interesting facts about saint josephine bakhita

We do not know her exact birthdate, but we know that she was born in the village of Olgossa, which is near Darfur, Sudan. For the first time in her life, Josephine was free and could choose what to do with her life. 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. Image credit: Saint Josephine Bakhita by unknown artist, unknown date. Thank you. She passed away on February 8, 1947. If anyone asked her how she was, she would reply, "As the master desires.". [15] The Turkish general began making preparations to return to his homeland and sold his slaves. In 1883, the Turkish general sold her to the Italian Vice Consul, Callisto Legani. When she died her tenderness transfused into her mortal flesh and carried on attracting people. Bilinge: Encontrando a Dios / Finding God, Encontrando a Dios / Finding God (Espaol), Encontrando a Dios / Finding God (English), Catequistas Y Maestros / Catechists & Teachers, En El Orden Restaurado: Descripcion Del Programa, Nuestra Seora De GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe. Someone asked her, "How are you? She told about how the general's wife ordered her to be scarred. She was forced to wear heavy chains to prevent her from escaping, as she had tried to do by enteringthe forest, where she experienced for the first time the guidance of a divine light; but, having avoided the danger of the jaws of fierce beasts, she was once again captured by deception. St. Josephine BakhitaA Model of Faith. Bakhita wished to stay in Italy when her owners readied for a relocation. Historians believe that sometime in February 1877, Josephine was kidnapped by Arab slave traders. Dagnino, pp. She was born in Sudan, Africa to a loving, and prosperous family. Her first owner, a wealthy Arab, gave her to his daughters as a maid. During the war, because of her colour, she was also mistaken for being a spy, but she did not get upset, she accompanied those who wanted to arrest her to where she lived and, showing them the window in her room, explained that since her arrival in Italy she had received the gift of vocation. Forced to walk 600 miles to southern Sudan, she was bought and sold before arriving in El Obeid. The daughter of Sudan sold into slavery as a living piece of merchandise and yet still free. 98% of our readers don't give; they simply look the other way. When Bakhita was seven or eight, Arab slave traders kidnapped her and sold her into slavery. In 2000, she was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. For the next 42 years of her life, she worked as a cook and a doorkeeper at the convent. Large crowds followed her hearse to the cemetery. Bakhita became a nanny for her new family, and she and her young charge lived at the convent run by the Canossian Sisters in Venice. 5 things the Catholic woman should keep in her purse, St. Marculf: Saint of the Day for Monday, May 01, 2023, To Saint Peregrine: Prayer of the Day for Monday, May 01, 2023. How can you, your family, or an organization you belong to reach out in solidarity. Printable Catholic Saints PDFs. There, cared for and instructed by the Sisters, Bakhita encountered Christianity for the first time. Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. Josephine Bakhita was born around 1869 in Sudan. For, if these things had not happened, I would not have been a Christian and a religious today". Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering. Not a a day went by without wounds being inflicted on her body. Pope John Paul II canonized Josephine Bakhita in 2000. The sisters answered her questions. For had she not been kidnapped, she might never have come to know Jesus Christ and entered His Church. When she was on door duty, she would gently lay her hands on the heads of the children who attended the nearby school and caress them. All rights reserved. He canonized her on October 1, 2000. Children who are now elderly, told us to call her Mother Moretta, because this is her name for us. Required fields are marked *. Her new family also had dealings in Sudan had when her mistress decided to travel to Sudan without Josephine, she placed her in the custody of the Canossian Sisters in Venice. Read her story here. Later in life, she devoted herself to promoting Catholic missions to Africa. She said, "A woman skilled in this cruel art came to the general's house. Without hesitation, she replied: "If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and eventually that spirit prevailed. Biography [ edit] Early life [ edit] When Mimmina was old enough to be sent to a boarding school in Venice, Bakhita accompanied her. Continue reading about St. Josephine Bakhita St. Josephine Bakhita St. Josephine Vannini Customer Service:cservice @franciscanmedia.org, Technical Questions:support @franciscanmedia.org, Writers GuidelinesPrivacy PolicyPost a Prayer RequestDonor Portal. Today, we humbly ask you to defend Catholic Online's independence. She was baptized on January 9, 1890 and took the name Josephine Margaret and Fortunata. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Bakhita underwent the excruciating ordeal of tattooing. During the ensuing court case, the Canossian Sisters and the patriarch of Venice intervened on Josephines behalf. and faith. She was taken as a slave in her early life by Arab traders and suffered a difficult life, until her eventual freedom in Italy. When it was time for him to return to Italy, she begged to be taken with him, and he agreed. 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. Mothers lifted her hands and placed them on the heads of their children, praying for her blessing. Her story is noteworthy. On the evening of February 8, 1947, Josephine spoke her last words, "Our Lady, Our Lady!" 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. When visited and asked how she was, shed respond: "As the Master desires.". She became a Canossian nun in December 1896 and remained at the convent for another 42 years. The Canossian Sisters went to court on her behalf and helped her obtain her freedom. 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. . St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin. Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. Shop St. Josephine Bakhita. Saint Josephine Bakhita is an African saint, who was born in Sudan around 1869, and died on 8 February 1947, in Italy. