Prayer · remembrance · responsible action
A traditional Rosary for the protection of children.
Inspired by the witness of Saint Josephine Bakhita and seeking her intercession for children who are missing, abused, exploited, trafficked, displaced or waiting to be heard.
Original devotional artwork. The rosary shown is symbolic and is not presented as an authenticated personal relic of Saint Bakhita.
A place for everyone who keeps watch
You do not need an account, a subscription or a public prayer request. You may be a parent, survivor, officer, advocate, educator, person of faith or simply someone who refuses to look away. Pause here, choose an intention privately and pray at your own pace.
Her story
Josephine Bakhita knew what it meant for a child to be taken, stripped of identity and treated as though her life belonged to someone else.
Born around 1869 in Darfur, in what is now Sudan, she was kidnapped at about seven years old. The trauma was so profound that she later could not remember the name her parents had given her. Her captors called her “Bakhita,” meaning “fortunate.” She was sold and resold, subjected to physical and moral cruelty, and carried the scars of enslavement throughout her life.
Her path eventually brought her to Italy. There she encountered the Canossian Sisters, learned the Christian faith and refused to be returned to the people who claimed ownership of her. An Italian court recognized that she was legally free. She received Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion in 1890 and later entered the Canossian community, professing her vows in 1896.
For decades in Schio, she served through ordinary acts of care—as a cook, seamstress and porter—and became known for warmth, steadiness, forgiveness and welcome. She died on February 8, 1947, and Pope Saint John Paul II canonized her in 2000.
Why her witness matters now
Trafficking can be discussed as a crime, an industry or a statistic. Bakhita’s life insists that we first see the child: a person with a name, a family, a history, a body that must never be owned and a future that must not be erased.
Her witness joins suffering to freedom without romanticizing what happened to her. It calls people of faith to pray, but also to notice, listen, report responsibly and stand beside survivors. The Church observes February 8, her memorial, as the World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking.
CSAT dedicates this page to her because our own promise—every child deserves an adult who refuses to look away—requires both compassion and action.
Read the Vatican’s 2026 observanceA private intention
Choose an intention in your heart. Your choice remains only on this screen; CSAT does not receive, save or publish it.
This guide contains the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries—the traditional fifteen-decade Rosary. Each guided session prays one set of five.
Before the first decade
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Pray three Hail Marys for an increase in faith, hope and charity.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Pray one set of five decades
Joyful Mysteries · Mystery 1 of 5
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary.” — Luke 1:30
For children carrying fear in silence, and for the adults who must listen carefully and believe them.
Your private intention: All children in dangerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Amen.
After the fifth decade
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
O God, whose Only Begotten Son, by his life, Death, and Resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
An original CSAT intercession
Pray for children whose voices are silenced, whose names are unknown, whose freedom has been taken or whose danger remains unseen. Pray for those searching, serving and responding. May suffering never become spectacle, may indifference never have the final word, and may every child be treated as a person of immeasurable dignity. Amen.
This is an original Children Such as These prayer, not an official liturgical text.Prayer and responsible action
If a child may be in immediate danger, contact emergency services. Do not confront a suspected trafficker, attempt a rescue by yourself or place a child at greater risk. Record what you safely observed and report it to the proper professionals.