Imani chose Princess Bakhita, also known as Saint Guiseppine/Josephine, as her saint for All Saints Day. There will be a parade and a play at Bishop John A. Marshall School on Thursday, November 1, 2007. All Saints Day is a celebration of the saints, and their lives.We searched through Lea's treasure bins for the right costume. This is actually a dress that Imani wore when she was a little girl! If we can find that picture, we'll post it here. Meanwhile, we found another picture, of a different outfit. We like to play dress-up!
Imani is in 7th grade this year. She's playing soccer, basketball, tennis, and running to keep in shape. She's grownabout 4 inches in the last year!
Don't panic, her hair isn't really blue, it's a royal blue beaded headdress!
Imani has taken African dance lessons, which gives her a sense of the flow of African dress. What better way to pay homage to the creator of beauty than to just simply be, beautiful!It's hard to believe that people in hot, dry countries wear such heavy layered clothing, but actually it is quite cool because air can circulate freely, and the headdress keeps sand out of your hair.
When Giuseppina died on February 8, 1947, thousands of people came to pay their respects. The calls for her canonization began immediately, and the process began in 1959, only twelve years after her death. On December 1, 1978 Pope John Paul II declared Giuseppina VENERABILIS, the first step towards canonization. On May 17, 1992 she was declared BLESSED and given FEBRUARY 8 as her feast day. On October 1, 2000 she was canonized and became Saint Giuseppina Bakhita. She is venerated as a modern African saint, and as a saint with a special relevance to slavery and oppression. She has been adopted as the patron saint of the Sudan.
~More about St. Giuseppina Bakhita:
Bakhita, Giuseppina (Josephine), St.
Bakhita was born somewhere between 1869 and 1870 in the Darfur district of Sudan. Before she was even 7 years old she was kidnapped by Muslim slave traders who took her to Turkey. "Bakhita" means "lucky one" or "fortunate one" and it is the name given to her by her kidnappers.
She was sold and resold in the markets of El Obeid and Khartoum, and experienced the humiliations and sufferings of slavery. She was eventually bought by the Italian Consul, Callisto Legnani at the age of 12 and for the first time she was treated in a loving and friendly way. In her time at the Consul's home, she experienced peace, warmth and moments of joy.
The Legnani family were forced to return to Italy in 1885. On arrival in Genoa, Legnani, through pressure from the wife of his friend Mr Michieli, agreed to leave Bakhita with them. She followed the new "family" around and when their daughter, Mimmina was born, Bakhita became her nanny and friend.
Bakhita was enrolled in a Catholic school as a companion to Mimmina in 1889 and when the family returned to Africa to manage a hotel, they entrusted their daughter and Bakhita to the Canossian Sisters in Venice. It was there that Bakhita came to know God and was formally introduced to the Catholic faith. On January 9, 1890, Bakhita was baptized Josephine/Giuseppina, confirmed and received her first Communion.
It was with the Canossian sisters that Bakhita developed a close relationship with God which was nourished by her wonder at the beauty of the natural world. "Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself: who could be the creator of these beautiful things? And I felt a great desire to see, to know and to pay homage to the creator."
When the Michielis returned from Africa to take back Mimmina and Bakhita, Bakhita-Guiseppina firmly expressed her desire to stay with the Canossian Sisters. An Italian judge's interpretation of Sudan's ani-slavery laws freed her. In 1890 she was baptised at her own instigation, and took the Christian name Giuseppina Margarita. On December 8, 1896, she entered the novitiate. For 50 years, she was a humble Daughter of Charity, a true witness to the love of God, and lived in the communities of Venice, Verona (1896-1902) and Schio (1902-47), where she spent her vowed life as a doorkeeper, cook, seamstress and embroiderer. She was much-loved by the students who attended the Canossian schools for her sweet nature and musical voice. When she greeted them at the door, she would lay her hand on their heads and caress them. Her friendly voice was one which reflected the rhythm and music of her country and was comforting to those whom she met.
In her later years she helped prepare young sisters for the African missions. Through sharing her life story and own experiences, Bakhita actively lived out Jesus' message and through education and the sharing of her knowledge she helped in the "recovery of sight to the blind."
Bakhita was a Christian leader and a model for others through her commitment to God. Just as Jesus did, Bakhita took her life and turned it into something positive, by turning her suffering into service to others for God. Bakhita believed we should: "Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!" On February 8 1974, surrounded by her Sisters, "our Black Mother" (Mother Moretta) breathed her last. It was Blessed Mary who freed her from pain. Her last words were: "Our lady! Our Lady!", and her final smile testified to her encounter with the Lord's Mother. The process of beatification began 12 years after her death and on October 1, 2000 and she was canonized by Pope John Paul II in St Peters Square. In his canonization homily the Pope cried out for more saints:
"Choose them, Lord! You can raise up saints. Take them from all lands .... Lord, give us saints!"
From The Time You Were Born
From the time you were born, . . . .
African blood flowing through your veins, rhythms of your
heritage pulsating and pumping sounds of pride and
struggle through your body and your brain.
African blood flowing through your veins, rhythms of your
heritage pulsating and pumping sounds of pride and
struggle through your body and your brain.
From the time you were born, . . .
like a star on the rise you hold the light that brightens
the blackest sky. And with the spirit and pride you
hold inside you are ready to spread your wings and fly . . .
and the world awaits you and all the gifts you possess.
And the world awakens; it comes alive and calls to you
to soar and fly, feeling the wind, clouds and sky.From the time you were born, . . .
wherever that place may be, this beautiful black seed was
planted, planted to grow and be free . . .
like a star on the rise you hold the light that brightens
the blackest sky. And with the spirit and pride you
hold inside you are ready to spread your wings and fly . . .
and the world awaits you and all the gifts you possess.
And the world awakens; it comes alive and calls to you
to soar and fly, feeling the wind, clouds and sky.From the time you were born, . . .
wherever that place may be, this beautiful black seed was
planted, planted to grow and be free . . .
Charles McClain
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We remember LACEY
and we miss her.
