Who is St. Josephine Bakhita?
Born in the late 1800s in Sudan, she was kidnapped by slave traders and sold numerous times throughout her life.
She eventually ended up in custody with the Canossian Sisters and came to know Christ for the first time. When she was called to go back to her captor, she pleaded to stay with the sisters and by the time her case got to court, slavery was outlawed in Sudan. Canonized in 2000, she is the patron of human trafficking victims. Feb. 8 is her feast day and the International Day of Prayer and Awareness of Human Trafficking.
Millions of people across the world each year fall victim to human trafficking – modern-day slavery.
On Feb. 8, Catholics all over the world will gather in prayer to raise awareness about this great evil. Through prayer, we not only reflect on the experiences of those who have suffered through this affront on human dignity, but also comfort, strengthen and help to empower survivors.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s Respect Life Program’s anti-trafficking task-force is collaborating with the Sisters of Mercy to host a networking, fair trade sale and prayer service from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, at the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Belmont. All are welcome to attend.
For more ideas of how to incorporate honoring St. Bakhita and praying for the victims of human trafficking on Feb. 8, go to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website, www.usccb.org, to learn about its anti-trafficking program.
— Jessica Grabowski, Special to the Catholic News Herald. Jessica Grabowski is the Respect Life program director for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.
Related: St. Josephine Bakhita honored on Feb. 8
Prayer Service for Victims of Human Trafficking set for Feb. 8 in Belmont
Feb. 8, the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, has been designated by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors General as an annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking.
On Friday, Feb. 8, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont, the Sisters of Mercy and Catholic Charities are co-sponsoring a Prayer Service for Victims of Human Trafficking and a resource sharing event. Details about this event can be found at www.ccdoc.org/respectlife.
Turn on the light. Help stop human trafficking.
Catholic Relief Services fights human trafficking worldwide, working with schools, community groups and families to teach people how to stay safe and become more self-sufficient so traffickers can’t find their way in.
CRS also provides temporary housing and health care for those who have escaped trafficking. Help CRS fight human trafficking by purchasing CRS Survivor Kits for victims of human trafficking and Prosperity Candles.
A Prosperity Candle supports the work of CRS to shine a light on, and put an end to, human trafficking and modern-day slavery. For more information, go to www.crs.org/slavery-human-trafficking.
CHARLOTTE — The 2018 Diocesan Support Appeal campaign, “We Are Called,” raised a record-breaking $6.33 million from 16,973 donors across the Diocese of Charlotte – about 8 percent over the campaign goal of $5.87 million.
Overall, 27 percent of registered parishioners across the diocese shared an average gift of $373, up from $352 in the 2017 campaign. Sixty-four percent of parishes and missions across the diocese reached or exceeded their goal.
The annual DSA campaign funds more than 50 programs, including the core operations of 23 ministries and agencies that serve thousands of people across the diocese – most notably, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte for its counseling, food pantries, pregnancy support, refugee resettlement, elder ministry, Respect Life and other programs, as well as the programs and ministries of the Education Vicariate. The DSA also supports multicultural ministries, seminarian education, the permanent diaconate, the annual Eucharistic Congress, and the diocese’s Housing Corporation.
“In my first year working for the diocese, it is so gratifying to see the commitment our parishioners have to serving others through their gifts to the DSA. They understand that the DSA-supported ministries change lives every day,” said Barb De Mase, the diocese’s associate director of development.
Parishioners in all 92 parishes and missions in the Charlotte diocese fund the DSA.
Parishes that exceed their goal keep the extra funds they collect, while parishes that fall short of their goal in donations from parishioners make up the shortfall from their operating budgets.
Some of the parishes receiving rebate funds include: Holy Angels Parish in Mount Airy; St. John Baptist de la Salle Church in North Wilkesboro; St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Statesville; St. Bernadette Mission in Linville; St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lenoir; St. Joseph of the Hills Parish in Eden; and Our Lady of Fatima Mission in Winston-Salem.
Holy Angels Church in Mount Airy was among the parishes that surpassed their 2018 DSA goal. Father Lawrence Heiney, pastor, said they will save the $3,678 they received for future use.
“We put it in savings for a new church,” Father Heiney said. The current church building, built in 1921 to seat only 75 people, is much too small to accommodate the current Sunday Mass attendance which averages 450 people, he noted.
The 2018 campaign continues a trend of record-breaking DSA campaigns in the diocese. The 2015, 2016 and 2017 campaigns also broke each prior year’s fundraising total and campaign goal.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter