Josephine Bakhita was born around 1869 in Darfur, Sudan, kidnapped as a child, and sold into slavery. Brought to Italy, she gained her freedom, was baptized, and joined the Canossian Daughters of Charity, serving humbly for some fifty years in Schio until her death in 1947. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
Bakhita endured terrible suffering as a child, yet she came to know God as a loving Father and forgave those who had harmed her. Her gentle peace, born of trust in providence, shows that no wound is beyond the reach of grace, and that a heart set free by love can bless everyone it meets.
Saint Josephine Bakhita, who found freedom and peace in the love of God, pray for us who grieve, that our wounds may be healed and our hope made new. Amen.