Members of the newly formed St. Josephine Bakhita Parish in north St. Louis created the novena, which will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and conclude on the saint’s feast day, Thursday, Feb. 8. Masses will be celebrated at noon each day at St. Nicholas Church, 701 N. 18th St. in St. Louis, with the novena prayers following Mass.

Josephine Bakhita, the first Black saint to be canonized in the modern era, was born around 1869 in Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was kidnapped around the age of 7 and sold into slavery several times. During her enslavement, she was taken to Italy, where she served a family as a nanny. She was introduced to Christianity there and later joined the Canossian Daughters of Charity in Venice. She died of pneumonia in 1947, and Pope John Paul II canonized her in 2000. She is the patron of victims of human trafficking.

St. Josephine Bakhita is the name given to a new parish comprising the former Most Holy Trinity, St. Nicholas and Sts. Teresa and Bridget parishes in north St. Louis. The parish also will offer a retreat, “Feeding Your Soul: Evangelization Within,” from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at Most Holy Trinity Church, 3519 N. 14th St. in St. Louis. The daylong retreat will guide participants in exploring the depths of their faith and inspire them in the life and spirit of St. Josephine Bakhita, said parishioner Alice Prince, who will lead the retreat.

“Her journey from the shackles of slavery to the liberation of sainthood epitomizes the power of inner transformation and evangelization,” Prince said. “We will delve into her story, drawing parallels to our personal paths and hardships and discovering how to find, nurture, and evangelize our spirit and soul.

St. Josephine Bakhita is an “inspiration for people who are going through challenging times,” Prince said. “We all experience some kind of challenge, heartache or pain, and in the midst of all her challenges, she has this resilient spirit, where she relies on her faith to get her through.”

Prince and several other parishioners attended the SEEK24 conference, which she said gave them the guidance they needed to create the retreat. “My biggest takeaway (from SEEK) was that God does not call the equipped; He equips the called. Relying totally on God, I see that where you cannot trace His hand, you have to trust His heart.”

The retreat is free to attend and open to all. Mass will be celebrated and a light lunch is included. To register, email Alice Prince at [email protected].