Sister Marie-Celine, MICM
Saint Josephine bakhita
The Italian Consul
Bakhita noticed that the general began to grow uneasy. A revolution was taking place against the Egyptian government in the Sudan. Which up to this time had imposed slavery and high taxes and had controlled all Sudanese trade. In 1863, when Khedive Ismail came to power as new governor, he established an anti-slavery campaign. This did not sit well with those who made a living from slave trade. Also, he put the country in debt by misusing the funds set aside for the Suez Canal. He brought in the British to help stop slave trading. The British became involved in the campaign and at the same time offered to pay Ismail’s debts so they could have a large part in controlling the Canal. Ismail then appointed British General Charles Gordon as governor.
In 1881, Muhammed Ahmed, a fervent Muslim, declared himself the Mahdi, “the Guided One,” the establisher of a perfect Islamic world. He interpreted the actions of the government, that of Ismail and Gordon, as a threat to Islam. His main goal was to unite the Sudanese under Islamic rule, essentially declaring jihad or “holy war” on the existing Egyptian government. To Muhammed, anyone considered a foreigner in the area was labeled “a Turk” and an enemy to his regime. This labeling was accurate because a large majority of inhabitants of Sudan were not Sudanese, but Turkish.
It is understandable, then, that the Turkish general wanted to move out of the country. In 1882, fearing that Muhammed would take his city of El Obeid, he packed up his camels and ten of his best slaves and headed for Khartoum, about 263 miles north. Bakhita was among the number. The journey was long and the conditions were filthy, but in spite of the inconvenience, Bakhita enjoyed the novelty of riding on a camel! “After a number of days traveling we stopped at a hotel in Khartoum. There [the general] sent out word that he had slaves for sale.” An Italian consul by the name of Calisto Legnani made arrangements with the general and bought Bakhita. “This time I was truly lucky, because the new master was very good and was very fond of me. My job was to help the chambermaid with housework. I did not get scolded, punished, or beaten; it did not seem true that one could enjoy such peace and tranquility.”
After a couple years, towards the end of 1884, the climax of the Mahdist revolution was taking place. Besides wanting to get away from the tumult, Legnani needed to return to Italy because of the collapse of his commercial business. Bakhita remembered, “… When I heard the name of Italy, of whose beauty and charm I knew nothing, my heart was filled with the most fervent desire–the desire to follow my master. Because he liked me so much, I dared to ask him to bring me to Italy with him. I insisted so much that in the end he consented. I knew later that it was God Who wanted this to happen. I can still taste the joy I felt at the time.” So began the journey to Italy.
“If I had remained there, I certainly would have been stolen, and then what would have happened to me? How grateful to the Lord I was for having saved me yet again.”
The little group of travelers consisted of Legnani and his friend, Augusto Michieli, Bakhita, and a little African boy whom Legnani had rescued earlier. They made the trek of 480 miles to the Red Sea port of Suakin. They left Khartoum just in time! A month after their departure the Mahdist revolutionaries took the city of Khartoum and wreaked havoc and destruction, carrying away all slaves with them. “If I had remained there, I certainly would have been stolen, and then what would have happened to me? How grateful to the Lord I was for having saved me yet again.”
Sailing across oceans was a completely new experience for Bakhita. Everything was foreign to her–the different sights, beautiful ocean sunsets, the cool, salty air. She was leaving her native land for the first time. When the ship landed in Genoa, Italy, Bakhita and the little boy were amazed at the busy port. To see an African boy and girl in Italy was not at all common, and they attracted the attention of many people who wanted to look at them. According to Bakhita, the group “found lodging in a hotel owned by a man whom the consul’s friend knew very well and who had asked him the favor of acquiring [an African] boy for him. As a result, the one who had been my travel companion was soon given to this hotel owner.”
“The wife of the consul’s friend, who had come to meet him, saw us [Africans] and wanted one. She asked her husband why he had not brought one back for her and her daughter. The consul, to please his friend and his wife, gave me to them as a gift.” Bakhita would never again see Legnani, the nice consul who had rescued her from the tyranny of slavery.
