Today's celebration • February 8 • Saint Joephine Bakhita

For many years, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and eventually that
spirit prevailed.

Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of
seven, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate. She was re-sold
several times,  finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani, Italian consul in Khartoum, Sudan.

Two years later he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his friend Augusto Michieli. Bakhita
became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli, whom she accompanied to Venice's Institute of the
Catechumens, run by the Canossian Sisters. While Mimmina was being instructed, Josephine
felt drawn to the Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890, taking the name
Josephine.

When the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take Mimmina and Josephine back
with them, the future saint refused to go. During the ensuing court case, the Canossian sisters
and the patriarch of Venice intervened on Josephine's behalf. The judge concluded that since
slavery was illegal in Italy, she had actually been free since 1885.

Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession
three years later. In 1902, she was transferred to the city of Schio (northeast of Verona), where
she assisted her religious community through cooking, sewing, embroidery and welcoming
visitors at the door. She soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters' school and
the local citizens. She once said, "Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him.
What a great grace it is to know God!" The first steps toward her beatification began in 1959.
She was beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.

Comment:
Josephine's body was mutilated by those who enslaved her, but they could not touch her inner spirit.
Her Baptism set her on an eventual path toward asserting her civic freedom and then service to
God's people as a Canossian sister. She who worked under many "masters" was finally happy to
address God as "master" and carry out everything that she believed to be God's will for her.

Quote:
During his homily at her canonization Mass in St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II said that in
St. Josephine Bakhita, "We find a shining advocate of genuine emancipation. The history of her life
 inspires not passive acceptance but the firm resolve to work effectively to free girls and women
from oppression and violence, and to return them to their dignity in the full exercise of their rights."