Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Bringing Christ's love to the world

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Cabrini High School Swim Team Hosts Swim Meet for Cancer Awareness

On Saturday, October 12, 2019 Cabrini High School’s Swim Team hosted the annual Stand Up to Cancer Invitational Swim Meet, the largest non-championship swim meet for the New Orleans Metro League, where $4,443.50 was raised for cancer awareness.

All funds from the event were raised through donations, admission tickets, heat sheet sales, raffles, and auctions. There were three large items up for auction, including a signed Drew Brees framed print, a 24×24 Carreno abstract painting, and two club tickets for a New Orleans Pelicans game. In addition to the auction items, there were also raffle prizes, such as tickets to The National WWII Museum, two Sephora custom makeover certificates, and numerous gift certificates to stores and restaurants in the New Orleans area. All funds raised will be donated to the Tulane Cancer Center.

Cabrini’s Head Swim Coach, Sarah Carr stated, “The Cancer Awareness Invitational is a great opportunity for the swimming community to come together to support the Tulane Cancer Center and cancer patients in our city. Cabrini Swimming enjoys hosting this meet every year because of the ability to raise funds and have a positive impact on the lives of those battling cancer.”

Held at the University of New Orleans Aquatic Center, 290 swimmers from 20 schools in the Greater New Orleans area competed in the meet.

Carr said, “The Invitational brings schools from across the Greater New Orleans metro area to come together, compete, and have fun swimming, all for a worthy cause.”

Cabrini High School Challenges Middle School Students with Math Tournament

Cabrini High School’s Mu Alpha Theta club hosted its fifth annual Middle School Math Tournament, open to both boys and girls, on Saturday, October 12, 2019. Participation was free for the tournament. Students were not allowed to bring a calculator for any of the tests, including individual tests, team tests, and an interschool test where they were tested on 6th and 7th grade math, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra I. Awards were given to students who placed first through sixth place on the individual or team tests, and the top three scoring schools on the interschool test received a trophy for their school

Missionary Sisters Guadalupe Province Meet in Provincial Chapter

The Missionary Sisters of the Guadalupe Province and their lay collaborators are attending their Provincial Chapter which is taking place in northern New Jersey.

In an environment of prayer and gratitude, the participants are deciding upon mission priorities which will be brought forth to the General Chapter in 2020.

Blessings Abound on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Cabrini of Westchester’s chapel was filled with joy on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Fr. Edwin Robinson, OFM, Director of Pastoral Care and Lorraine Campanelli, Director of Cabrini Immigration Services, joined together to put on a special program called “Heart and Soul” in honor of the Feast Day.

Volunteers took part in the service which captivated all in attendance with the inclusion of a transformative visualization exercise, poetry reading, hand clapping and tambourine playing to the soulful piano and violin accompaniment.

At the end of the program, Father Edwin blessed the animals that were present followed by a stroll through the first floor of the nursing home to bless the birds and the fish who reside at Cabrini as well as the koi in the outside pond.

Closing the ceremony was a moving blessing of Cabrini’s new peace pole which was recently erected near the entrance of the Home. It was a beautiful service and the joy of all in attendance was palpable. It was apparent to all on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi that the Lord had indeed made each of us “an instrument of his peace”.

Unveiling Monument to Migrants, Pope Francis Urges Compassion for Refugees

~ by Elisabetta Povoledo, The New York Times

Pope Francis has always urged compassion and charity toward the refugees of the world, but, during a special Mass on the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, he unveiled a monument to migration in St. Peter’s Square as an homage to the displaced.

The work, “Angels Unaware” by the Canadian artist Timothy P. Schmalz, depicts 140 migrants and refugees from various historical periods traveling on a boat, and includes indigenous people, the Virgin Mary and Joseph, Jews fleeing from Nazi Germany and those from war-torn countries. The sculpture was requested by the Vatican’s Office of Migrants and Refugees and funded by the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation

Pope Francis said that the statue had been inspired by a passage in “Letters to the Hebrew,” from the New Testament: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

The pope said he wanted the statue in St. Peter’s Square “so that all will be reminded of the evangelical challenge of hospitality.”

In his message, Francis said that it was “the poorest of the poor and the most disadvantaged who pay the price” of wars, injustice, economic and social imbalances, both local and global.

Migration has become a flash point around the world in recent years, as millions of people have been displaced by wars in Syria and Afghanistan and economic deprivation in Africa, many seeking a better life in Europe.

Immigration has spurred a bitter backlash as nations seeks to put up fences and walls, and it has prompted debate in the United States over how to handle asylum seekers from Central America. In Asia, the oppression and dispersion of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar has become a humanitarian crisis.

Francis has emerged as a champion of refugees and migrants. Soon after his election in 2013, he denounced the “globalization of indifference”. Since the European migrant crisis of 2015, the pontiff has consistently promoted the need to welcome refugees, who he believes have been exploited by nationalists. ~ with thanks to Nancy Golen and Sr. Cathy Fedewa, CSFN, Cabrini Retreat Center

Run for Your Life – Part 3

This week, we continue our coverage on the “Run for Your Life” simulation that took place at the Cabrini Retreat Center in Des Plaines, IL from September 13 – 16th. A variety of adult and youth groups from across the Archdiocese of Chicago participated in the simulation.

Participants, now in their roles as a family unit, hurriedly begin their journey as it is no longer safe to stay in their home/country. They have a sense of the direction they will travel in but they’re not real clear. It doesn’t take long before they find they are stopped by strangers who either offer to help them on their way (for a price) or who simply take advantage of them and will not let them pass unless they part with some of their money or goods that they have brought with them.

