Saint Josephine Bakhita

Born: 1869 in Sudan

Died: 1947

As a girl, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery, even having her body mutilated by her captors and forced to convert to Islam.

But it never crushed her strong spirit.  She escaped to Italy, becoming a nanny for a child there.

Once finally free she converted to Catholicism, joining the convent.

She’s a true inspiration – that despite suffering & all the ill-treatment she received, she still had a relentless smile, gentleness and love, even forgiving those who abused her, saying she would not have become a Christian if not for them…