FD of St Josephine Bakhita who died as a nun in Italy on Feb 8 1947, a long distance from the day at 9 when she was kidnapped from her village in Sudan and sold into slavery. After a succession of brutal masters she was bought by an Italian family who took her back to Italy.
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There she first heard the gospel and divined God’s will that she be free. When her family planned to return to Sudan, Bakhita refused. The mistres sued in court for her “property.” Only then did Bakhita learn that slavery was illegal in Italy. She was already free.
In 1890 she was baptized and was accepted as a novice by the Canossian Srs. She was known for her quiet faith and her gift for “making the ordinary extraordinary.” When confined to a wheelchair she maintained her mission: simply to do God’s will. She was canonized in 2000.
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