Feast Day: February 8
Patroness of Sudan and Victims of Human Trafficking
“Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!” — St. Josephine Bakhita
Early Years: From Freedom to Slavery
Saint Josephine Bakhita was born around the year 1869 in the region of Darfur, in what is now western Sudan. Her given name is unknown, for when she was kidnapped by slave traders at the tender age of seven or eight, the trauma was so great that she forgot her birth name. Her captors mockingly called her “Bakhita”, an Arabic word meaning “lucky” — a bitter irony in light of the suffering she endured.
Over the next decade, Bakhita was sold several times in the slave markets of Sudan. She was beaten, branded, and subjected to cruel indignities at the hands of her masters. At one point, her body was tattooed with over a hundred intricate patterns by means of incisions filled with salt. She bore these scars for the rest of her life, signs of the cross she was called to carry.
Providence and Conversion
In 1883, Bakhita was sold to an Italian consul, who treated her with an unusual gentleness. When he returned to Italy, she accompanied him and was later placed in the custody of the Canossian Sisters in Venice. It was there, for the first time, that Bakhita encountered the Catholic Faith. She heard of a God who created her out of love — not the cruel gods of pagan fear, but the true God, the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
On January 9, 1890, Bakhita was baptized, confirmed, and received Holy Communion from the Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, taking the Christian name Josephine Margaret Fortunata — “fortunate,” echoing the name she had been given in bondage, now transfigured by grace.
When her former owners sought to reclaim her, the Canossian Sisters defended her right to freedom. The Italian courts ruled in her favor, acknowledging that slavery had no place under Italian law. Josephine Bakhita, once a possession, now stood as a free woman — in body and in soul.
Religious Life
Feeling called to dedicate her life entirely to God, she entered the Canossian Daughters of Charity in 1896 in Schio, a small town in northern Italy. There she would spend over fifty years in humble service as a cook, sacristan, and doorkeeper.
Her humility, simplicity, and radiant charity made her beloved by all. Children would gather around her for stories, and many came to call her “Madre Moretta” — the “little black mother.” Though she bore the marks of her past, she never harbored bitterness; rather, she thanked God for the journey that led her to the Church, often saying: “If I were to meet the slave traders who kidnapped me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if it had not been for them, I would not have become a Christian and a religious woman.”
Final Years and Death
In her later years, her body weakened, and she suffered greatly. During her last illness, she would at times cry out in pain, reliving the torments of her enslavement. Yet her spirit remained fixed on Christ. Her last words were: “Our Lady, Our Lady!”
She died on February 8, 1947, in the convent at Schio. Her reputation for sanctity spread rapidly, and miracles were reported through her intercession.
Canonization and Legacy
Pope Saint John Paul II beatified her in 1992 and canonized her on October 1, 2000, declaring her a Saint of the Universal Church. He praised her as “a shining advocate of genuine emancipation,” holding her up as a witness to the inviolable dignity of every human person and the transforming power of Divine Mercy.
She is now invoked as Patroness of Sudan, of victims of slavery and human trafficking, and all who suffer from violence and injustice.
Spiritual Reflection and Devotion
Saint Josephine Bakhita teaches the way of holy forgiveness, joy in suffering, and trust in Divine Providence. Her life shows that grace can shine through even the darkest trials, and that slavery to sin is more terrible than any bondage of the body.
Novena or Prayer:
O Saint Josephine Bakhita, flower of Africa,
You knew the pain of slavery and the joy of freedom in Christ.
Teach us the path of forgiveness and charity.
Pray for those who are enslaved today, that they may be freed in body and in soul.
Intercede for us, that we may walk in humility and hope,
and grow in the love of God each day. Amen.