St. Bakhita, Patroness of Abused Children

"O God, who looked on your servant Josephine Bakhita with pity and saved her body and soul from her abusers, grant that through her prayers abused children and vulnerable persons all over the world may be saved, and that those in danger of being abused may be miraculously protected and shielded. Amen."

I recently received an email from Sr. Gladys Chikere, OLA, of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles in Nigeria who works in the area of child abuse and protection. In reading the life of St. Bakhita of Sudan - who was kidnapped, enslaved and tortured as a child - Sr. Gladys felt inspired to promote her as a patroness and intercessor for abused children. She asked that the above prayer be circulated along with the image of St. Bakhita.

I'm grateful to Sallie Thayer of Toronto for permission to use her icon of St. Bakhita (above), and for her link to this blog. The icon and other examples of her work can be found at: http://salliesart.blogspot.com.

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