Coffee & Saints

Born: 1869, Olgossa, Darfur (now in Sudan)
Died: February 8, 1947, Schio, Italy

What I appreciate about St. Josephine Bakhita:
She was a survivor of slavery who did not let anger and hate destroy her life; instead she chose to focus on the good in other people and show them respect and love.

Coffee Order:
As a woman who saw the bigger picture of life and found joy even in the small things; I think she would choose a treat: salted caramel mocha Frappuccino.

Kidnapped, sold, forced to be a slave. The Saint that I would want to meet for coffee today experienced a very difficult life when she was young. Right off the bat I want to say that I am in awe of Josephine Bakhita’s true love of the Lord as she was faced with many trials and tribulations brought on from others and yet she still loved. She did not let their hatred and misunderstanding of human dignity deter her from falling madly in love with God. How many times have you faced something difficult and your first reaction is rage at God? How many times have I cried out, “Are you kidding me God?!”

In my mind, she is someone who liked quiet conversation in a place filled with comfort. For our coffee outing I think that Saint Josephine Bakhita would choose a coffee shop that is in a quaint part of town with a large picture window, artwork from local artists, and plush chairs. For her order, I can see her choosing something sweet to treat herself: a salted caramel mocha.

As the two of us would sit together across the table, I think she would be an easy person to carry a conversation with. She recognized the importance of people’s stories being heard and therefore, I think she would be eager to share hers. While her story was very difficult and shows an evil side to humanity; I also know that she would want people to not dwell only on the negative – she would urge us to focus on God’s mercy in all of it.

To begin her story, I can see a sad smile on her face. She was raised in a good family in Sudan with parents who loved her dearly. At the age of nine, she was kidnapped from her home and forced into slavery. Each owner was as cruel as the next – so much so that she forgot her own name and was called “Bakhita” which means “fortunate”. At thirteen years old a Turkish general purchased the young girl and his mistresses were horrible and whipped her daily. They forced her to receive painful tattoos on her chest and stomach, permanently marking her body along with scars that she would carry for the rest of her life. I can see the shudder in her shoulders as she remembers the night she was forced to receive the tattoos. They poured salt into her wounds and the pain was so excruciating that she thought she would soon die. However; she would also remind me to focus on the fact that God allowed her to survive – because He had bigger plans for her.

God did come through for the young woman and in 1883 she was sold to an Italian family. These were not slave owners who degraded and harmed; they had her care for their baby daughter. They spoke to her with respect and kindness, welcoming her into their home. Saint Josephine Bakhita became devoted to her caring of the baby and their bond grew as the child aged. The daughter, Mimmina, was sent to barding school and Saint Josephine Bakhita went with her, showing her great love for the girl. I can see the joy in her eyes as she speaks of the family who loved her so much that they entrusted her with their most precious gift: a child. I would ask if she had been skittish at first with the family? It must have been so difficult to go from treated like dirt to being treated as human. I can picture her feeling as though she was walking on egg shells for a while, waiting for the next shoe to drop.

The boarding school that Mimmina and Saint Josephine Bakhita went to was run by the Canossian Sisters who were the first people to teach her the Gospel. It was there that she was introduced to a God who loved her, respected her, and wanted the best for her. After so much hardship and loneliness, she found herself surrounded by women who praised a savior who had brought them each there for a reason. She had finally found a home. How joyous she must have felt walking those halls and being met with smiles and encouragement.

These women stood out to Saint Josephine Bakhita in a very profound way and she realized that she too desired to love the Lord. She was baptized in 1890 and took the name Josephine. What joy she must have felt! She had entered the family of God! I can see the smile on her face as she describes the feeling of finding her “home” on earth. She had been kidnapped as a child, forgotten her own name, and been treated as less than. Her mind must have constantly been searching for a place to feel safe. And finally, she was welcomed as an adopted daughter of God with thousands of brothers and sisters all across the globe!

She began discerning God’s call for her life and felt Him nudging her to give more. She had found a place to call home and was ready to join in in an even deeper way. At the age of twenty-seven she made her final vows and officially became a Canossian sister. I can picture that moment as the other sisters, eyes filled with tears, joyously welcomed her to the fold! She truly found her place and her people.

I would love to talk to her about her life for so many reasons, but I would love for her to be able to share more with me about her illnesses as she aged. The years were long and her sicknesses were severe – yet she never wavered in her faith. I can see the determination in her eyes as she explains that she refused to give up on the Lord in her own suffering. This is something that I know we can all learn from. She could have had so much anger at a God who “allows” bad things to happen; however, she was focused on His ever-present love.

Tears would spring to my eyes as she told me how she was not alone when she died. She was surrounded by the other sisters who were praying, singing, and sitting with her. After so many hardships in her life and being forgotten, she left this earthly life with a room filled with people who truly loved her. She was not a nobody; she was a beautiful daughter of God who spoke with kindness.

Her life is a beautiful reminder that this world is not perfect; nor are the people in it. We live in a fallen world, a mission field. We can carry our hate and judgements around with us or we can choose to lift these up to the Lord. After how horrible the people treated Saint Josephine Bakhita in the slave trades, she still chose to look back at that part of her life and see the good. In her own words she said: “If I was to meet those slave traders that abducted me and those who tortured me, I’d kneel down to them to kiss their hands, because, if it had not have been for them, I would not have become a Christian and religious woman.” The reason she was able to say that is because she truly knew God and His love for her. Today, let us pray for those who have harmed us or offended us; let us see them as children of God and not only for their transgressions.

Prayer:
Saint Josephine Bakhita, you were ripped from your home as a young girl and treated as less than human. The Lord had other plans for you and brought you to a place of safety and love. Please pray for those of us who have been mistreated by others – that we will be able to look at them with dignity and love; even amidst hate and injustice. During your life you found a community who supported, cared for, and loved you; we pray for those who feel lost or lonely that they may find a community as well. May we one day be able to rejoice with you in Heaven among the other Saints and praise God for eternity in the best community of all. Amen.

I hope you enjoyed learning about this Saint! The artwork above was created using AI and my own imagination – this is how I picture what it would be like to sit with Saint Josephine Bakhita in a coffeeshop today. I would love for you to share your own thoughts in the comments. How do you picture Saint Josephine Bakhita? What do you think she would have ordered at a coffee shop? Let me know below!

Cheers! ☕
Maggie