They realize now that they must cross the sea to get away from all those seeking to harm them. They must head for the harbor and passage which other have promised will take them safely across the sea (again for a fee). They finally get to the harbor and find their boats are simply rafts but they have no choice; they can’t go back. They are given one life jacket for the family, but still have some resources to pay for a few more. They enter the rafts with many others and are told they must give up some heavier possessions they brought because the crowded boat is too heavy.

they sail along, the waves get rough and their boat is suddenly swamped by a huge wave. They survive the wave but anything they brought that could be ruined by water is now also gone. Then, a ray of hope…a ship is seen in the distance. Perhaps it can rescue them! But… it is a ship of pirates and they must give them any valuables they are carrying…or forfeit their lives.

They now have very little, if anything, left of their resources, and they continue to move across the water over days and days…..no more water, no more food, burning sun, seasickness, and sometimes death. Will they ever be able to reach land and safety across the sea???? Was this a mistake???? ~ submitted by Sr. Cathy Fedewa, CSFN

Drawing Inspiration from Our Foundress

They will draw water from the source…

From different countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua we have reached Codogno, the cradle of the Institute, to delve into the spirituality of our Foundress. In the company of the sisters María Barbagallo, Regina Canale, Lucy Panettieri and Gilda Mendoza, in the first week we deepened the gift that the Lord has given us. We are thirsty to drink from the source that gave rise to our Cabrinian being and that has given us our missionary identity. We have been given the following topics: the Person of Jesus, the School of the Heart of Jesus, Christian Virtues, Cabrinian Vision of life and the history, foundations in Italy, the Great Mothers, Mysticism of the change of hearts.

As part of our studies and with a grateful heart we visited Sant’Angelo, Vidardo, Livraga … How much emotion invaded our being in the birthplace of Our Mother! With how much enthusiasm each one put in the river the small paper boats full of flowers, as did “Cecchina”, sending us as missionaries to the whole world and praying for new violets for our Institute !

Towards the end of the week, a rich and unforgettable experience awaited us: we had to open our hearts to share the treasures of our “personal Galilee”, that is, that first call made by Jesus in a sweet “follow me! ” The first to share were: Mother Lina Colombini, Sr. Elena Lo Brutto and Sr. Francesca Cremonese, who with their testimonies motivated us and inspired us to continue living the Cabrinian Charism, to the rhythm of Love, that is to say ardently and swiftly. All the MSC Sisters of Codogno have taught us, even without words, that the Charism is the way to love, to dream, to serve today in that corner of the world where the Lord wanted to put us.

We feel very happy and grateful to the Lord, with our sisters from Codogno, from Sant’Angelo and with each of our Provinces for allowing us to live this unforgettable experience. It has been a rich, intense week, full of enthusiasm and gratitude to get closer to Our Foundress whose experience became Charism … and that Charism made its way!

“Oh my Jesus: how kind, good and adorable you are.

Greater is the care that You take of me and my things.” (PP Mother Cabrini)

Heart and Soul

tells us, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3). The residents at St. Cabrini Nursing Home, Dobbs Ferry, NY were blessed to have 13 children come and share their God-given talents and their beautiful spirituality with them.

The children participated in the ‘Heart and Soul’ program, which, is held monthly at the nursing home. The children, who ranged in age from 5-14 years old, sang various spiritual songs and also played different instruments.

We had violinists, pianists and a cellist. The children were from Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry and the Youth Mission of Life Church, White Plains, NY.

The children shared their love of God and the importance of their faith as they sang, played their instruments and shared from their hearts. I now understand what Jesus meant when he said that we need to be more like the children. Their innocence and their openness to God was so evident. Thank you to all the children who participated in the program. Thank you also for being a wonderful example of God’s love in this world.

Cabrini High School Raises Money for Hurricane Dorian Victims

High School in New Orleans raised $650 to be sent to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for emergency relief of the victims of Hurricane Dorian. Students, faculty, staff, and parents raised funds in one week through a bake sale hosted by Cabrini’s Student Council and CRS Krewe, daily collections during lunch in the school cafeteria, as well as a collection during the Offertory during a school Mass.

“Service” is one of Cabrini High School’s three core values. Having “service” as a core value, every day the Cabrini High School community finds ways to help and serve others. Cabrini High School’s thoughts and prayers are with all victims of Hurricane Dorian. ~ submitted by Katelyn Ehrhardt 

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

I believe that one of the greatest authors of children’s books is Dr. Seuss. He has been able to capture the imagination of more children through his writings, his rhymes and his different characters. One of his favorite quotes is, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

. Barbara Keckler, Associate Professor for the School of Education at Mercy College and her graduate students came to Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, to help some of our children enhance their reading skills so that they will be able to learn new things and go to new places. Dr. Keckler teaches the course, Assessing and Correcting Literacy Problems: Practicum in Early Childhood and Childhood. Her students attend class during the day and then in the afternoon, they come to CIS to complete the practicum component of the class. They come twice a week to work with our children. They do pre-testing, reading aloud, comprehension as well as teaching our Kids some techniques and games to help them with their reading.

On the last day of the program, the Mercy College students gave our Kids a party. It was a great way to celebrate the end of the semester. Dr. Keckler read the book, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, written by Dr. Seuss. In addition to some party food, the Mercy students gave each of our Kids a certificate for academic achievement. They also bought them some gifts such as books, crayons, pencils, etc.

Thank you to Dr. Keckler and the students from Mercy College. We look forward to seeing you again next summer.

610 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, PA 19087
Phone: 610-902-1039
Fax: 610-971-0396
info@mothercabrini.org