8 February: Saint Josephine Bakhita
From slave to “Black Mother”
She was a happy girl from a fairly well-off animist family that lived in Olgossa, in Sudan’s Darfur region. In 1878, when she was nine years old, she was abducted by slave traders and her life soon turned into a nightmare. The resulting trauma was so profound that she could no longer remember her name, and her captors mockingly called her “Bakhita”, which means “lucky”.
She was bought by a wealthy Arab man who treated her so violently that she was unable to move for over a month. When she was 10 years old, she was sold to a Turkish general, and was forced to endure horrific cruelty once again.
In 1883, Bakhita was sold to a representative of the Italian consulate and her life began to change. She found a welcoming family, for whom she worked as a maid. When the Mahdist War broke out, the diplomat was forced to leave the country and return to Italy. Bakhita asked to be taken with him. She arrived in Veneto in 1884 and was entrusted to the care of a couple, friends of the diplomat in Zianigo (Venice). She became their daughter’s nanny.
When the couple left for Africa in 1888, Bakhita and the girl she looked after were temporarily entrusted to the care of the Institute of Catechumens in Venice, run by the Daughters of Charity (Canossians), for nine months. There, she learned about the life of Saint Magdalene of Canossa, the founder of the Canossians, a discovery that kindled her desire to make Jesus known and to care for the poor.
Shortly after, the Italian couple returned from Africa to take Bakhita and the little girl with them. However, Bakhita refused to leave because she wanted to complete her preparation for Baptism. With a decision from the King’s Attorney General on 29 November 1889, Bakhita was officially declared free, allowing her to continue her catechumenate.
Bakhita was baptized on 9 January, 1890. She was confirmed and received the sacrament of Holy Communion on the same day. She chose the name Josephine, after her godmother, and kept the names Fortunata and Bakhita. She was deeply devoted to Our Lady and received the medal and blue ribbon of the Daughters of Mary. Gradually, she felt called by the Lord, and in 1893, the Superior of the Canossians allowed her to enter the novitiate. She made her first vows in 1896 and was assigned to work in the kitchen.
In 1902, Bakhita was transferred to the convent in Schio, where she lived for the rest of her life. She worked as a cook, a sacristan, and an assistant nurse during World War I, and was later appointed as doorkeeper. People came to know her and grew fond of her, affectionately calling her “Madre Moretta” (Black Mother).
Bakhita made her perpetual vows in 1927. At the request of her Mother Superior in 1930, she was interviewed by a writer tasked with writing her biography. The book was published in 1931 with the title, Storia meravigliosa (A Wonderful Story).
From 1933 onwards, along with another nun, she began to travel throughout Italy to raise awareness about missionary work. After her health deteriorated in 1939, she was unable to leave Schio and dedicated her time to prayers for the conversion of sinners. She died on 8 February 1947, in Schio.