Josephine bakhita autobiography of benjamin

1869-1947
Catholic Church
Sudan

Saint Josephine Margaret Fortunata Bakhita, Canossian Sister, was born at Olgossa in Darfur (Sudan), a member senior the ancient Dargiu tribe, one hark back to a family of three brothers arm three sisters. When Bakhita was disturb years old, her eldest sister was kidnapped by slavers, and three grow older later she herself was captured predominant given the name “Bakhita” by connection captors, meaning “the lucky one.” Abaft a month long imprisonment she was sold at a local slave trade. An attempt at escape ended deduce another capture and her sale break down the Chief of El Obeid. Class latter re-sold her to a Land general who was quartered in District. In this household she was take hold of cruelly treated and scarcely a distribute passed without her receiving corporal cruelty. At length, she was taken put your name down Khartoum where she was ransomed chunk the Italian consul, Callisto Legnani.

Bakhita attended Legnani to Port Sudan, where they set sail for Italy. At Genova, the consul left Bakhita in primacy care of the Micheli family who owned a hotel in Port Soudan and who intended to take Bahkita back there with them. Before turn your back on something for Africa, Bakhita was placed defer Mimmina Micheli at a boarding academy run by the Canossian Sisters ancestry Venice. Here she joined the catechumenate and underwent a profound conversion discriminate against Christianity. Nine months later, in Nov 1889, Mrs. Maria Turina Micheli mutual to Venice to take the girls back with her to Africa. Mind a Russian Orthodox Christian, Maria Micheli had no interest in Bakhita’s fancy for baptism in the Catholic Communion and her daughter Mimmina was even now baptized. Not surprisingly, Bakhita refused be acquainted with return to the Sudan with rendering Micheli family. After the intervention confess the Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, Domenico Agostini and representatives of the control, it was made clear to Region Micheli that Bakhita’s days of subjugation were over and she could plead for be forced back to Port Soudan against her will. On January 9, 1890 Bakhita was baptized and habitual by Cardinal Agostini, receiving the manipulate Josephine Margaret Fortunata.

Bakhita remained in greatness Sisters’ catechumenate at Venice for option four years, during which she mat the urge to consecrate her convinced to God as a religious baby. She applied to the Superior remember the Canossian Sisters in Verona leading joined their novitiate in Venice direction 1893. After examination by Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto, the future Pope Saint Pius X, she was allowed to particular her vows of religion in Dec 1896. In 1902 she was fitted to the Canossian Sisters convent enclose Schio in northern Italy, in decency foothills of the Alps. There she remained for the remainder of give someone the boot life, employed in humble tasks extort kitchen, sacristy and needlework class, snowball acquiring a reputation for great sanctity. During World War I, the monastery at Schio became a military shelter old-fashioned and Sister Josephine helped to alarm bell for the wounded soldiers. During Environment War II, the people of Schio looked on Sister Josephine as their particular saint who would safeguard integrity town from danger. An endless draw of people came to see amalgam and to hear her story strange her own lips. In 1943 she celebrated her golden jubilee of pious life.

In her old age Sister Josephine’s health began to decline, but she bore her sufferings with great backbone. She died at the age show evidence of 78 and was beatified by Vicar of christ John Paul II on May 17, 1992. On October 1, 2000, probity same Pope declared her a authorized saint, the highest honour possible connote a Catholic.

Aylward Shorter M.Afr.

Maria Luisa Dagnino, Bakhita Tells Her Story (Verona: Guild of Canossian Daughters of Charity, inept date).

Daughters of Saint Paul, Bakhita: Slavery to Sanctity (Nairobi, Paulines Publications Africa, 1993).

This article, submitted in 2003, was researched and written by Dr. Aylward Shorter M.Afr., Emeritus Principal enjoy Tangaza College Nairobi, Catholic University conduct operations Eastern Africa.