National Day of Prayer for Survivors & Victims of Human Trafficking

Greetings,

St. Josephine, who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan and Italy, dedicated her life after she was freed to comforting the suffering and sharing her testament of deliverance from slavery.  On the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, the Church calls us to awareness and prayer for our sisters and brothers who suffer from the injustice of human trafficking.

Pope Francis' recent Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, also included a reminder of our brothers and sisters in most need of our help: "I have always been distressed at the lot of those who are victims of various kinds of human trafficking. How I wish that all of us would hear God's cry: 'Where is your brother?' (Gen. 4:9). Where is your brother or sister who is enslaved? Where are the brother and sister whom you are killing each day in clandestine warehouses, in rings of prostitution, in children used for begging, in exploiting undocumented labor? Let us not look the other way..." (211).

Inspired by the leadership of our Holy Father, the USCCB, Religious Communities, and many women and men who work for the end of slavery, take some time today to learn more about the work of the US Bishops' Council and their anti-trafficking programs and pause during your day to pray for the survivors and victims of trafficking.



Intercession of St. Josephine Bakhita

St. Josephine Bakhita, you were sold into slavery as a child
and endured untold hardship and suffering.
Once liberated from your physical enslavement,
you found true redemption in your encounter with Christ and his Church.

O St. Bakhita, assist all those who are trapped in a state of slavery;
Intercede with God on their behalf
so that they will be released from their chains of captivity.
Those whom man enslaves, let God set free.

Provide comfort to survivors of slavery
and let them look to you as an example of hope and faith.
Help all survivors find healing from their wounds.
We ask for your prayers and intercessions for those enslaved among us.  Amen.


Intercession Prayer
In the weeks before her death, St. Josephine Bakhita re‐lived the terrible days of her captivity. More than once, she cried out: “Please, loosen the chains … they are heavy!” We ask for the intercession of St. Josephine as we pray …

For the estimated 27 million women, men and children currently held in slavery‐like conditions.  R. Loosen the chains, O Lord; loosen the heavy chains!

For those exploited and objectified in the commercial sex industry.
R. Loosen the chains, O Lord; loosen the heavy chains!

For those forced to become soldiers, especially children who are made into tools for violence. R. Loosen the chains, O Lord; loosen the heavy chains!

For those exploited for their labor in agricultural fields, factories, restaurants, private homes, or anywhere in the shadows, where they are out of sight.
R.  Loosen the chains, O Lord; loosen the heavy chains!

For conversion of heart for the perpetrators and organizers of human trafficking. R.  Loosen the chains, O Lord; loosen the heavy chains!

For governments, corporations, and consumers, that we will address the systems that make human trafficking possible. R.  Loosen the chains, O Lord; loosen the heavy chains!

For the success of efforts to stop the demand for human trafficking.
R.  Loosen the chains, O Lord; loosen the heavy chains!

Let us pray: God of hope and freedom, inspire and strengthen us in our work to loosen the chains of human trafficking in our world, so that like St. Josephine Bakhita, we may stand firm in our resolve to create a slave‐free world. Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

(Prayer 'links' found at the bottom of the USCCB Anti-trafficking Programs page)