Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Bringing Christ's love to the world

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Mother Cabrini and Mary’s Dowry

 

On March 29th the rededication of England as our Our Lady’s Dowry took place. Although timely in our present crisis, this was first discussed by the Bishops of England and Wales in 2017. On 12th of February 2020, Pope Francis blessed the painting of Our Lady of Walsingham, commissioned to mark the rededication.
To read the full story: https://www.walsingham.org.uk/2020/02/14/pope-blesses-painting-of-our-lady-of-walsingham/

The medieval Wilton Diptych (c. 1395-99) portrays the original dedication by King Richard II in 1381 and shows Our Lady surrounded by angels.
To learn more: https://www.nationalgallery.co.uk/products/the-wilton-diptych-print-front/p_NG4451

For those familiar with Mother Cabrini’s Travel Letters, the Dyptich and re-dedication bring to mind the sight which greeted her, as her train approached Victoria Station in London on 4th of August 1902. She described it as follows in her Travel Letter of August 1902:

It was a splendid day but ore splendid was the picture wihc presented itself to my sight, on our arrival
as the sun was setting. A spectacle never represented before appeared playfully in the sky. Some richly
gilded clouds formed a glorious throne, from the centre of which surged an extraordinary light surrounded
by twelve shining stars which all sent forth sparkling rays: it seemed to be the throne of the Queen of
Angels. The I saw the Most Holy Madonna, with a beautiful diadem and with the Child, seated on
her knees, who stretched out his arms in the act of protecting us.

Mother Cabrini went on to refer to the sight as, ‘but the playful movement of the clouds at the setting of the sun’.

Mother Cabrini first called England ‘the land of the Angels’ in her Travel Letter of 1895.

I left [England] secretly imploring blessings on this country which I should love,
if possible, to call again soon ‘the land of the Angels.’

The forthcoming re-dedication of England as Our Lady’s Dowry will be in two parts: a personal dedication with the Angelus Promise and a communal entrustment. This is an opportunity to dedicate ourselves and work to Our Lady as Mother Cabrini did over 100 year ago. In a letter to Mother Maddalena, her trusted confidante, Mother Cabrini wrote: ‘I hope that the Queen of Angels will enable us to see miracles in this country’. During the COVID-19 pandemic our hope is also that she will intercede for miracles for her children in England and throughout the world.

To access The Angelus Promise and the Act of Entrustment:

The Angelus Promise

The Angelus Promise is a spiritual exercise created to assist you to embrace the message of Our Lady, as expressed in the Angelus. It invites you to “share in the joy of the Annunciation” by following Mary’s openness to God’s call, through her faith-filled “yes”. Through your own faith-filled “yes”, the Lord will work wonders in your life.

R: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary
V: And she conceived by the Holy Spirit

As God once chose Mary to become the Mother of His Son through the message of an angel, so He chooses me this day, and invites me through the ministry of the Church or the example of another, to seek and do His Will at this moment in my life.

Hail Mary full of Grace…

R: Behold the handmaid of the Lord
V: Be it be done unto me according to thy Word

Mary’s response to her invitation, “let it be done to me according to your Word”, opened her heart to God’s grace and all things became possible. Let my “yes” today take away fear, as I embrace God’s Will, and like Mary “ponder these things in my heart”.

Hail Mary full of Grace…

R: And the Word became flesh (Bow or genuflect)
V: And dwelt among us

At a moment in history, Mary’s faith-filled “yes” conceived Him, first in her heart, which then led to the birth of our Saviour. Through accepting Him in my heart, enable me to recognise my role in bringing Christ to my sisters and brothers today. Hail Mary full of Grace…

R: Pray for us most holy Mother of God
V: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ

Let us pray: O Holy Mother of God, pray for us, and assist us as we dedicate ourselves this day. Your Yes at the Annunciation brought our Saviour Jesus into the world, and you invite us to contemplate the great mystery of the Incarnation, sharing your joy in announcing that “the Word was made flesh and lived among us.” May our yes, this day, open our hearts to serve our sisters and brothers in this your Dowry, that they too may share our joy in the Good News that God walks among us. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Act of Entrustment of England to Our Lady

Based on Prayer of Erasmus 1532, Dedication of England to the Mother of God 1893, Prayer for England, Cardinal Griffin’s Act of Consecration 1948, Act of Consecration St John Paul 1982

Prayer
O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England thy “Dowry” and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee.

