Joséphine Bakhita
1869-1947 20th century Feast day: February 8
Forgiveness that outgrew unspeakable cruelty, a name reclaimed from irony into gratitude, freedom found finally in belonging to God alone.
Who was Joséphine Bakhita?
Kidnapped as a child in Sudan in the 1870s, she was enslaved and sold repeatedly, beaten so badly by one owner that she carried the scars her whole life, and lost even her own name along the way. Bakhita, meaning "fortunate," was given to her by traders, a bitter irony for years. Brought to Italy by an employer, she encountered the Canossian Sisters, learned of a God who loved her without owning her, and chose baptism and religious life, becoming a nun who was, at last, never again anyone's property.
In their own words
If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that had not happened, I would not now be a Christian.