Feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita – February 8


Mother Josephine Bakhita was born in Darfur, Sudan in 1869 and died in Schio (Vicenza)  in 1947. She was canonized in 2009 and is the patron saint of Sudan.

bakhitaBakhita was not the name she received from her Muslim parents at birth. The fright and the terrible experiences she went through made her forget the name she was given by her parents. Bakhita, which means “fortunate”, was the name given to her by her kidnappers. Sold and resold in the markets of El Obeid and of Khartoum, she experienced the humiliations and sufferings of slavery, both physical and moral.

Bakhita was bought by an Italian Consul and eventually went with him to Italy. After serving as a domestic and a children's nurse she came to know the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa. She was baptized in 1890. On December 8, 1896 Josephine Bakhita was consecrated forever to God whom she called with the sweet expression “the Master!” For another 50 years, this humble Daughter of Charity, a true witness of the love of God, lived in the community in Schio, engaged in various services: cooking, sewing, embroidery and attending to the door.


Her humility, her simplicity and her constant smile won the hearts of all the citizens. Her sisters in the community esteemed her for her inalterable sweet nature, her exquisite goodness and her deep desire to make the Lord known.


Mother Bakhita breathed her last on February 8, 1947.


We pray on this day for the Christians of the Sudan, their country and those refugees from Sudan who live here in Israel.


View and listen to a brief video on the early life of Bakhita in English


Listen to Christian music from Sudan

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