Josephine Margaret Bakhita was declared a saint in 2000. She was the first Black woman to receive this honor in modern times.
Josephine was born in Darfur, in western Sudan. The year was 1869 and her happy family of three brothers and three sisters and the parents who loved them was about to be impacted by the evil of slavery. Josephine’s sister was abducted in 1875. Josephine suffered a similar fate two years later.
Josephine was made to walk 600 miles to another city in the Sudan where she was sold and forcibly converted to Islam. She was sold five more times, with her last “owner” holding the position of a General in the Turkish army. She writes of that time, “I do not recall a day that passed without some wound or other. When a wound from the whip began to heal, other blows would pour on me.”
In addition to the beatings, Josephine was intentionally scarred and and tattooed. With her mistress watching with a whip in her hand, a dish of white flour, a dish of salt, and a razor were brought by other women. They drew patterns on Josephine’s skin with the white flour, then they cut deeply into her skin along the lines drawn. The wounds were filled with salt to prevent healing and ensure permanent scarring. A total of 114 intricate patterns were cut into her breasts, stomach, and arm.
Her second to the last owner was a Italian diplomat who did not beat her. When he returned to Italy in 1885, Josephine was allowed to go with him. Josephine was given to another family where she became a nanny for their one year old daughter. When her new owners left the country to travel back to Sudan, Josephine was left behind in a Catholic convent run by the Canossian religious sisters, founded by St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1828. This was Josephine’s first contact with the Christian faith. Through the sisters’ instruction, Josephine wrote, “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.”
Josephine was allowed to stay in Italy. She was given her freedom and chose to stay with the sisters. She became well known in the area around Venice for her special charisma and for a reputation of sanctity. However, it was after the publication of her life story that Josephine’s popularity spread throughout Italy. People just wanted to be near her. They felt God’s presence and protection. While bombs fell throughout the town where she lived during World War II, there was not a single casualty.
Even as her health faded, Josephine did not lose her cheerfulness. In extreme pain during her last hours, she would smile and say, “As the Master desires.” She died on a Saturday, February 8, 1947. Knowing it was a day that honored the Mother of God, her last audible words were, “Our Lady…our Lady.”
St. Josephine Bakhita has been adopted by the people of Sudan as their patron. She is also the patron saint of human trafficking survivors. While human trafficking is still a threat in our world, everyone can benefit by Josephine’s intercession to overcome whatever is stifling our growth in God. Her story manifests the power of transformation through suffering. St. Josephine Bakhita, pray for us.
Blessings,
Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.
POWERED BY BLUBRRY
