St. Josephine Bakhita

St. Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan. At the age of 7, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Her kidnappers forced her to walk barefoot over 600 miles to the slave market, and along the way, she was bought and sold at least twice.

Over the next twelve years, Josephine was bought, sold, and given away over a dozen times. Her time in captivity was so long that she eventually forgot her original name. Some owners were cruel. For example, in one home, she broke a vase, and was beaten so severely she could not work for a month. Another owner’s wife and mother-in-law beat her daily. Another owner’s wife ordered her to be scarred, where she was whipped, cut with a knife, and had salt rubbed into her wounds, resulting in 114 scars. 

She was eventually sold to the Italian Vice Counsul. He did not beat her, and was so kind that she begged to be taken with the family when he returned to Italy. He agreed. She was gifted to another family there and served as their nanny. 

One day, the new family traveled without Josephine, so she was placed in the custody of the Canossian Sisters in Venice for the duration of their travels. With the sisters, she learned all about God and the Catholic faith, and felt the first stirrings of a call to follow Christ. She loved the sisters so much that when her family returned, she refused to leave, and a court eventually ruled in Josephine’s favor.

When she was finally free, she entered the Church and the Canossians. She worked as their cook and doorkeeper until her death, and was well known for her kindness.

Once, someone asked Josephine what she would do if she ever met her kidnappers again. Shockingly, Josephine stated that she would thank them, because if she had not been kidnapped, she would not have met the Lord. Her prayer life and life of reflection had allowed her to be grateful for her trials and the good the Lord had brought forth from them. May we, who face varied trials, work with the Lord in prayer to reach this point.

To learn more about other saints who have faced trauma, please visit the Stories of Hope page.