Josephine Bakhita

Captured near her village in the Darfur region of the Sudan and enslaved in 1875 as a young girl of about six, this saint was so traumatized that she could not remember her given name. The Arab slavers then gave her the name Bakhita, Arabic for “the fortunate one.” This proved to be prophetic. Even as a slave undergoing unspeakable torture and living in the harshest of conditions, Bakhita noted the beauty of the world and wondered who it was that created all of this beauty. She eventually became a Catholic and was known for her great charity and piety. Greeting and blessing the children coming into school and taking care of the poor endeared her to the people.

Few have suffered as Josephine Bakhita did in her lifetime. Yet her strong faith in God sustained her and gave her the strength to pass her love on to others.