interesting facts about saint josephine bakhita

All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. 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. 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. Shop St. Josephine Bakhita. She was tattooed with 114 deep cuts, which were filled with salt so that the design formed by the lip ofher scars remained; marks which remained white and stood out on her very black skin; the children, towhom she told her story, who are now elderly, still remember them. 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.. 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. As a slave, her experiences varied from fair treatment to cruel. She patiently suffered long painful years of sickness in her old age and continued to attest to Christian hope. 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. 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 chose to remain with the Canossian Sisters. She left Venice and arrived in Schio in 1902, after simply replying: Yes, Father, to the question concerning her transfer. She was also known as Mother Moretta, our Black Mother. They are heavy! She is said to have died with a smile on her lips after seeing a vision of Our Lady coming toward her. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. She was baptized on January 9, 1890 and took the name Josephine Margaret and Fortunata. This caused the superior of the institute for baptismal candidates among the sisters to complain to Italian authorities on Josephine's behalf. 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. How might God be calling you to greater freedom in this area? As she grew older, she experienced long, painful years of sickness, but she continued to persevere in hope, constantly choosing the good. Bakhita: From Slave to Saint, p. 81. In total, she bore 144 physical scars for the rest of her life. 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. She was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery, eventually working in Italy as a nanny for a wealthy family. 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. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. [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. Also known as: Josephine Margaret Bakhita, Mother Josephine Bakhita. "[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. Canonized: October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Mothers lifted her hands and placed them on the heads of their children, praying for her blessing. The assignment was easy until she offended her owner's son, possibly for the crime of breaking a vase. She had brothers, sisters, and loving parents. Someone asked her, "How are you? This ironic new name did not describe the brutal and humiliating treatment Bakhita received on a daily basis. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. She was baptized in 1890 and given the name Josephine. Watch Two Suitcases: The Story of St. Josephine Bakhita, available to stream or on DVD from Amazon. Everyone assured us that they had met her. When Mimmina was old enough to be sent to a boarding school in Venice, Bakhita accompanied her. Saint of the Day for Monday, May 1st, 2023. In her later years, she began to suffer physical pain and was forced to use a wheelchair. Her last years were marked by pain and sickness. 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. Her Baptism set her on an eventual path toward asserting her civic freedom and then service to Gods people as a Canossian Sister. At the age of nine, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery, where a series of owners humiliated, tortured and mutilated her. Those whom man enslaves, let God set free. I thought I would die, especially when salt was poured in the wounds it was by a miracle of God I didn't die. Beatified: May 17, 1992 Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. Death: February 8, 1947. For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today". Author and Publisher - Catholic Online. In 1883, the Turkish general sold her to the Italian Vice Consul, Callisto Legani. While she was in the custody of the sisters, she came to learn about God. Shop St. Josephine Bakhita. Customer Service Josephine was her confirmation name. Grateful to her teachers, she recalled, "Those holy mothers instructed me with heroic patience and introduced me to that God who from childhood I had felt in my heart without knowing who He was. My face was spared, but 6 patterns were designed on my breasts, and 60 more on my belly and arms. She was born around the year 1869 in the African country of Sudan, in the region of Darfur, in the city of Olgossa. Flogging and maltreatment were part of her daily life. She was loved by many in the city and was a bastion of comfort during the trials and bombings of World War II. Before long, they were planning an escape. Salt was poured into each of the wounds. A bronze sculpture of Saint Josephine Bakhita, patron of trafficking victims, will be installed in the Vatican. Advertising 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. [25], Bakhita's legacy is that transformation is possible through suffering. Evangelii Gaudium, n. 224). ADVENTURES: Many weeks after being kidnapped, Bakhita found herself at a slave market, chained to another girl her age. Her own story, in turn, can serve as a balm for others. She was deeply moved by her time with the sisters and discerned a call to follow Christ. 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. ATIs tools are designed to ensure that your efforts deliver effective results. 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. Gift Subscription This was the school of the Creator that she attended after the school of her family, which she always longed for. By William Hartston 00:00, Thu, May 29, 2014 Bookmark. / Holy See Press Office. The Pope prayed to Saint Bakhita and asked that she intercede and assist trafficking victims. Required fields are marked *. 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." Daily Prayer. Indeed, she spent twelve years in cruel slavery. 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. When it was time for him to return to Italy, she begged to be taken with him, and he agreed. If anyone asked her how she was, she would reply, "As the master desires.". [19] On 9 January 1890, Bakhita was baptized with the names of 'Josephine Margaret' and 'Fortunata' (the Latin translation of the Arabic Bakhita). (Fortunata is the Latin translation for her Arabic name, Bakhita). Amen. Copyright 2023 Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Irondale, Alabama. Josephine Bakhita is the Patron Saint of Human Trafficking. 