Josephine Margaret Bakhita | |
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Virgin | |
Born | c. 1869 Olgossa, Sultanate of Darfur |
Died | 8 February 1947 (aged 77–78) Schio, Veneto, Italy |
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion[1] |
Beatified | 17 May 1992, St Peter's Basilica by Pope John Paul II |
Canonized | 1 October 2000, St Peter's Basilica by Pope John Paul II |
Feast | 8 February |
Patronage | Catholic Church in Sudan, Sudan,[2] South Sudan[3] |
Josephine Margaret Bakhita, FDCC (Arabic: جوزفين بخيتة; c. 1869 – 8 February 1947) was a Sudanese Catholic religious sister who joined the Canossians after winning her freedom from slavery. She served in Italy for 50 years until her death in 1947. She was canonized in 2000, becoming the first female black Catholic saint in the modern era.