Monday, February 4, 2008

Saint Report: St. Josephine Bakhita......by Rebecca


Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan Africa in 1869. When she was a very young child, she was kidnapped and sold as a slave. The cruel and harsh treatment she suffered as a slave made her forget her name. The people that kidnapped her gave her the name “Bakhita,” which means fortunate as a joke. Bakhita was taken to Italy to be sold as a nanny. There she was sent to serve the Canassian sisters in Venice. There she learned about God. She was baptized and took the name Josephine. At the age of twenty-four, Josephine felt God calling her to become one of the order. The sisters accepted her into the order. She cooked, sewed, took care of the chapel and answered the door. In World War I, she took care of the wounded soldiers. Someone asked her what she would do if she saw the people that kidnapped her. She said “I would kiss their hands and thank them for bringing her to Venice to become a nun. As her death drew nearer she said, “Why should I be afraid to die? Death brings us to God and I love God and want to be with him. Sister Josephine Bakhita died in 1947at the age of seventy-eight. She died saying Our Lady’s name. Pope John Paul the II canonized her on October 1, 2000. St. Josephine is the patron saint of the Christian Sudanese people who still suffer persecution for their faith.

This report is a requirement for Rebecca's religious studies.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely post..

JoAnna said...

Great job!