Honoring the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita

Members of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men — of which the Viatorians are members — join with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors General, who designated the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita as an “International Day of Prayer, Reflection and Action against Human Trafficking.”

Feb. 8 is the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan and Italy. Once Josephine was freed, she became a Canossian nun and dedicated her life to sharing her testament of deliverance from slavery and comforting the poor and suffering.

She was declared a saint in 2000. Catholics all over the world are encouraged to host or attend prayer services to create greater awareness about human trafficking. Through prayer, we not only reflect on the experiences of those that have suffered through this affront to human dignity, but also comfort, strengthen and help empower survivors.

Learn more about the life of St. Josephine, here. For more details on the current issue of trafficking, you can access a range of resources assembled by the Vatican, here.