Sister Maria Barbagallo was elected as Superior General in 1984 and began a second term in 1990. During Sr. Maria’s tenure, Cabrinian institutions inaugurated Cabrinian Apostolic Planning, a program of outreach to the communities beyond our institutions. In the United States, Mission Integration, a formation program for lay collaborators in our institutional ministries was inaugurated in 1990 and Cabrini Mission Corps, a volunteer program was established. A year later, the first group of missioners were commissioned. In 1994, the Eastern and Western provinces of the United States were merged to become the Stella Maris Province which also included a new mission in the Philippines. Later, the Province was further expanded to include Australia and Swaziland, which up until that time had been under the direction of the Generalate in Rome.

During the General Chapter of 1996, Sister Lina Colombini, present Superior General, was elected. In 2000, as a part of the Cabrinian Apostolic Plan and as an act of solidarity in the Millennium Year, the General Council expanded the mission of the MSCs to Ethiopia. More recent missions have been established in Russia and Paraguay. In the Stella Maris Province, Cabrini Immigrant Services, were established in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and the Lower East Side of Manhattan as outreach programs for immigrants. A novitiate has been established in Ethiopia, and a House of Discernment has been opened in the Philippines.

The Cabrini legacy is alive and active today. The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, working hand in hand with their lay collaborators, serve others in sixteen countries through education, eldercare, health care, social services and spiritual ministries.

As an educator herself, Mother Cabrini left a legacy of “education of the heart” to Cabrinian schools, social services and programs of learning and formation. Social issues of justice and peace, the social teachings and responsibilities of the Church are addressed through Cabrinian ministries, services and corporate stances, regarding immigration and the trafficking of women and children. Health care ministries are sustained by the sisters and their collaborators with arduous and prophetic efforts – serving the needy in urban hospitals, community programs and clinics. In response to the growing needs of the elderly, the Cabrini community has developed innovative programs within our nursing homes and assisted living facilities as well as launching efforts providing affordable housing in New York City and Seattle. The Cabrinian Spiritual Ministries, our shrines in New York and Colorado, welcome thousands of persons each year, seeking a deeper relationship with God.

The poor and marginalized had different faces, names and origins when Frances Xavier Cabrini wrote, “Today love must not be hidden; it must be active, vibrant and true.”

Lay administration and staff of all Cabrinian institutions are deeply committed to the Cabrinian charism and ethos. This mission spirit has motivated and encouraged the laity, in collaboration with the sisters, to reach out and respond in many ways to local and international needs.

As in the earliest days of the Institute, the sisters strive to move in the direction of those most in need, the poor, women and children, the frail elderly and the marginalized.

Today, more than ever, love must respond with action. The unprecedented displacement of whole populations has resulted in a more staggering number of immigrants and refugees than at the turn of the 20th century. They live in poverty, hunger, homelessness and illiteracy. Environmental degradation, lack of respect for human life, spiritual emptiness – all form part of the litany of societal ills in the world in which we live.

Today’s immigrants, a priority for the Missionary Sisters, continue to be served through storefront outreach centers staffed by Missionary Sisters, Cabrini Lay Missionaries, Cabrini Mission Corps volunteers and dedicated lay collaborators. These individuals assist immigrants with the challenges of life in a new country – instruction in English; naturalization issues; access to healthcare, education and employment; everyday concerns that can be overwhelming to those unfamiliar with the language and those without adequate resources. Centers have been established in England, Italy and the United States to respond to this urgent need.

The MSCs’ energies have also been directed toward women and children. Children at risk are ministered to in Brazil, the Philippines, and the United States. The sisters strive to make others aware of the plight of those caught in the horror of human trafficking. Immigration, along with human trafficking, is a central focus for the sisters and the institutions they sponsor. The MSCs in the Stella Maris Province have taken a Corporate Stance on these issues. Read more about the MSC Corporate Stances (PDF)…

With renewed concern regarding the growing AIDS epidemic on the continent of Africa, the sisters have recognized the great need of those left abandoned and vulnerable as a result of this epidemic. New hostels have been constructed in Swaziland, Southern Africa at the Cabrini Ministries at St. Philip’s Mission to meet the needs of the children orphaned by AIDS, as well as the development of the home-based care program that ministers to the many others who are affected by the scourge of this disease.

Continuing to follow in the footsteps of Mother Cabrini, the Missionary Sisters and their lay collaborators remain vigilant, looking at the signs of the times and responding with prophetic daring.