Chicago Lawn in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
St. Bakhita
18691947
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 1, 2025
1. St. Bakhita Marker
Declared "Our Universal Sister"
Dedicated June 3, 2018 by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich
Erected 2018.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Religion & Religious Structures • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.
Location. 41° 45.978′ N, 87° 41.448′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Chicago Lawn. It is at the intersection of South Washtenaw Avenue and West 70th Street on South Washtenaw Avenue. The shrine is at the corner of St. Adrian Catholic Church, to the right of the main entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7000 South Washtenaw Avenue, Chicago IL 60629, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Our Lady of Fatima (a few steps from this marker); Darius and Girenas Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); The MLK Living Memorial (approx. Ύ mile away); Martin Luther King, Jr. Living Memorial (approx. Ύ mile away); (Former) Marquette Park State Bank (approx. 0.9 miles away); Marquette Park World War I Memorial
this page online
Regarding St. Bakhita. St. Josephine Bakhita was born in Darfur, Sudan, in 1869. Around the age of 8, she was abducted by Arab slave traders and forced into slavery for the next dozen years, eventually being owned by an Italian diplomat who brought her to Italy. She eventually won her freedom from an Italian court, and joined the Canossian Sisters religious order, with whom she had been placed when her owners returned to Sudan. She spent most of the rest of her life as a cook and doorkeeper at the Canossian convent in Venice. She died on February 8, 1947. Pope John XXIII began the process of canonization for Bakhita in 1958, and she was beatified in 1978 by Pope John Paul II. She was canonized as a saint by John Paul in 2000, the first Black woman to reach sainthood in modern times. She is the patron saint of Sudan.
Also see . . .
1. Catholic Online: St. Josephine Bakhita. (Submitted on October 2, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. Mary, Mother of Mercy Parish official site.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 1, 2025
2. St. Bakhita statue
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 1, 2025
3. St. Adrian Church
St. Adrian merged with another Marquette Park-area church, Queen of the Universe, in 2018, as part of the Archdiocese of Chicago's Renew My Church initiative. The combined parish is called Mary, Mother of Mercy.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 1, 2025
4. St. Bakhita statue close-up
Credits. This page was last revised on October 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 53 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 2, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
