St. Josephine Bakhita
Posted on February 7, 2023 by admin No comments
Born: 1868 at Oglassa, Darfur, Sudan
Died: 8 February 1947 of natural causes in Italy
Canonized: 1 October 2000 by Pope John Paul II at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy, thought to be the only saint originally from Sudan
Patronage: Sudan
Born to a wealthy Sudanese family, she was kidnapped by slave-traders at age 9, and given the name Bakhita (lucky) by them. Sold and resold in the markets at El Obeid and Khartoum, finally purchased in 1883 by Callisto Legnani, Italian consul who planned to free her. She accompanied Legnani to Italy in 1885, and worked as a nanny for the family of Augusto Michieli. She was treated well in Italy and grew to love the country. An adult convert the Christianity, she joined the Church on 9 January 1890, she took the name of Josephine as a symbol of her new life.
She entered the Institute of Canossian Daughters of Charity in Venice, Italy in 1893, taking her vows on 8 December 1896 in Verona, Italy and serving as a Canossian Sister for the next fifty years. Her gentle presence, her warm, amiable voice, and her willingness to help with any menial task were a comfort to the poor and suffering people who came to the door of the Institute.
After a biography of her was published in 1930, she became a noted and sought after speaker, raising funds to support missions. Her feast has been designated the International Day of Prayer to Stop Human Trafficking.
Prayers to St. Josephine Bakhita
Prayer to St. Josephine Bakhita
St. Josephine Bakhita, you were sold into slavery as a child and endured untold hardship and suffering. Once liberated from your physical enslavement, you found true redemption in your encounter with Christ and his Church. O St. Bakhita, assist all those who are trapped in a state of slavery; Intercede with God on their behalf so that they will be released from their chains of captivity. Those whom man enslaves, let God set free. Provide comfort to survivors of slavery and let them look to you as an example of hope and faith. Help all survivors find healing from their wounds. We ask for your prayers and intercessions for those enslaved among us. Amen.
Prayer to St. Josephine Bakhita
Loving God, rewarder of the humble, you blessed St. Josephine Bakhita with charity and patience. May her prayers help us, and her example inspire us to carry our cross and to love you always. Pour upon us the spirit of wisdom and love with which you filled St. Josephine Bakhita.
By serving you as she did, may we please you by our faith and our actions. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Novena to St. Josephine Bakhita
Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intro Prayer
In You, Lord, I place my hope, I raise my spirit to my God. You are the God of my salvation, every day I hope in You. Do not let me be disappointed! In this novena I humbly ask for (mention request here).
Daily Prayer
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of Saint Bakhita, grant us a great trust in You who are our rock and refuge. Grant that, in every circumstance of life, we may abandon ourselves to you like little children in the arms of the Father. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
St. Josephine Bakhita, you who lived your daily life with joyful faith, pray for us!
Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intro Prayer
In You, Lord, I place my hope, I raise my spirit to my God. You are the God of my salvation, every day I hope in You. Do not let me be disappointed! In this novena I humbly ask for (mention request here).
Daily Prayer
Almighty God, through the intercession of Saint Bakhita, grant us an open and free heart; help us to be content with everything and never lose heart, hoping, in everything and for everything, in our ‘Paron’ (Master). We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
St. Josephine Bakhita, you who lived your daily life with joyful faith, pray for us!
Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intro Prayer
In You, Lord, I place my hope, I raise my spirit to my God. You are the God of my salvation, every day I hope in You. Do not let me be disappointed! In this novena I humbly ask for (mention request here).
Daily Prayer
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of Saint Bakhita, grant us a poor and simple heart, like that of Mary and of your Son who became poor for the love of us. Imitating Him, let us place our confidence not in riches, but in your love and embrace. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
St. Josephine Bakhita, you who lived your daily life with joyful faith, pray for us!
Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intro Prayer
In You, Lord, I place my hope, I raise my spirit to my God. You are the God of my salvation, every day I hope in You. Do not let me be disappointed! In this novena I humbly ask for (mention request here).
Daily Prayer
Almighty God, through the intercession of Saint Bakhita, enwrap us with your meekness and patience so as to enjoy your peace even when things are not as we would like them to be. May your powerful hand sustain us and bless us so that we may enter our Heavenly homeland. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
St. Josephine Bakhita, you who lived your daily life with joyful faith, pray for us!
Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intro Prayer
In You, Lord, I place my hope, I raise my spirit to my God. You are the God of my salvation, every day I hope in You. Do not let me be disappointed! In this novena I humbly ask for (mention request here).
Daily Prayer
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of Saint Bakhita, give us always a hunger and thirst for holiness so that everyone may be saved and come to know and love Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. He lives and reigns forever. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
St. Josephine Bakhita, you who lived your daily life with joyful faith, pray for us!
Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intro Prayer
In You, Lord, I place my hope, I raise my spirit to my God. You are the God of my salvation, every day I hope in You. Do not let me be disappointed! In this novena I humbly ask for (mention request here).
Daily Prayer
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of Saint Bakhita, grant us sentiments of sincere mercy towards everyone. Grant us that we may heartily forgive the offenses that we receive and thus savour the beauty of your forgiveness. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
St. Josephine Bakhita, you who lived your daily life with joyful faith, pray for us!
Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intro Prayer
In You, Lord, I place my hope, I raise my spirit to my God. You are the God of my salvation, every day I hope in You. Do not let me be disappointed! In this novena I humbly ask for (mention request here).
Daily Prayer
Almighty God, through the intercession of Saint Bakhita, grant us a transparent and upright heart able to contemplate your image in every brother and sister that we meet and with whom we live. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
St. Josephine Bakhita, you who lived your daily life with joyful faith, pray for us!
Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intro Prayer
Heavenly Father, through the intercession of Saint Bakhita, grant that everywhere we may be instruments of your peace and grant this peace to every family and to the whole world. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
St. Josephine Bakhita, you who lived your daily life with joyful faith, pray for us!
Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intro Prayer
In You, Lord, I place my hope, I raise my spirit to my God. You are the God of my salvation, every day I hope in You. Do not let me be disappointed! In this novena I humbly ask for (mention request here).
Daily Prayer
Heavenly Father, through Saint Bakhita’s intercession, grant us to embrace lovingly every moment of our lives and to discover your presence close to us in the signs of the Cross. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
St. Josephine Bakhita, you who lived your daily life with joyful faith, pray for us!