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. Selling his house and lands took longer than expected. 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. Saint Josephine Bakhita is the patron saint of Sudan and her feast day is celebrated on February 8. 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. Her kidnappers gave her the name Bakhita, meaning "fortunate. Born in the village of Olgossa (Darfur, Sudan) in 1869, Bakhita had a twin sister, she was loved and she lived peacefully. Bakhita was baptized in January 1890 and took the name Josephine. She had freely chosen to belong to God, by whom she felt loved, and accepted once again the separation from those she loved. In her final days she relived the agony of her enslavement and is said to have called out, Please, loosen the chains. Everything in her reveals an inner order, a reflection of a healthy and good nature. 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'. Today, we humbly ask you to defend Catholic Online's independence. [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]. Find out where they obtain services in your community, and volunteer to help. While she was in the custody of the sisters, she came to learn about God. Josephine Bakhita was born around 1869 in Darfur (now in western Sudan). Saint Bakhita lived long ago. Large crowds followed her hearse to the cemetery. Her simplicity was convincing and danger was averted. For the first time in her life, Josephine was free and could choose what to do with her life. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering. It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. She was declared free. The amazement of being so loved flowed from her heart as a river of tenderness that comforted, in a multiplicity of expressions, with the indelible touch of her presence. It seemed that Bakhita had failed in her quest for freedom. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name Josephine. Surrounded by the sisters, she died at age 78. and faith. 26. Bakhita became devoted to the child. This project was carried out in collaboration between the municipality and the diocesan Caritas. 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. She became a Canossian nun in December 1896 and remained at the convent for another 42 years. Mother Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan in 1869 and died in Schio (Vicenza) in 1947. 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. Saint Bakhita seems to be a made-to-measure saint to comfort the peace and reconciliation workers of our time. These three sacraments are the sacraments of initiation into the Church and were always given together in the early Church. She was known for her charisma and gentleness and even expressed gratitude that her past horrors had brought her to her current life. 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. At the age of 13 she was sold to a Turkish general and every day his mistresses punished her with whips and beatings. Ida Zanolini, in Positio, p. 113 233). 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. Canonized: October 1, 2000. In 1958, the process of canonization began for Josephine under Pope John XXIII. With your help we can eradicate human trafficking in our lifetime. 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. She would suffer a total of 114 scars from this abuse. A young student once asked Bakhita: "What would you do, if you were to meet your captors?" After that, she was sold. Read his story here. 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. Feb. 8 was chosen for the day of prayer because it is the feast day of Saint Josephine Bakhita, who was born in Sudan in 1869. Sadly, the news of her beatification in 1992 was censored in Sudan. She then died. 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. In 2000, she was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Children and adults alike flocked to her, enjoying her good heart, good nature, good works, and her love of people. Read her story here. On January 9, 1890, she was baptized and confirmed and received her first Holy Communion. Through Christ Our Lord. In the extremity of her last hours, her mind was driven back to her youth in slavery and she cried out: "The chains are too tight, loosen them a little, please!" Thus, from 13 to 16 years old she experienced a Christian welcome and civil respect. With a passion to eradicate human trafficking, Elizabeth Lee is ATIs Volunteer/Intern Coordinator and Senior Advisor. Continue reading about St. Josephine Bakhita, St. Josephine Bakhita 14 Karat Gold Filled Pendant, St. Josephine Bakhita Pendant (14 Karat Gold Filled), Submit a Rosary Prayer Request to be Read Live Online. 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. Permission Guidelines She has been adopted as the patron saint of modern Sudan and human trafficking survivors. 1) Sudanese-Italian Canossian nun who survived 12 years of brutal slavery. 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. "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. But just nine months later, Pope John Paul II visited Sudan and honored her publicly. He canonized her on October 1, 2000. The six Eucharistic celebrations of the Solemnity of Saint Bakhita in Schio, also recalled the sacrifices made for the cause by Don Antonio Doppio and Don Giacomo Bravo, who died in Sudan, the native land of Saint Bakhita, where they had gone to start solidarity projects. We rejoiced to learn that the human integration centre in Cerignola is dedicated to her. The choice of her freedom implied a priority of affection, which made her decide not to lose what remains forever; hers was the wisdom of the small and pure of heart who see God. She is venerated as a modern African saint, and as a statement against the brutal history of slavery. But just nine months later, Pope John Paul II visited Sudan and honored her publicly. 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. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. On 1 December 1978, Pope John Paul II declared Josephine Venerable, the first step towards canonization. In Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, we grasped the indications of a path, that is, of a school of humanity, defined in the words of Romano Guardini, who calls human fullness the possibility to live humanly, equally shared with all those who are in the same place (cf.

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