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. (ca. At the end of 1884 they escaped from a besieged Khartoum with a friend, Augusto Michieli. Top 10 facts about Josephine | Express.co.uk Imitating Him, let us place our confidence not in riches, but in your love and embrace. 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. Under their care, Josephine was drawn to the Roman Catholic Church. Her uncle was a tribal chief, and her family was relatively prosperous. 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 said, "A woman skilled in this cruel art came to the general's house. Not a a day went by without wounds being inflicted on her body. [16] Two years later, when Legnani himself had to return to Italy, Bakhita begged to go with him. Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom she accompanied to Venices Institute of the Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters. Josephine Bakhita was born around 1869 in Sudan. 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. 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!. 1) Sudanese-Italian Canossian nun who survived 12 years of brutal slavery. She used to tell the teachers in the community "You teach catechism, I will stay in the chapel and pray for you that you may teach well.". She arrived in Italy for the first time. On the evening of February 8, 1947, Josephine spoke her last words, "Our Lady, Our Lady!" Author and Publisher - Catholic Online She spent so much time in captivity that she forgot her original name. The assignment was easy until she offended her owner's son, possibly for the crime of breaking a vase. On 17 May 1992, she was declared Blessed and given 8 February as her feast day. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Bakhita remained in the catechumenate where she experienced the call . What did she do while she was ministering She ministered as a cook, seamstress, sacristan, and doorkeeper, living simply and lovingly. Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession three years later. After that, she was sold. [20], On 7 December 1893, Josephine Bakhita entered the novitiate of the Canossian Sisters and on 8 December 1896, she took her vows, welcomed by Cardinal Sarto. She is the patron saint of Sudan and of victims of human trafficking. Saint Josephine Bakhita: From Slave to Saint - Diocese of Westminster For the rest of her life, Bakhita remained in Italy and lived as a free woman. Slaves also served to vent the anger of their masters who found sadistic pleasure in hearing them cry out in pain. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. He had destined me for better things." Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. Birth: 1869. On December 1st, 1978, Pope John Paul II declared her venerable. 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. Josephine celebrated the sacraments of initiation, receiving the name Josephine. Biography [ edit] Early life [ edit] Flogging and maltreatment were part of her daily life. It was that freedom of spirit that allowed her to follow her heart and live her true vocation. 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. 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. Death: February 8, 1947. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Saint John Cassian's feast day is February 29. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. He did not waver and was adamant that Bakhita was free and had the right to choose, since slavery no longer existed in Italy. She was declared free. 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. In 1883, Bakhita was bought in Khartoum by the Italian Vice Consul Callisto Legnani, who did not beat or punish her. [11] She lived there for three years and became nanny to the Michieli's daughter Alice, known as 'Mimmina', born in February 1886. Everyone plays a rolein helping to end human trafficking. | Irondale, AL 35210 |. 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. What is it that enslaves you? We rejoiced to learn that the human integration centre in Cerignola is dedicated to her. She then died. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. She died on 8 February 1947 in the country of Italy, in the city of Vincenza. When Bakhita was seven or eight, Arab slave traders kidnapped her and sold her into slavery. Of that traumatic mutilation she reportedly said, I thought I would die, especially when salt was poured in the woundsit was by a miracle of God I didnt die. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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. She is a shining ray of hope for human trafficking victims and an inspirational demonstration of how a victim can recover from their trauma and become whole again. We ask for your prayers and intercessions for those enslaved among us. During the ensuing court case, the Canossian Sisters and the patriarch of Venice intervened on Josephines behalf. Death: February 8, 1947. Slavery was illegal in Italy, so Bakhita was able to leave her Italian owners and follow Gods calling for her. On February 8, the Church commemorates the life of St. Josephine Bakhita, a Canossian Sister who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Sudan. Sculpture of Saint Josephine Bakhita, patron of human trafficking If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. These three sacraments are the sacraments of initiation into the Church and were always given together in the early Church. Meet St. Josephine Bakhita! Our universal sister was given back to us. The Canossian Sisters went to court on her behalf and helped her obtain her freedom. In 2000, she was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. 98% of our readers don't give; they simply look the other way. Canonized: October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. She wanted to be good, to obey the one who gave her joy in following his voice that enlightened her from the heart. 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. Sadly, the news of her beatification in 1992 was censored in Sudan. Reception centres, training courses or places named after Saint Bakhita are being built throughout various parts of Italy. What St. Josephine Bakhita's story taught me about suffering The judge concluded that since slavery was illegal in Italy, she had actually been free since 1885. St. Josephine Bakhita - Catholic News Agency This ironic new name did not describe the brutal and humiliating treatment Bakhita received on a daily basis. Known as Mimmina, she was treated like a daughter by Bakhita. Josephine Bakhita is the Patron Saint of Human Trafficking. Hers was not the skin of an Italian aristocrat but rather a child kidnapped and forcibly relocated in the slave trade. Saint Alexander's feast day is February 26. 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 happened to the Catholic Knights Hospitaller? St. Josephine Bakhita - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Assisted suicide in the United States: Where is it legal? She would suffer a total of 114 scars from this abuse. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 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. 