GLASGOW Fort’s Vue Cinema is playing host to a special screening of the film Bakhita: From Slave to Saint to raise funds for young people travelling to Uganda with Missio Scotland this year.
The ten students, who hail from St John Ogilvie High School and Holy Cross High School, both in Hamilton, are travelling to the African country as part of Missio Scotland’s Get Involved Globally (GIG) initiative.
GIG is a mission experience programme, which aims to offer a small group of adults or students the opportunity to visit church and school communities in an overseas country for 10-14 days.
Given that one of Missio Scotland’s goals as an organisation is to continue the mission of Jesus that all may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10b), a mission experience is a powerful tool in helping us to understand and involve ourselves in Jesus’ mission.
The purpose of these mission experiences is for our participants to experience life, faith and justice from a new perspective and return home inspired to live a personal sense of ‘mission’ in Scotland. A mission experience aims to touch the heart, engage the mind and nourish the spirit and will see participants spending time with the local community, sharing stories and being with people—including visiting those who care for the sick, look after orphans, teach children and many other initiatives through the programmes run by our mission partners.
Each Missio Scotland GIG experience comprises of a three-phase process: preparation, the in-country experience and a debriefing and follow-up. As part of the preparation part of the process, it was decided that a showing of the film—organised in conjunction with Marian Events Scotland, the Sisters of St Peter Claver and Missio Scotland—would be put on, on Thursday February 21 at 7.30pm to raise funds for the trip.
The film tells the powerful story of St Josephine Bakhita, the Patron Saint of Sudan. Born in Sudan, Bakhita was kidnapped as a young girl by slave dealers, then sold and resold as a slave to different masters. She was rescued by Marin—a widower from Italy who saw her plight and pitied her. He brought her back to Italy to look after his young daughter, Aurora, in the small town of Veneto.
Amidst the prejudice and antagonism of the people there, Bakhita remained kind and generous in her service. Through the local priest—and the support of the Daughters of Charity—Bakhita grew in her faith in God and was Baptised. She decided to join the kind sisters in religious life. However Marin wanted Bakhita to return to him and Aurora was afraid of losing her companion. Eventually though, Marin realised that he could not treat her as a slave—the fate from which he had originally rescued her in the past. Bakhita is freed to follow her chosen path.
Bakhita died in 1947 and was Canonised on October 1, 2000 by St Pope John Paul II. St Josephine Bakhita has become a symbol of freedom and reconciliation, and is today the patron saint of not only Sudan, but human-trafficking survivors too. Given that Pope Francis's prayer intentions for February concerns human trafficking, the showing of the film is timely and appropriate.
Sr Stacey Cameron—a Sister of St Peter Claver—who initiated the GIG mission experience programme while working for Missio Scotland, underlined the importance of the mission trips and supporting those who embark upon them.
“Fr Philip Marsh from the Spiritans in Carfin, and myself wanted to work together to share our love and passion for the mission with young people,” Sr Stacey said. “We were glad to collaborate and share our experience with Missio Scotland on this project which offers to young people the opportunity to grow in their faith and love of the missionary Church.
“I have seen the impact these visits have on the lives of those who participate. They experience a faith that is alive and active and making a huge difference in peoples lives.”
To book your tickets for the event visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-slave-to-saint-new-film-on-the-life-of-st-josephine-bakhita-tickets-56220626407?aff=esfb&utm-source=fb&utm-term=listing&utm-campaign=social&utm-medium=discovery&utm-content=attendeeshare
To learn more about the GIG mission experience programme visit: http://www.missioscotland.com/volunteer
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