AUZENNE: St. Josephine Bakhita’s journey from bondage to freedom in Christ

The girl who would become St. Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan, Africa, sometime around 1869. She was the child of a prosperous and loving family, the niece of the village chief. Her life was changed forever when she was kidnapped at the age of eight and sold into slavery, enduring years of violence and cruelty. Her enslavers gave her the name “Bakhita” (Arabic for “fortunate one”) as a cruel joke. 

In 1883, St. Bakhita was enslaved by an Italian diplomat in Libya who brought her with him to Italy and then gifted her to Maria Turina Michelli, the wife of a friend. Unlike her previous enslavers, the Michelli family did not beat or abuse her; for the first time in many years, she had sufficient food and clothing. St. Bakhita was a nanny for their young daughter Alice, whom she came to love as her own. When the Michellis had to return to Libya in 1888, they left Alice and Bakhita in the care of the Canossian sisters at a nearby convent. 

In the convent, St. Bakhita met Christ for the first time. Her heart was captured by the sight of his scars, which looked so much like her own. After so many cruel “masters” who beat and abused her, Bakhita finally found the one true Master whose love could set her free. When the Michellis returned to collect St. Bakhita and Alice, St. Bakhita refused to leave.   

The Michellis tried everything to force Bakhita to return to them. When they threatened the Canossian sisters with legal action, the community was split. Some sisters felt that it was foolish to make such powerful enemies for the sake of one stubborn African woman who was not even a baptized Christian. They worried that their wealthy patrons would no longer wish to send their daughters to the convent school once it was known that they were harboring a foreign slave woman.    

Thankfully, the majority of sisters insisted that it would be a grave sin to return Bakhita into a state of bondage. Their support was affirmed in November 1888 when an Italian court ruled that Bakhita was a free woman. On Jan. 9, 1890, she was baptized Josephine Fortunata (Italian for “fortunate one”) and received her first Holy Communion from Archbishop Giuseppe Sarto, the future Pope Pius X. In 1896, she joined the Canossian sisters and went to live in their convent in Schio, Italy, where she became a beloved member of the community, renowned for her spiritual wisdom. Villagers credited the prayers of their “little brown mother” for protecting them during World War II; although the town was severely bombed, not a single person was killed. St. Josephine Bakhita died on Feb. 8, 1947. 

As we celebrate the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita this month, I pray that we might be inspired by the courage of the Canossian sisters who stood against the political pressures of their day to defend the dignity of a vulnerable immigrant who came to them as a stranger and became a spiritual mother.  Let us pray especially for Catholic ministries in our country who are under attack for their service to migrants; may we stand firmly with them in their commitment to serve the Lord who is present in the poorest and most vulnerable (Mt 25:40).  

St. Josephine Bakhita, pray for us! 

Amy Auzenne, MSW, MACE, is the director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.