This
is an incredible story of a saint who is not well-known, but please read on. Her
story is truly remarkable. She was born about
1869 in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. Her prosperous father was
brother of the village chief and she was surrounded by a loving family of three
brothers and three sisters. But aged 9, she was kidnapped by Arab slave
traders, and was cruelly forced to walk about 600 miles in her bare feet. Over
the course of twelve years (1877–1889) she was resold again three more times
and then given away. The trauma of her abduction caused her to forget her own
name; she took a name given to her by the slavers, bakhita,
Arabic for lucky. She was also forcibly converted to Islam. In 1883 Bakhita was
bought by the Italian Vice Consul Callisto Legnani, who was a very kind man.
For the first time since her captivity she was able to enjoy some peace and
tranquility. Two years later, when Legnani himself had to return to Italy,
Bakhita begged to go with him. In April 1885 they arrived at the Italian port
of Genoa, and she was greeted by Augusto Michieli, who took her to the family
villa near Venice. She lived there for three years and became nanny to the
Michieli's daughter Alice. The Michaelis bought some property in Sudan and
wanted to move back there, but Josephine refused. Nothing
saintly so far, you might say.
On
9 January 1890 Bakhita was baptized with the names of Giuseppina Margherita. On
the same day she was also confirmed and received communion from the Cardinal
patriarch of Venice himself. On December 7, 1893 she entered the novitiate of
the Canossian Sisters and on December 8, 1896 she took her vows, welcomed by
the future Pope Pius X. In 1902 she was assigned to the Canossian convent at
Schio, in the northern Italian province of Vicenza, where she spent the rest of
her life. During her 42
years in Schio, Bakhita was employed as the cook, sacristan and door keeper and
was in frequent contact with the local community. Her gentleness, calming voice, and ever-present smile became
well known. People still refer to her as Sor Moretta ("little brown
sister") or Madre Moretta ("black mother.") Her last years were marked by pain and sickness. She used a
wheelchair, but she retained her cheerfulness. Bakhita died on February 8,
1947. For three days her body lay on display while thousands of people arrived
to pay their respects. On May 17, 1992, she was declared Blessed and given
February 8 as her feast day. On October 1, 2000, she was canonized and became
Saint Josephine Bakhita, a modern African saint, and as a statement against the
brutal history of slavery, becoming the patron saint of Sudan.
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