On February 8, we celebrate the feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita, who was born in the Darfur region of Sudan, abducted by slave traders and suffered cruel and inhuman conditions. She is the patron saint of those who are still being held in the modern day slavery of “human trafficking.”
To respond to these situations, Sister Abby Avelino coordinates Talitha Kum, an international network of religious Sisters against trafficking that works to combat trafficking, liberate those who are enslaved in it, and assist human trafficking survivors in the struggle to bring their lives back to wholeness.
Talitha kum, Aramaic for “little girl, stand up,” were the words of Jesus when he healed the dying little girl in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 5:41). Sister Abby says, “Our faith and spirituality remind us of the power of God to transform even the most hopeless situations and raise what seems to be dead to new life.” We thank you for your support and ask that you please help us continue to enable “all girls to stand up!”