Josephine was born in 1869 in Sudan. As a child of 7 or 8, she was taken away by Arab slave traders and given the name "Bakhita," meaning "fortunate," and then sold no less than five times between 1877 and 1883. She was subjected to beatings which left deep scars on her body. Finally in 1883 she was purchased by an Italian Consulate agent, Calisto Legnani, who was much kinder to her. Legnani returned to Italy in 1885, taking Josephine with him. There she was entrusted to the care of the Michieli family in Venice. When the Michielis went to the Sudan on business, Josephine stayed at the Catechumen Institute in Venice, run by the Canossian Sisters. It is here that she discovered the faith and learned that God, not man, is the true Master of every human being. When the Michielis came to take her back to Sudan, she chose to remain there, and her new life began.

Sister Josephine demonstrated that God's love is stronger than any humiliation and suffering.