Murphy Institute News
HONORING THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
With St. Paul Iconographer
By MICHELLE RASH ‘16 ‘24 CSMA
As part of an ongoing commitment to amplify the rich cultural and racial diversity within the Catholic Church, the Murphy Institute initiated a collaboration with a local artist this spring to begin work on a series of icons that will be housed at the School of Law in Minneapolis. The collection is a commission of St. Thomas alumnus Nick Markell ‘84 of Markell Studios, Inc. in Stillwater, Minnesota, and will feature saints whose origin, mission and charism represent the breadth of the Church’s reach throughout history. This project is part of a larger effort at the School of Law to continue to build its on-campus art collection.
Italy and joined the Canossian Sisters. During her time with the Canossians, Bakhita was widely esteemed throughout the community for her sweet disposition and the astounding charity that accompanied her through years of painful illness at the end of her life. The icon series project was originally announced April 12, 2021, during a two-part event, Fighting for Freedom: Neo-colonialism and the African Experience, with Nigerian-British speaker Obianuju Ekeocha. Ekeocha is an internationally known pro-life speaker who presented on the clash of the African culture and values with imposingWestern influences in the form of foreign aid, especially in health care. When she learned of the icon to be announced during the event, Ekeocha shared that she considers the saint a patron of her work. She was called to found her organization Culture of Life Africa while in prayer on Feb. 8, St. Josephine Bakhita’s feast day. The coincidence was a beautiful moment of providence for both Ekeocha and the Murphy Institute during preparations for the program. St. Josephine Bakhita was recognized by Pope Benedict XVI in his 2007 encyclical Spe Salvi as an example of the theological virtue of hope in action. In times where hope can be difficult to find, Bakhita’s example may serve as a reminder that, despite sufferings and injustice, goodness and joy may always be achieved through God’s grace. The icon of Bakhita will be located on the first floor of the School of Law, immediately outside of the Chapel of St. Thomas More.
The inaugural icon of the Murphy Institute’s series will feature St. Josephine Bakhita. Bakhita was born in Sudan in 1869, where she was kidnapped and sold into slavery as a young child. She suffered horrendous abuse as she spent several years in the slave trade until she was brought into the service of the Italian consul in 1883.
With the consul and his family, Bakhita was treated with kindness and they soon moved to Italy. Here she encountered the Canossian Sisters, and in 1890 Josephine was fully received into the Catholic Church. Shortly after, the consul’s family desired to return to Africa but Josephine refused to go. She was granted her freedom by the Italian courts since slavery was outlawed in Italy. Upon gaining freedom, Bakhita remained in
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