Feast Day: 8th February

Patron Saint: Human trafficking survivors, Modern slavery victims, Sudan

Quote:  “If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and Religious today….”

St. Josephine Bakhita was a Sudanese-born Roman Catholic saint who survived kidnapping and enslavement. She was born around 1869 in Olgossa, Darfur (now in Sudan) and died on February 8, 1947, in Schio, Italy. She was declared a saint on October 1, 2000, by Pope John Paul II. She is the patron saint of Sudan and of victims of human trafficking.

Her story is inspirational to many who have suffered from human trafficking but also to those who haven’t because she teaches us one of the hardest rules to live by in life and that is forgiveness. She was tortured, abused, and mutilated. She was forced to receive over 60 tattoos made painfully with a razor and salt. However, after 45 years of being a slave she found peace.

On December 7th, 1893, St Josephine Bakhita became a nun. In 1883 her new master was a kind man who even took her to Italy and gave her away as a nanny to a rich family. When that family had business in Sudan, they left Josephine and one of their daughters to stay in the custody of the Canossian Sisters at the Institute of the Catechumens in Venice in 1888. Under their care, Josephine was drawn to the Roman Catholic Church. She had always believed in God and was deeply moved by the story of Jesus and his love for all things. On January 9th she was baptised and received her first holy communion. When her mistress came to fetch her and her daughter from the institute St Josephine refused to leave. The matter was taken before the court and St. Josephine Bakhita was declared free because slavery was abolished in Italy before she was even born.

After being declared free she chose to stay with the Canossian Sisters and learn more about the Christian life. She became a novice at the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa on December 7, 1893, and took her final vows in 1896.

She is known for her charisma and importantly her forgiveness. It is said she told someone that if she met the people who enslaved and beat her instead of turning away or trying to harm them, she would get down on her knees and kiss their feet, because without them, she would have never discovered God. Illness came with old age and is said to have died with a smile on her lips after seeing a vision of Our Lady coming toward her.

Written by Christabel Rogers