Sr. Leonida Katunge is a St. Joseph Sister from the region of Mombasa, Kenya. She is a theologian and a civil lawyer with extensive experience in academia, pastoral ministry, and human rights advocacy. She holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in sacred liturgy from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anslem in Rome, a bachelor’s degree in theology, a Master of Laws, a Bachelor of Laws, and a diploma in civil law. She has served for over a decade as a professor of sacred liturgy at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and currently teaches at Ancilla College and Marian University in Indiana.
In this episode, we speak with Sr. Leonida along with her colleagues from the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN)—Sr. Miriam Chise of Zambia, Justin Giningakpio of South Sudan, and Fr. Cornelius Uchenna Okeke of the Archdiocese of Detroit—about the work they are doing individually and collectively to end the scourge of human trafficking. Our conversation was recorded a few days in advance of the International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking on February 8, the feast day of the Sudanese Canossian sister St. Josephine Bakhita.
Our guests shared what has drawn them to this issue, the importance of remembering St. Josephine’s story, and details about PACTPAN’s upcoming event, “Digital Evangelization for Human Dignity: Ending Trafficking in Africa” (details below). Guests also shared personal accounts of working with trafficked persons, the many structural factors that drive this “dark market,” and how human trafficking is part of a larger moral failure to see the image of God in others.
See also:
Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN)
Link to join PACTPAN’s Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita event on February 6 and 7
International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking
International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking (USCCB site)
“Liturgy, Synodality, and Sacramentality in the African Church” (Sr. Leonida’s interview in Tomorrow’s American Catholic, January 8, 2026)
“‘Uno Caro’: Why is the Vatican still getting Africa wrong on marriage?” (Sr. Leonida’s article in National Catholic Reporter, January 27, 2026)
“From Mission Fields to Mission Partners: Reciprocal Mission and the Exchange of Gifts in a Changing World Church” (Fr. Cornelius’s essay in Tomorrow’s American Catholic, January 29, 2026)
The Dark Side of Chocolate (documentary film)
2026 St. Josephine Bakhita Prayer Resource from SSND Shalom North America
