St. Josephine Bakhita

Did you know that the first African woman to be canonized as a saint by the Church in the 21st century lived her entire childhood as a slave?

When just a little girl, Saint Josephine Bakhita (Bah-KEE-tah), was kidnapped from her loving family in Sudan and sold into brutal slavery. Her different “owners” frequently beat and tortured her. Finally, when she was sold to an Italian diplomat, at age 14, St. Josephine Bakhita received Christian instruction for the first time from the Sisters of Charity in Venice, Italy. Later, when the diplomat’s family returned to Africa, Saint Josephine Bakhita refused to go with them. She remained within the protection of the Sisters’ convent in Italy, where slavery was illegal. For the next 50 years, she joyfully and faithfully served as the convent’s cook, seamstress, sacristan, and doorkeeper until her death in 1947.

St. Josephine, pray for us.