A few months before I was born in 1947 an elderly African/Italian Religious Sister died near Vicenza, Italy. She was a member of the Canossian Daughters of Charity, and lived a quiet, simple, holy life. Her name was Josephine Bakhita.
In the year 2000, our paths crossed somewhat in that I was visiting in Rome and had the honor of being present when Blessed John Paul II declared this woman a saint of the church (along with Mother Katherine Drexel and two others). In Saint Peter's Square with thousands of others I learned of the extraordinary journey of Josephine Bakhita, and came to appreciate her story and admire her faith. Today, along with Saint Jerome Emiliani, she is honored by the Universal Church.
She was born in the Sudan around 1869, kidnapped as a child, and was repeatedly sold in the slave trade market until rescued by the family of the Italian consulate. She served this family in a number of capacities in their home in Italy, including as governess for their children. She was accepted by the family and she came to accept the Catholic Faith as her own. Eventually called to religious life, she entered the community and served the Lord in her own way. So dramatic and yet so simple was this story, that her cause for canonization was pressed, and resulted in that glorious afternoon in Saint Peter's Square, with her portrait hanging from the Basilica.
It was a glorious day, a wonderful experience for me, and a cherished memory.
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