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MyPrayerTower
SaintsFebruary 8, 2025

St. Josephine Bakhita — Patron of Human Trafficking Victims

She was kidnapped at age 7 and sold 5 times. She forgot her own name. But she found freedom in Christ.

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MyPrayerTower Team
5 min read Spiritual Study

"Bakhita" means "Lucky." It was the name given to her by her kidnappers because she was too traumatized to remember her real name. She suffered 144 scars from being tattooed by a cruel mistress.

The Freedom

She was bought by an Italian diplomat and given to the Canossian Sisters in Venice. When the diplomat tried to take her back to Sudan, the Italian courts ruled that slavery was illegal in Italy. She was free. She became a nun.

The Forgiveness

She said: "If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and Religious today."


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"O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."
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