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PRAYER

Almighty and loving God, you who created all people in your image,
Lead us to become individuals of deep compassion as we read and reflect on the stories of affliction suffered by trafficked men, women and children.

You gave your only Son, Jesus, who died and rose again so that sins will be forgiven.

We place before you today the pain and anguish of the trafficked who are deprived of land, language, culture, family and the hope of justice.

We live in faith that you will hear our prayer for them so that they will escape from the pain and hopelessness of their situations. Touch their spirits with hope and heal their suffering bodies.

We are sorry on behalf of our human brothers and sisters who inflict such pain. We ask forgiveness and conversion for them.

Help each of us to grow in compassion and in gratitude for our own freedom and the riches we enjoy.

We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

St Josephine Bakhita – Day of Prayer, Reflection & Action

The Feast Day of Saint Josephine Bakhita will be celebrated on Thursday 8 February.  She is the patron saint of victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.  On this day all Catholics are encouraged to pray for those affected by slavery and human trafficking.  It is also a time to pray for and support the efforts of those who work tirelessly to eradicate this crime.

Saint Bakhita, also known as ‘Mother Moretta’, was kidnapped in Africa at the age of nine and sold into slavery before her suffering was alleviated in 1882 when she was taken into the home of the Italian Consul.  She later entered a second Italian home, where she received kindness, respect, peace and joy.

A change in her owner’s circumstances meant that she was entrusted to the Canossian Sisters and over the next 50 years she was a source of encouragement through her constant smile, humility and simplicity.

Surrounded by the sisters, she died on 8 February 1947, a date now designated as a day of prayer, reflection and action to end the injustice of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a global issue that requires international collaboration to address the personal circumstances of those who are abused and at risk, as well as addressing the structural causes of this evil.

ACRATH: Prayer, Reflection and Action

ACRATH: Prayers

ACRATH: Homily Notes

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The Bakhita Foundation: Who is St Josephine Bakhita