Response
We your faithful people assembled here offer you this country in which we live. Once it was yours, all its children were your children and you were honoured throughout England as its Protectress and its Queen. Again, do we consecrate it as your Dowry, and entrust it to your maternal care.

Prayer
By thee it was that Jesus our Saviour and our hope was given unto the world; and He has given thee to us that we might hope still more.

Response
To you we entrust the Church, which invokes you as Mother. On earth you preceded her in the pilgrimage of faith. Comfort her in her difficulties and trials. Make her always the sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of the unity of the whole human race. To you, Mother of the human family, and of the nations, we confidently entrust the whole of humanity with its hopes and fears. Let it not lack the light of true wisdom. Guide it to seek freedom and justice for all. Direct its steps in the ways of peace. Enable all to meet Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Prayer
Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother.

Response
Pray, O Holy Mother of God, for the conversion of heart of the people of England, restoration of the sick, consolation for the troubled, repentance of sinners, peace to the departed. Queen of Peace pray for us and give to the world the peace for which all peoples are longing, peace in the truth, justice and charity of Christ. Give peace to the nations and to the souls of all, that in peace, the Kingdom of God may prevail.

Prayer
Intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the supreme Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son.

Response
May your prayers bring back this country to the fullness of its ancient faith. May your intercession lead us to a closer union with your divine Son. We offer you all the people of this land, especially those who know you so little or not at all. May all in our country know Christ, the light of the world and its only Saviour.

Prayer
Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee, in our heavenly home.
Response May we who follow your Son, be fruitful in the good work of building a culture of life in our world, where all human life is treasured and the gift of God’s creation is respected and cared for, so that all may share the fruits of Gods generous love.

V: Pray for us O Holy Mother of God
R: That we may be made worthy of the Promises of Christ.

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England, thy Dowry, and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee. By thee it was that Jesus, our Saviour and our hope, was given unto the world; and he has given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the cross, O sorrowful Mother, intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith, fruitful in good works, we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee in our heavenly home. Amen.

The wonderful filial love which burnt within the hearts of your forefathers towards the great Mother of God, Christ’s happy minister in our salvation, to whose service they consecrated themselves with such abundant proofs of devotion, that the Kingdom itself acquired the singular title of Mary’s Dowry
(Pope Leo XIII, 1893)

Love and Resilience: Stories from the MSCs

Now is such a time in our history that our working in unity towards our greater mission will shape our journey together. How we act, what we say, the way we treat one another, the heart with which we respond, will be recounted by generations to come.

We have been through so many challenges as an Institute over the past nearly 140 years since our courageous foundress set sail to New York for the first time in 1880. Over the years we have faced great wars, internal conflict, disease, and many other trials, and yet we have always overcome.
Sister Barbara Staley, MSC
General Superior
Read the letter statement from Sister Barbara Staley, MSC General Superior.

Over the next weeks, we have been asked by the MSC Generalate in Rome to invite you to submit stories of the Missionary Sisters who have touched your life, particularly, perhaps, in time of difficulty. These stories will be posted on the website of the Generalate: www.cabriniworld.org and we will also feature your stories in The Update and on www.mothercabrini.org

We also encourage each of you to send brief messages of faith and inspiration from your own lives, both from the past and from what you are witnessing or experiencing now. Share how you are coping with our current reality. What is your routine? What gives you joy? What gives you strength? Have you developed a new spiritual practice? Do you have a favorite prayer or mantra that would be helpful for others? In this way, it is hoped that we can draw upon our Cabrinian friendships and connections to give us strength and optimism during these challenging times. Invite younger voices to share how they are dealing with this new reality as they miss their teachers, classmates, their school sports, clubs and extra-curricular activities. And with your narratives, please feel free to share photos, as well.
In submitting stories and reflections please send to both of these emails:
communications@cabriniworld.org and cabrini-news@mothercabrini.org

Mother Cabrini once said, “There is room here for every talent and inclination.” We know that a vibrant sense of community is at the heart of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters. At this time when we must engage in social distancing, it is hoped that by sharing our stories we will strengthen those Cabrinian ties we hold so dearly.

