St. Josephine Bakhita
Sudanese Canossian Sister (c. 1869-1947), kidnapped at 7 by Arab slavers from her Daju village, sold five times, and brought to Italy in 1885 by an Italian consul; baptized at Venice in 1890, entered the Canossian Daughters of Charity, and served at Schio for over forty years. Canonized 2000 by John Paul II.
Life & Times
Born: c. 1869 · Died: 8 February 1947 · From: Sudan / Italy.
Patronage
St. Josephine Bakhita is invoked as the patron of human trafficking survivors, sudan, enslaved people. Those in these callings or circumstances often turn to this saint in prayer.
“If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. For if these things had not happened, I would not be a Christian.”— Recorded by her Canossian sisters in the months before her death (1947); cited in Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical 'Spe Salvi' (2007)
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Devotional items honoring St. Josephine Bakhita, from our Sancta Lumina collection and beyond.
About Catholic Saints
Catholic saints, including St. Josephine Bakhita, are Christians whom the Catholic Church has formally recognized as having lived lifes of heroic holiness and who now dwell with God in heaven, offering an example of faith for those still on their earthly journey. Catholics don't worship saints, but ask them to pray to God with us and for us — much as one might ask a trusted friend to pray for them — trusting that those closest to God can join their voices to ours before Him. Discover more saints in the Catholic Shop Saints section.