St. Josephine Bakhita | February 8

The story of St. Josephine Bakhita (1869-1947) is a story that many people taken into slavery have experienced. Born in the Darfur region of Sudan, she was kidnapped at the age of 8 and sold into slavery many times. As she passed from owner to owner, she experienced the moral and physical humiliations associated with slavery. It was only at the age of 13 that her suffering was alleviated after she was bought for the Italian Consul in Sudan. It was here that she was fortunate to receive kindness, respect, and peace from her new master.

She was later handed over to the Canossian Sisters when she made the case that slavery had been outlawed in Italy for years. She was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church in 1890, where she took the name Josephine. She later entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession three years later.

St. Josephine Bakhita’s next 50 years were spent serving people through cooking, sewing, embroidery, and housekeeping. She was a source of encouragement and her constant smile won people’s hearts, as did her humility and simplicity. Today she is known as the patron saint of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.