Cabrini of Westchester Receives Grant for Enhanced Dementia Care

Cabrini of Westchester [in Dobbs Ferry, NY] was awarded a grant to enhance Cabrini’s Dementia program on its Garden Level, the memory care unit for residents with moderate to severe dementia. Awarded by The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation in December 2019 in the amount of $40,000, the grant is designed to provide staff with additional training and equipment that will improve the quality of life for the residents.

Upon receiving the grant, a Dementia Grant Committee Team was formed to organize and implement it in order to the limits and ideas of what can be applied to Cabrini and the Garden Level. The program will educate, train and certify staff to care for the residents on the Garden Level and to understand the needs and wants they may have. It includes therapeutic sensory stimulation equipment, such as boards, dolls and robotic companion pets that can be used on the unit to sooth agitation. In addition, a Tovertafel table, an animated table that has been proven to increase sensory stimulation and calm the residents in the memory care units is included.

With the grant, we have contracted with two organizations to help Cabrini through certifications both individually and as an accreditation for the whole program. The organization certifying staff is the National Council for Certified Dementia Practitioners. Comfort Matters is the second organization, which will provide accreditation to Cabrini of Westchester’s program itself. On February 27, staff attended the first Dementia Education Seminar, followed by the second on March 4, both hosted by the NCCDP. Thirty-four staff members attended a seminar and completed applications to become Certified Dementia Practitioners. A PowerPoint presentation by Comfort Matters held on March 16, will be followed by accreditation visits in the upcoming months.

Cardinal Dolan Visits NY Shrine, Asks for Mother Cabrini’s Intercession

In the cold morning air on Saturday, March 21, Cardinal Timothy Dolan hurried into the Chapel at St. Cabrini Shrine in New York City. Leaving his coat on a pew, he picked up a bouquet of white flowers and walked quietly to the main altar. After kneeling silently, the Cardinal read a prayer to Mother Cabrini on behalf of all who are affected in any way by the virus outbreak. Then he was off again to his next stop.

The Cardinal visits the Shrine often, especially in time of crisis, and relies especially on the intercession of this holy woman who walked the streets in our neighborhood.

St. Frances Cabrini, pray for us!

A Prayer for those Afflicted by Covid-19
His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, at The Shrine of Saint Frances Cabrini, New York City
Sunday, 22 March, 2020

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
To you do we come O Jesus, Jesus Son of God, Savior and Divine Physician.
We approach you not alone, but in communion with your Mother Mary,
with the angels, with your foster father Saint Joseph and with all the saints and citizens of heaven.
Especially do we kneel to seek the intercession of one of our own who we love, who we call mother,
Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini.

You, O Mother Cabrini, who had while on earth such a compassion for the sick
will now be at the bedside of the those struck with the virus.

You Saint Frances Cabrini, who formed women and founded institutions to care for the ill
will watch over our physicians, nurses and health care advocates tending to those struggling today.

You, oh Mother Cabrini, who walked the teeming streets of the city on the lookout for the lonely,
the scared and the vulnerable, now traverse the empty streets of this frightened metropolis bringing healing, comfort and encouragement.

While our supplications this morning are for this community of New York we call our passing home,
we trust your intercession with Jesus on behalf of your own beloved Italy as well, so afflicted,
your home and that of so many of our parents and grandparents.

Place our frail prayers into the furnace of mercy and love of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
who is Christ our Lord, Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen.

 

The Impact of COVID 19 on the Faithful

On Monday, March 9, the Staff of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines, IL participated in a day long retreat at Cabrini Retreat Center. This included celebration of the Eucharist in the Retreat Center Chapel.