The Michelis
Augusto and Turina Michieli lived in the beautiful area of Zianigo, Mirano near Venice. They had three children, one of whom died as an infant. The last was a little girl Alice Alessandrina, who was called by the nickname of “Mimmina.” The Michielis had brought Bakhita to be her nanny. When they arrived home with her, the whole neighborhood came out with excited curiosity. The children of the neighborhood were very afraid of Bakhita at first. They had never seen an African before–her skin was so dark! Only the bravest among the children came up to touch her to see if her blackness would rub off on them! The news of the new nanny in the Michieli household spread very quickly among the townspeople, even to Signor Illuminato Checchini.
Checchini was a very loving and deeply spiritual man who took his Faith seriously. He grew up the son of a cartwright in Salzano, Italy. He had been the organist at the church where Father Giuseppe Sarto was parish priest. Little did Checchini suspect that the parish priest with whom he shared many ideas, and even played cards, would one day become the great Pope Saint Pius X. Lifelong connections would be made between the two, even in the case of Bakhita. Considered a trustful and good family friend, Checchini would take care of the Michieli estate when they were traveling on business. He was one of the first people to come to the house to inquire formally about “Moretta” (the black girl). Checchini was overjoyed at seeing Bakhita. He saw her as a poor soul that God had brought to them. Although she currently belonged to the Michielis, Checchini wanted Bakhita to meet his own family, and eventually to become, not a slave in his household, but a member of his family, and of the Church.
Time went on and people became used to seeing Bakhita going about her chores. Although communication was hard at first because of the language barriers, Bakhita managed to pick up the Venetian dialect. Although her mastery of the language was far from perfect, people could understand the happiness by her soft and sincere smile, or observe the distant pain of past sorrow in her dark eyes.
In her role as nanny, Bakhita enjoyed taking care of Mimmina. “This little one liked me a great deal, and I of course reciprocated with equal affection.” She would take her for walks and would frequently stop in to visit the Checchinis, who always received her graciously. It was at this household that Bakhita was introduced to the Faith. Up to this time she had practiced no religion, but her reason and natural goodness pointed her in the right direction toward truth. “I knew nothing of idols. I just looked at the stars, so beautiful as they were, and the bright sun, and I kept repeating: I love the Person who made all these wonderful things.” Checchini was anxious for this soul to find the love and peace of Christ, and he knew he had to do something to help her become a child of God in Baptism. It was not an easy task. Augusto Michieli and his wife were not religious people by any means. Turina in particular was against Catholicism, so the mere mention of it, or anything related to it, was strictly forbidden. Bakhita was not even allowed to go into the village church. In spite of this obstacle, Checchini was able to show her some basic prayers and persuade the Michielis’ housemaid to secretly help Bakhita learn them. “Without knowing God, without knowing what the words meant, I had a good feeling in my soul when I repeated them. I did not only repeat them morning and evening with Mimmina in her room, but also several times during the day and even on the streets and in the gardens where I went with the child.”
One day, around the year 1887, Turina received a message from her husband, Augusto, who was presently in Suakin, Africa. He ordered her, Mimmina and Bakhita to leave immediately and return to Africa to help him run the hotel he owned.
Bakhita had been in Italy for three years now, and she was now almost twenty years old. She had become accustomed to daily life in Italy and had developed a friendship with the Checchini family. The thought of leaving Italy was heartbreaking; for it was there that she finally felt security and stability which was nonexistent previous to her arrival. Following her master’s command, she and the family departed for Africa.
In Suakin her job at the hotel, aside from minding Mimmina, was that of barmaid. It was often undesirable, due to the rough clientele who would frequent the bar. However, Bakhita, always hoping to return again to Italy, made the most of her time there. Her simple manner and natural goodness were visible to everyone who met her. “Nobody ever dared not to show me respect.” She recounts, “I stayed there for about nine months, after which the master decided that the whole family was going to settle there. His wife, however, would return to Italy in order to sell their property and pack up furniture.” Not everything went as planned. Turina wanted Mimmina to come with her, but when the child showed so vehemently that she could not leave her nanny, Turina was forced to bring Bakhita with her. “In my heart, I therefore bid an eternal farewell to Africa. A voice inside me told me that I would never see my continent again.”