How We Work

The NCCA gathers together Churches and Christian communities which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures. We commit to deepen our relationship with each other and to work together towards the fulfilment of common witness, proclamation and service, to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Every year on 8 February, Catholics honour St Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of victims and survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Born in Sudan in the late 1800s, Bakhita was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery. Her captors called her Bakhita, meaning “fortunate.” But her early years were marked by violence and humiliation – experiences that mirror the suffering of millions subjected to forced labour and exploitation today.

Bakhita’s life changed when she was brought to Italy and eventually placed in the care of the Canossian Sisters where she found safety, compassion, and faith. For over 50 years, she lived a life of quiet service welcoming strangers, offering comfort, and radiating hope.

Today, her legacy inspires a global movement. The Feast of St Josephine Bakhita is recognised as a day of prayer, reflection and action against human trafficking and modern slavery. Across Australia and the world, faith communities, advocates and survivors come together and renew their commitment to human dignity.

Download St Josephine Bakhita Prayer card