Susan Helen Wallace FSP - Saint Bakhita of Sudan

Saint Bakhita of Sudan

Written by Susan Helen Wallace, FSP

Illustrated by Wayne Alfano

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wallace, Susan Helen, 1940

Saint Bakhita of Sudan : forever free / written by Susan

Helen Wallace; illustrated by Wayne Alfano.

p. cm. (Encounter the saints series ; 21)

ISBN 0-8198-7094-3 (pbk.)

1. Bakhita, mre, d. 1947Juvenile literature.

2. Christian saintsItaly BiographyJuvenile literature.

I. Title. II. Series.

BX4700.B13W35 2006

282.092dc22

[B]

2005018401

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 10 09 08 07 06

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Shepherds of Fatima

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

Journey to the Summit

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Missionary of Charity

Journeys with Mary

Apparitions of Our Lady

Saint Anthony of Padua

Fire and Light

Saint Bakhita of Sudan

Forever Free

Saint Bernadette Soubirous

Light in the Grotto

Saint Edith Stein

Blessed by the Cross

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Daughter of America

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini

Cecchinas Dream

Saint Francis of Assisi

Gentle Revolutionary

Saint Ignatius of Loyola

For the Greater Glory of God

Saint Isaac Jogues

With Burning Heart

Saint Joan of Arc

Gods Soldier

Saint Juan Diego

And Our Lady of Guadalupe

Saint Julie Billiart

The Smiling Saint

Saint Katharine Drexel

The Total Gift

Saint Martin de Porres

Humble Healer

Saint Maximilian Kolbe

Marys Knight

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

Rich in Love

Saint Thrse of Lisieux

The Way of Love

For other childrens titles on the Saints, visit our Web site: www.pauline.org

We might never learn her birth name. We will never know her family or even see a photograph of them. What we do know is that Saint Bakhita was born around 1869 in a little village called Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. This village, near the great Algilerei Mountains, borders the African nation of Chad. Sudan is the largest country in the continent of Africa.

Although there had been many Christians in Sudan in earlier centuries, there were not many native-born Christians anywhere in Central Africa by the time Bakhita was born. Pope Gregory XVI sent missionaries to the region in 1846. But disease and poverty made it extremely difficult to preach the Gospel in this part of Africa. Over the years, many Sudanese people, especially those living in the northeastern part of the country, had, due to Arab influence, become Muslim.

In Darfur, Bakhitas family had never heard of Jesus. The peace-loving, hardworking people of their tribe followed traditional African beliefs. When she was a child, Bakhita had no knowledge of God, although she sensed that the beauties of nature had been created by a Higher Being. It was not until much later in her life that she would come to understand and rejoice in the love of the Lord.

One bright, warm morning, children played and danced near the thatched mushroom-shaped huts of Olgossa. Outside the village two girls, one seven years old and the other a few years older, walked happily together through the grass and bushes. As they searched for herbs and tasted wild berries, they laughed and talked in the Daju dialect of their tribe. Neither of the friends noticed the two strange men moving silently toward them. Suddenly, one man blocked the dusty path. The other stepped between the girls to separate them.

Would you please go into the forest and bring back my package? the man asked the smaller child in a friendly tone of voice. He added, Its near those bushesI left it there by mistake.

The girl hesitated to make sure she understood the requestbut only for a moment. A well-mannered child, she wanted to obey this stranger as promptly as she would her own parents. Her older friend walked slowly along the path that led to the village. She kept glancing back, hoping to see her playmate quickly joining her.

Oh, dont worry, the stranger assured her. Your friend will soon catch up!

The smaller child at the edge of the woods looked for the package. Where could it be? There was nothing near the bushes, so she moved deeper into the forest. Still no package! She was puzzled and wondered if the stranger would be disappointed.

Suddenly, both men were beside her. The child looked around in panic. Where was her friend? Why was she alone with these strangers? One of the men grabbed her arm and drew a large dagger. Shout and youre dead! he whispered.

The child froze in terror. Her dark eyes locked on her kidnappers and she trembled all over. Follow usand quickly! the man with the dagger ordered. She could barely move her arms and legs. The second man pulled out a gun and prodded her on. She wanted to scream, but her voice died in her throat.

The three walked on in silence. At last, one of the men asked, What is your name? The girl stared up at her captors. She tried to speak, but no sound came from her lips.

Shout and youre dead!

Well, one man said to the other, she doesnt seem to have a name. Well have to give her one. A trace of a smile crossed his face. Well call you Bakhita. That means the lucky one in Arabic. Just the right name for you! The smile faded. Now, lets move!

The childs new name, sarcastically assigned her by a slave trader, would become the name she would be known by for the rest of her life. That frightened little girl couldnt have imagined where the road of her life would lead. In the future, she would taste the love of the true God. Bakhita would find Jesus, Christianity, the Catholic Church, and a religious vocation as a Canossian Daughter of Charity. But for now she could see only the dark forest and the menacing faces of her captors.

Through the night, the three trudged on. Bakhitas bare feet and legs bled from the sharp thorns and stones of the rough trail. She thought of her parents, her brothers and sisters, and her friends back home in the village. Are they searching for me? Will they see the tracks left by the kidnappers? Will they catch up to us?