Typically we all remember the name our parents gave us at birth, as it is a name that is spoken often, identifying who we are.
Yet, St. Josephine Bakhita forgot her name, due to the intense drama she endured at an early age.
Bakhita
The Vatican website offers a brief summary of how she received the name, "Bakhita," which is not her birth name:
Bakhita was not the name she received from her parents at birth. The fright and the terrible experiences she went through made her forget the name she was given by her parents. Bakhita, which means "fortunate," was the name given to her by her kidnappers. Sold and resold in the markets of El Obeid and of Khartoum, she experienced the humiliations and sufferings of slavery, both physical and moral.
It is a name that certainly did not express her own feelings at the time, as she would not have chosen "fortunate," to describe her situation in slavery.
What was "fortunate" was how later she bought by an Italian merchant, who brought her to Italy.
It was there that she would receive a new name.
Josephine
In Italy Bakhita was introduced to Catholicism and freely desired to convert to the Christian faith.
The Vatican website explains how she received her new name:
After several months in the catechumenate, Bakhita received the sacraments of Christian initiation and was given the new name, Josephine. It was January 9, 1890. She did not know how to express her joy that day. Her big and expressive eyes sparkled, revealing deep emotions. From then on, she was often seen kissing the baptismal font and saying: "Here, I became a daughter of God!" With each new day, she became more aware of who this God was, whom she now knew and loved, who had led her to Him through mysterious ways, holding her by the hand.
Even though she was forcibly removed from her birth family, she eventually found a new family in the Catholic Church, receiving a name as a "daughter of God."
God was by her side every step of the way, bringing about a greater good from the intense suffering she experienced.
