LET THE OPPRESSED GO FREE

 

Today is the feast of . ST. JOSEPHINE BAKHITA , the patroness of human trafficking victims.  A statue of her was displayed in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Feb. 6.

Today is also International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking. Pope Francis established the International Day eight years ago

The bronze sculpture, by  the Catholic artist Timothy P. Schmalz, is dedicated to trafficking victims and to all women, especially the religious sisters who work to free women from modern day slavery.

The artwork depicts the saint, herself once a slave, freeing a mass of people from underground. The artist has named it: “Let the Oppressed Go Free.”

 The 10-foot model is identical to multiple 20-foot versions of the sculpture, which will be installed in Europe, Canada, and the United States.

Feb. 8 was chosen for the day of prayer because it is the feast day of St Josephine Bakhita, who was born in Sudan in 1869. She was kidnapped at the age of seven and sold into slavery by Arab slave traders. During her time as a slave, she was beaten, tortured, and scarred.

St. Josephine discovered Christ and the Church in her early 20s, and after she was freed from slavery, was baptized into the Catholic faith. She also joined the Canossian Sisters in Italy.

The Canadian artist is also the creator of another sculpture in St. Peter’s Square, “Angels Unawares,” which depicts migrants throughout history crammed on a boat together with the holy family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

 

“St. Bakhita shows us the way of transformation. Her life tells us that change is possible when one lets oneself be transformed by God’s care for each one of us. It is the care of mercy — it is the care of love that changes us deeply and makes us able to welcome others as brothers and sisters.

Recognizing the dignity of each person is the first act of care, it is the first act of care. Recognizing dignity. And taking care of others is good for all, for those who give and those who receive, because it is not a unidirectional action, but rather it generates reciprocity.”   ( Pope Francis, Feb 8, 2022)