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. The assignment was easy until she offended her owner's son, possibly for the crime of breaking a vase. Josephine Margaret Bakhita, F.D.C.C. Bakhita Charities for Southern Africa, Inc. 2014 by Bakhita Charities Created with wix.com, 2014 by Bakhita Charities Created with w. Learn about their countries of origin, customs, and current needs. Bakhita is a saint in the Catholic Church. Which services in your area address the needs of women and children in poverty? She who worked under many masters was finally happy to address God as master and carry out everything that she believed to be Gods will for her. [9], In El-Obeid, Bakhita was bought by a rich Arab who used her as a maid for his two daughters. On February 8, the Church commemorates the life of St. Josephine Bakhita, a Canossian Sister who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Sudan. She rubbed the wounds with salt to make the scars permanent. [16] Two years later, when Legnani himself had to return to Italy, Bakhita begged to go with him. Zanini, Roberto Italo (2013). Josephine was her confirmation name. Since the villa in Zianigo was already sold, Bakhita and Mimmina needed a temporary place to stay while Micheli went to Sudan without them. After the years of trauma that she endured, she did not remember the name her parents had given her and went by Bakhita from then on. Alice Michieli was born in Zianigo, the municipality of Mirano in the Veneto region, in 1886. Saint Josephine Bakhita A Woman of Faith and Forgiveness Born: 1869 in Sudan Died: 1947 in Italy Beatified: May 17, 1992 Canonized: October 1, 2000 Introduction February 8 is the feast day of Saint Josephine Bakhita. Copyright 2023 Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Irondale, Alabama. According to Josephine, she had always known about God, who created all things, but she did not know who He was. Thank you. Sadly, the news of her beatification in 1992 was censored in Sudan. For three days, her body lay in repose while thousands of people arrived to pay their respects. Her special charisma and reputation for sanctity were noticed by her order; the first publication of her story (Storia Meravigliosa by Ida Zanolini) in 1931, made her famous throughout Italy. For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and eventually that spirit prevailed. What a great grace it is to know God!. The woman had a dish of white flour, a dish of salt and a razor. 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. 6 Facts About St Josephine Bakhita 1) Sudanese-Italian Canossian nun who survived 12 years of brutal slavery. She also cared for war victims during world war 1. Josephine Bakhita was born around 1869 in Darfur (now in western Sudan). 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. Mother Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan in 1869 and died in Schio (Vicenza) in 1947. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Our universal sister was given back to us. She seems to be always ready, on the right hand of her Master, ready to become his spokesperson to help us and support us in the trials of life. Read his story here. [26] On 10 February 1993, he solemnly honoured Bakhita on her own soil. February 8 is the feast day of Saint Josephine Bakhita. Pope Francis visits with children in Budapest with visual impairments. 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. The most recent one known to us is the Casa Santa Giuseppina Bakhita"(Saint Josephine Bakhita House), dedicated as a temporary reception centre for women, located on the island of SantElena, in Venice. Selling his house and lands took longer than expected. She patiently suffered long painful years of sickness in her old age and continued to attest to Christian hope. Slaves also served to vent the anger of their masters who found sadistic pleasure in hearing them cry out in pain. 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. She lay in state for three days, and mourners noticed that her limbs remained flexible. On December 1st, 1978, Pope John Paul II declared her venerable. Known as Mimmina, she was treated like a daughter by Bakhita. She was loved by many in the city and was a bastion of comfort during the trials and bombings of World War II. It was that freedom of spirit that allowed her to follow her heart and live her true vocation. 1869 - 8 February 1947), was a Sudanese - Italian Canossian religious sister who lived in Italy for 45 years, after having been a slave in Sudan. She was beatified on May 17, 1992, by Pope John Paul II and canonized by him on October 1, 2000. Her Baptism set her on an eventual path toward asserting her civic freedom and then service to Gods people as a Canossian Sister. It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. In 1885, to avoid the danger to his life as a result ofpolitical unrest, Consul Legnani was forced to leave Africa and Bakhita convinced him to take her with him. Bakhita was grateful for the kindness she discovered in the heart of those who were so different from her, but she could not remember [the location of] her village. Saint Bakhitas feast day is celebrated on February 8. As a slave, her experiences varied from fair treatment to cruel. Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan . Spend some time reflecting on areas of your life where you are not free. He had destined me for better things.. Her owners named her Bakhita, Arabic for lucky or fortunate. Children and adults alike flocked to her, enjoying her good heart, good nature, good works, and her love of people. Seeing no one around, they linked hands and ran into the countryside as fast as their legs could go. Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession three years later. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. Bakhita knew how to value true riches and chose eternal treasures. She served her convent humbly, cooking, embroidering, and sewing, and was responsible for attending the door of the convent to welcome visitors, where she was noted for her warm smile and hospitality. She was known for her charisma and gentleness and even expressed gratitude that her past horrors had brought her to her current life. Faith can be an important component in the road to recovery for many survivors, as was the case for Bakhita. Her black skin revealed different ancestry and a different life experience. (ca. He had paid for her journey and had entrusted her to friends in Genoa, provided that they treated her well, thus guaranteeing her food, home and a job. Find out where they obtain services in your community, and volunteer to help. Advertising Activity: The Kindness Chain. Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Canonized: October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. Daughter of St. Magdalene. She felt that she had always known God as the creator of all things and was deeply moved by the story of Jesus and by the answers she received from the sisters. She was of the Daju people; her respected and reasonably prosperous father was a brother of the village chief. On this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, as organizations, governments, and individuals all over the world pause to rededicate themselves to their anti-trafficking goals, it is important that we listen to the stories of survivors and let them guide us in our work. For had she not been kidnapped, she might never have come to know Jesus Christ and entered His Church. The Michielis brought Bakhita with them back to the Sudan where they stayed for nine months before returning to Italy. She spent so much time in captivity that she forgot her original name. Most people donate because Catholic Online is useful.

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