Saint Josephine Bakhita, Jesus sets a Slave Free [Drawn to the Saints]
Saint Josephine Bakhita from Sudan was a Slave who went through many trials. She was set free from enslavement in 1888, but with the help of the Canossian Sisters, ultimately found true freedom in the person of Jesus Christ.
When Bakhita was 7 or 8 years old she was abducted by Arab slave traders. Over the next dozen years she was sold three times. The trauma of her kidnapping caused her to forget her own name. "Bakhita" is a name given to her by slave traders which means "lucky or fortunate one"
A judge determined, because of Sudanese and Italian law, Bakhita was never legally a slave. She was free. On January 9th, 1890 Bakhita was baptized. Six years later she took her final vows and became a Canossian Sister. In 1902 she was assigned to a convent in Schio where she remained the rest of her life. She was described as being gentle, always smiling and as having a strong missionary drive, especially for Africa. At the convent she worked as a cook, a sacristan and the doorkeeper. She had a reputation for sanctity that helped people maintain a sense of peace when the second world war brought bombs to their city. The end of her life brought holy suffering. As her body succumbed to sickness and pain, she would describe her condition "as the master desires." On February, 8th 1947 the chains of this earthly life loosened and she was fully free to be with God.
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