 17 May 1992, she was declared Blessed and given 8 February as her feast day. Bombs did not spare Schio, but the war passed without a single casualty. The testimonies present us her filial, apostolic which will see us meet again in Heaven and fraternal friendship. She was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery, eventually working in Italy as a nanny for a wealthy family. Shop St. Josephine Bakhita. Such was the trauma experienced that she forgot her birth name and her kidnappers gave her the name Bakhita meaning 'fortunate'. And the shining figure in the night? Saint Alexander's feast day is February 26. The girls passed long hours telling one another about their families and how they had been kidnapped. At the end of 1884 they escaped from a besieged Khartoum with a friend, Augusto Michieli. In her final days she relived the agony of her enslavement and is said to have called out, Please, loosen the chains. Saint Katharine Drexel was a contemplative in action whose work serving the poor inspires us today. All rights reserved. Her sacraments were administered by Archbishop Giuseppe Sarto, who would later become Pope Pius X. The Michielis brought Bakhita with them back to the Sudan where they stayed for nine months before returning to Italy. The woman had a dish of white flour, a dish of salt and a razor. Customer Service When she died her tenderness transfused into her mortal flesh and carried on attracting people. Josephine was her confirmation name. Three fundamental passages: relationships are formed from an encounter which make us a people. Continue reading about St. Josephine Bakhita, St. Josephine Bakhita Sterling Silver Oval Pendant, St. Josephine Bakhita Pendant (14 Karat Gold Filled), Submit a Rosary Prayer Request to be Read Live Online. Watch Two Suitcases: The Story of St. Josephine Bakhita, available to stream or on DVD from Amazon. She was born around 1869 in Darfur (now in western Sudan) in the village of Olgossa, west of Nyala and close to Mount Agilerei. She then died. Read his story here. Augusto Michieli acquired a large hotel there and decided to sell his property in Italy and to move his family to Sudan permanently. Saint John Cassian's feast day is February 29. 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. She was baptized on January 9, 1890 and took the name Josephine Margaret and Fortunata. Oh St. Bakhita, assist all those who are trapped in a 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. Every slave was always given a new name. 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.
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