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. 6 Facts About St Josephine Bakhita. The school was run by the Canossian Sisters. Children who are now elderly, told us to call her Mother Moretta, because this is her name for us. Born in the village of Olgossa (Darfur, Sudan) in 1869, Bakhita had a twin sister, she was loved and she lived peacefully. There, cared for and instructed by the Sisters, Bakhita encountered Christianity for the first time. [14] In May 1992, news of her beatification was banned by Khartoum which Pope John Paul II visited nine months later. [24], The petitions for her canonization began immediately, and the process commenced by Pope John XXIII in 1959, twelve years after her death. 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 was a woman of immense faith and forgiveness. In 1883, the Turkish general sold her to the Italian Vice Consul, Callisto Legani. . Forced to walk 600 miles to southern Sudan, she was bought and sold before arriving in El Obeid. She told about how the general's wife ordered her to be scarred. As punishment, she was beaten so severely she was incapacitated for a month. Through Christ Our Lord. The map of Sudan here shows the village of Olgossa (. The sisters she lived with experienced the humanizing power of motherhood in her friendship. Daily Prayer. 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. Image credit: Saint Josephine Bakhita by unknown artist, unknown date. 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. 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. Josephine was her confirmation name. Indeed, she spent twelve years in cruel slavery. [9], In El-Obeid, Bakhita was bought by a rich Arab who used her as a maid for his two daughters. Beatified: May 17, 1992 Bakhita is a saint in the Catholic Church. She also received the sacraments of her first holy communion and confirmation on the same day. 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. For the next 42 years of her life, she worked as a cook and a doorkeeper at the convent. 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. Stay up to date with the latest news, information, and special offers. Thank you. 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. She was beatified on May 17, 1992, by Pope John Paul II and canonized by him on October 1, 2000. The next fifty years of her life were marked by simplicity, witnessing to Gods love through cooking, sewing, embroidery and attending to the door. But just nine months later, Pope John Paul II visited Sudan and honored her publicly. To this end, we invite you to learn more about the life of an extraordinary trafficking survivor from history. 6 Intriguing Facts About the Amazing & Courageous St. Josephine Bakhita She was sold not just once, but multiple times. Continue reading about St. Josephine Bakhita St. Josephine Bakhita St. Josephine Vannini She spent so much time in captivity that she forgot her original name. Josephine Bakhita - Wikipedia Mother Josephine Bakhita - Vatican She was born in Sudan, Africa to a loving, and prosperous family. Illuminato Checchini, administrator of the Michieli family, who had fatherly feelings for her, was waiting for her in Zianigo. 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. She was bought and sold at least twice during the grueling journey. Bakhita wanted to become a Christian, to receive baptism. For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today". 2023 Loyola Press. Thank you. She was known for her gentle voice and smile. 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. Saint Angela of Foligno's feast day is February 28. They travelled a risky 650-kilometre (400mi) trip on camelback to Suakin, which was the largest port of Sudan. [6][7][8] She was also forcibly converted to Islam. And the shining figure in the night? As she grew older, she experienced long, painful years of sickness, but she continued to persevere in hope, constantly choosing the good. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Her voice was pleasing to the little ones, comforting to the poor and suffering. She left Venice and arrived in Schio in 1902, after simply replying: Yes, Father, to the question concerning her transfer. [20] A strong missionary drive animated her throughout her entire life "her mind was always on God, and her heart in Africa".[21]. On 1 October 2000, she was canonized as Saint Josephine Bakhita. St. Josephine BakhitaA Model of Faith. She also traveled and visited other convents telling her story to other sisters and preparing them for work in Africa. Mother Moretta, universal sister, who is still speaking to us. Shop St. Josephine Bakhita. Saint Josephine Bakhita | uCatholic Once, they hid behind a thorn hedge for two hours while a long caravan passed nearby. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name Josephine. My face was spared, but 6 patterns were designed on my breasts, and 60 more on my belly and arms. Author and Publisher - Catholic Online. Bakhita says: "During all the years I stayed in that house, I do not recall a day that passed without some wound or other. Because, if those things had not happened, I would not have become a Christian and would not be a Sister today.. Saint Bakhitas feast day is celebrated on February 8. uCatholic. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Corrections? Her mistress spent three days trying to persuade her to leave the sisters, but Josephine remained steadfast. 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. Venezuelan migrant thanks God, recounts journey through dangerous jungle to U.S. As punishment, she was beaten so severely she was incapacitated for a month. Patron Saint - St Josephine Bakhita - Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Most people donate because Catholic Online is useful. Beatified: May 17, 1992 by Pope John Paul II. 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. Saint Josephine Bakhita Saint stories - Teaching Catholic Kids Faith can be an important component in the road to recovery for many survivors, as was the case for Bakhita. When the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take Mimmina and Josephine back with them, the future saint refused to go. Alice Michieli was born in Zianigo, the municipality of Mirano in the Veneto region, in 1886. Oh St. Bakhita, assist all those who are trapped in a Thus, from 13 to 16 years old she experienced a Christian welcome and civil respect. 2) The name 'Bakhita' was given to her by her ensalver, it means "lucky" or "fortunate". She was gentle and charismatic, and was often referred to lovingly as the "little brown sister" or honorably as the "black mother.". Provide comfort to survivors of slavery and let them look to you as an example of hope She told about how the general's wife ordered her to be scarred. 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. 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. St. Josephine Bakhita - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online 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.

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