Sister Marie-Celine, MICM
Saint Josephine bakhita: Child of God and Bride of Christ
The new year brought great joy to Bakhita. Sister Maria Fabretti relates that Bakhita’s “preparation for Baptism was lived completely in the presence of God. She was happy above all else to be considered worthy of becoming a child of God. When I asked her whether she wanted to know the Lord, she responded ‘Yes!’ I was struck by the tremendous joy that was inside of that Yes.” On January 9, surrounded by her Sisters, the Checchini family, Cardinal Agostini, and a number of noble families of the area, Bakhita “received, with a joy only angels could describe, holy Baptism. I took the names Giuseppina, Margherita, and Fortunata [Italian for Lucky]. On the same day I received confirmation and Communion. Oh, what an unforgettable day!”
The custom for the newly baptized was to spend another year of formation at the Catechumenate. Once this year passed, Bakhita begged for another. Although the Checchinis had frequently welcomed her to become part of their family, she started to experience an inexpressible feeling, that of a vocation to the religious life. “I did not know how to explain myself. I felt unworthy. I was convinced that since I was of the Black race, I would disfigure the congregation and I would not be accepted.”
“Make your sacred vows without fear. Jesus wants you; Jesus loves you. Always love him and serve him in this way.”
Far from rejecting her, the Sisters were overjoyed at her petition, and the Mother Superior even stated that she would “clothe me with the holy habit and, when the time came, receive my profession of vows.”
Her time of novitiate started on December 7, 1893. From the very start her fellow novices noticed her exemplary ways, her great devotedness and willingness to help. About a year and a half passed by; and on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1895, Bakhita received the habit of the Canossians. As she began this new chapter in her life she, according to Saint Paul, put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth.
Before profession of vows, it was customary for those who desired to become Sisters to go through a special time of questioning. This was to ensure that the aspirant’s motives were pure, and that she was prepared to accept the duties in becoming a Bride of Christ. Usually a priest or Church official would conduct the meeting. In the case of Bakhita, her questioner was none other than Giuseppe Sarto, presently Patriarch of Venice. There are no records of words exchanged by the two saints during this meeting, but on leaving, Sarto told her to “Make your sacred vows without fear. Jesus wants you; Jesus loves you. Always love him and serve him in this way.”
Bakhita did so. On the beautiful Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1896, Bakhita made her profession of vows. The poor slave whose sorrowful history had humbled her unceasingly, now was exalted to the greatest dignity for a woman on earth. She had answered the call of her Beloved Paron (Venetian for Master) when He said to her soul, Arise, make haste my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come! (Cant. 2:10)
Life as a religious
The story that follows over the next fifty-one years of her religious life, although not as a d v e n t u r o u s or exciting as her journey from slavery, reveals Bakhita’s beautiful virtue of perseverance. The charm of the novitiate, the newness of community life or the fervor of her first years in religion never diminished as years went by. The custom of the Order was that the Sisters in the community were addressed as “Mother” instead of “Sister,” and Bakhita soon became known as Mother Moretta, taken from the nickname she received when she arrived in Italy. Her tasks at the convent in Venice consisted in sewing, embroidering, and making glass beaded crafts to sell to support the community. Since the Institute was also an orphanage for young girls, Bakhita was often caring for and teaching them. Her life with Christ grew deeper daily, and she made swift progress in His love.
"Only those who know how much Mother Moretta loved Mother Fabretti whom she considered to be almost a mother to her"
Saint Ignatius of Loyola once said,“If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint.” The new suffering that would come very quickly into Bakhita’s new life would be that of detachment from those Sisters and the place to which she had become attached. One day in 1902, Bakhita received word from her superior that she was to be transferred to another convent in Schio, s i x t y – t w o miles away. A Sister who was working with Bakhita at that time r e m e m b e r s , “Only those who know how much Mother Moretta loved Mother Fabretti whom she considered to be almost a mother to her, and how much she adored the cozy nest of the Catechumens’ Institute where she spent such heavenly days, only they can understand how she suffered at the painful news. Yet, she returned quietly to work, letting nothing of her inner sacrifice show.”
Bakhita arrived at the convent in Schio. It was definitely a time for adjustment, as the Sisters, like many Italians, had never seen a girl from Africa before. Bakhita, rather than being of- fended, was highly amused at the initial fear of some of the Sisters. She would “break the ice” and ease this fright with her unique sense of humor and witty remarks. The Sisters soon came to love her sweet personality and appreciated her jokes and laughter.
Cook and Sacristan
Bakhita’s first assignment at the new convent was to help in the kitchen. This consisted of preparing meals for the Sisters and those in the infirmary. She always worked with great charity, especially toward those who needed special attention, even when under stress or time constraints. One Sister remembers, “We were amazed and moved by her ministrations, her punctuality and dexterity in preparing whatever was necessary, and her gift of anticipating people’s needs, something she did without any fuss.”
Aside from cooking for the Sisters, Bakhita also made the meals for the orphans and students. The children at first were afraid of her, but when they saw her happy smile, they immediately were drawn by her goodness and simplicity. They loved to listen to the stories she had to tell, or to be consoled by her when they would cry. Sister Anna recounted, “When she would bring food to the nursery school, as soon as the children caught sight of her, they would cling to her habit and would not let go. There were five or six who absolutely refused to eat unless Mother Bakhita spoon-fed them. Oh, how they loved her!” Years later, one of the girls Bakhita took care of remembered that “her fare was so well arranged on the plates and so clean that even the most finicky eaters were won over. In our simple, littlegirl way, on feast days we would send our empty plates back to the kitchen with some little holy card for the Little Brown Mother as a sign of our affection and gratitude.”
Bakhita served as head cook for a number of years, and whether it was over the fire or the oven, or amidst the pots and pans, “by the way she behaved, even in the kitchen, she seemed to be in church,” a fellow Sister said. In whatever job she found herself assigned, she would reply with, “Whatever Paron [Jesus, Master] wants.”