Biography of saint josephine bakhita printables

Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering.

Historians believe that sometime in February 1877, Josephine was kidnapped by Arab slave traders. Although she was just a child, she was forced to walk barefoot over 600 miles to a slave market in El Obeid. She was bought and sold at least twice during the grueling journey.

For the next 12 years she would be bought, sold and given away over a dozen times. She spent so much time in captivity that she forgot her original name.

As a slave, her experiences varied from fair treatment to cruel. Her first owner, a wealthy Arab, gave her to his daughters as a maid. The assignment was easy until she offended her owner's son, possibly for the crime of breaking a vase. As punishment, she was beaten so severely she was incapacitated for a month. After that, she was sold.

One of her owners was a Turkish general who gave her to his wife and mother-in-law who both beat her daily. Josephine wrote that as soon as one wound would heal, they would inflict another.

She told about how the general's wife ordered her to be scarred. As her mistress watched, ready with a whip, another woman drew patterns on her skin with flour, then cut into her flesh with a blade. She rubbed the wounds with salt to make the scars permanent. She would suffer a total of 114 scars from this abuse.

In 1883, the Turkish general sold her to the Italian Vice Consul, Callisto Legani. He was a much kinder master and he did not beat her. When it was time for him to return to Italy, she begged to be taken with him, and he agreed.

After a long and dangerous journey across Sudan, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean, they arrived in Italy. She was given away to another family as a gift and

Saint Josephine Bakhita is an inspiring Saint with a tragic story. Her feast day falls each year on February 8. Also, the month of November is Black Catholic History Awareness Month, so that’s a great time to celebrate her life as well. Today, let’s look at some celebrating the life of St. Bakhita for kids with crafts, printables, and even more resources. 

“O Lord, if I could fly to my people and tell them of your Goodness at the top of my voice: Oh, how many souls would be won!” -St. Josephine Bakhita

St. Josephine Bakhita “Cheat Sheet”

As always, it’s a lot easier to plan out your learning when you know the highlights of the Saint’s life yourself! Let’s take a look at St. Josephine Bakhita in a nutshell to understand out celebration ideas. 

• Feast day February 8
• Born in Sudan, a country in North East Africa
• Kidnapped and sold as a slave at age 8
• Couldn’t remember the name given to her from her parents 
• Given the name “Bakhita”, which means “lucky one” 
• Tortured, abused, and mutilated 
• Forced to receive over 60 tattoos made painfully with a razor and salt
• Finally at age 14 she was a nanny to an Italian family
• Learned about God from the Sisters of Charity while attending to a Christian child 
• Family wanted to return Josephine Bakhita to Africa, but she fought to stay in Italy with the Sisters of Charity. Because slavery was illegal in Italy, with help from civil and religious authorities, she was able to stay.
• Was baptized and confirmed, then joined the religious order
• She prayed for her town (Schio) during the first and second world wars, which was spared from devastating damage, and this was credited to her prayers 
• Known by the people as Mother Moretta, “Our Black Mother” 
• Also known as the “Universal Sister” becaus

Teach your students about the inspiring life of **Saint Josephine Bakhita **with this versatile reading comprehension resource!

This product features a 2-page reading passage that introduces students to Saint Josephine Bakhita’s journey, faith, and legacy. Written in student-friendly language, the text highlights the most important aspects of her life in a way that is easy to understand and captivating for young learners.

Accompanying the reading are a variety of no-prep worksheets designed to meet diverse student needs:

Full-sentence questions to encourage detailed responses.
True/false questions to assess comprehension quickly.
Multiple-choice questions for easy evaluation.
Cloze activity for reinforcing vocabulary and understanding.
Word Bank activity for matching terms with their meanings.
Fill-in-the-boxes activity for writing and vocabulary practice.
Word scramble for a fun vocabulary challenge.
Color by Number activity for creative engagement tied to comprehension.
Answer keys are included for all activities,

This resource is perfect for main lessons, supplementary work, homeschooling, or individual and group activities.

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