St Josephine Bakhita

St Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery. Her feast day is now observed as the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking. The video below outlines her story.

Download Resources

The Diocese of Parramatta, which includes a significant Sudanese community, has prepared a range of resources for the celebration of the feast of St Josephine Bakhita. They include a poster, social media tile, bulletin notice, homily notes and prayers of the faithful. Catholics in the Diocese of Parramatta are encouraged on this day to pray for all those affected by the crimes of modern slavery and human trafficking, and the people that volunteer and work to eradicate this crime. Join them by downloading resources here.

The following prayer was prepared by Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans.

Prayer for All Who are Trafficked

We pray for all who are trafficked. 
We ask, Lord, that you strengthen the fragile-spirited
and broken-hearted.
We pray earnestly that all who suffer the loss of freedom
and the indignity of being used to serve the need and greed of others
will be freed and find freedom in a home where they are respected.
Let them experience a love that is tender and good. 

We pray for all who exploit others,
that their evil deeds will be exposed
and that their hearts will be changed.

We pray for ourselves, who live in safety and peace
with more than we need
and for all who work against trafficking in humans:
give us the wisdom and courage
to stand in solidarity with all who suffer lack of human dignity.
Help all who work against human trafficking to find ways
to ensure for all the freedom that is your gift to all of us.

We make our prayer through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
 https://acrath.org.au/prayer-for-anti-trafficking-advocates/