Call Toll Free : 1-800-560-4999Saint Josephine Bakhita was born in 1896 in Olgossa, a town located in Darfur. She had a great childhood because her father was the leader of her tribe there. However at age nine, she was taken by invading Arabs.
Saint Josephine Bakhita was beaten and went through so much suffering that she forgot her own true name. Josephine Bakhita was sold into slavery. She had symbols carved into her skin by her owner to show that she belonged to him. One time she was hurt so badly by one of her owners’ sons, that she spent a several weeks in bed.
Saint Josephine Bakhita was sold to another owner at this point in her life. This owner was a man named Augusto Michieli. She liked her life with him much more than her previous owner. She served Augusto, but mainly tended to his children. When Augusto and his family had to leave the country on business, Josephine was left with the Canossian Sisters.
Upon the Michieli’s return, they attempted to take back their servants. Josephine put up a fight though, and eventually got a court ruling saying she was not bound to the family. Slavery had been abolished in Italy before her birth, so she was given her freedom. Josephine chose to stay with the Canossian Sisters in Venice.
Saint Josephine would officially join the Canossian Sisters in 1896. Josephine mainly stayed in her new home provided by the sisters in Schio. However she did leave once to go to Africa and help sisters there. Saint Josephine was the door keeper at the house in Schio and was known for her kind spirits and gentle voice there.
Towards the end of her life, Saint Josephine Bakhita would get extremely ill. Her illnesses would sometimes cause flashbacks of her days as a slave. This caused her much anguish and was hard for many to see her deal with. On February 8, 1947 Saint Josephine Bakhita passed away. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000, and her feast day is on February 8th each year.
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