Later in the week, on Friday, March 13, Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, Rector of the Shrine, provided a reflection on the Suspension of Eucharist in the Archdiocese of Chicago:

Dear Friends,

The COVID virus is a deadly global virus. The impact is not only on our health, but is also on the lives of the poor, those losing their jobs, those in need of health care, and so many basic things needed to survive.

One area that it cannot impact us is in our conviction that we must care for one another. Even if it is in the simplicity of our prayers that we stand in solidarity.

This is the time in which we Catholics celebrate our Lenten season.

Lent is a time of austerity, of letting go, but never did we ever imagine one of the things we would have to let go of is the Eucharist itself

The inability to gather together for fear of hurting for another is a thing we must overcome. Let us take this Lenten season and this horrible experience that we are going through as a way of preparing for Easter, in which life comes out of death. We continue in our faith, we continue in our journey, we continue together.”

Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Since 2013, the Shrine is the most visited shrine in the USA dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the second most visited in the world after the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico. In June 1997, the site was granted being a place where pilgrims can fulfill their pledges or promises to Our Lady of Guadalupe as if they were being fulfilled at the Basilica of Mexico.

The full statement can be viewed in Spanish and English at https://www.solg.org/en/rectors-statement/

 

Colorado will replace Columbus Day with Cabrini Day

the first paid state holiday recognizing a woman in the US
by Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN

[The state of] Colorado passed legislation [on] Tuesday, March 10th to replace Columbus Day with Cabrini Day because bill sponsors say [Columbus Day] doesn’t represent their community members.
The first Monday of October will now honor [Saint] Frances Xavier Cabrini, who according to the bill, is the woman responsible for creating 67 schools, hospitals, and orphanages in the United States and South and Central America throughout her lifetime.

Sen. Chris Hansen, one of the bill’s sponsors, told CNN that Cabrini is a local Colorado hero because of the work that she did. Chicago and New York join Colorado in honoring Cabrini with a shrine dedicated to her, Rep. Adrienne Benavidez, another one of the bill’s sponsors, told CNN.
“We need holidays to recognize the contributions of women across history,” Hansen said.

Benavidez said Cabrini Day would be the first paid state holiday recognizing a woman in the US. There are some holidays dedicated to other prominent women throughout history like Rosa Parks and Susan B. Anthony, but those are days of recognition, not paid state holidays, according to Benavidez.

In recent years, several states and even cities have stopped observing the holiday altogether after a growing movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day to recognize the native populations who were displaced after Columbus and other European explorers reached the continent.

Historians largely agree that he did not “discover” the Americas because people were already there, nor was he the first European to reach the “New World.”

The bill will take effect no later than the beginning of August after it is signed by the governor, Benavidez said. Legislation for this particular bill started in 2007.

“This truly is this decade’s long effort by so many people,” Benavidez said. “There have been so many negotiations, groups of people over the years that never gave up, this is so important to the communities that are impacted by this.” The transition from commemorating Columbus to Cabrini is a step forward, Benavidez said.

“The pain that they (indigenous people) endure and the historical trauma endured by indigenous people in this country as a result of what Columbus has put in place is real,” she said. “And this is a step forward in erasing that pain.”
CNN’s AJ Willingham, Marilia Brocchetto and journalist Emanuella Grinberg contributed to this report, ~ with thanks to Lilly Hatheway, Cabrini University

To read the full article: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/11/us/colorado-columbus-day-cabrini-day-trnd/index.html

Updates from the MSCs in Central America

Recently, the Missionary Sisters in Guatemala hosted the visiting MSC International Health Commission members in working session at the Mother Cabrini Dispensary, with sisters and staff members. The purpose of the visit was to develop the second part of the evaluation of health works in view of their progress.

 

Visiting professors from Cabrini University in Radnor, PA came to Guatemala to become better acquainted with the staff of the Mother Cabrini Dispensary in order to establish forms of collaboration between the works in Guatemala and the University.

University Spring Break = Service

a young age, I was taught that it’s important to help others. My parents told me there are plenty of people in the world who are less fortunate than I am, so, I wanted to make a difference [in the lives of others.] This was my second trip to serve the people of West Virginia [and] I wouldn’t be who I am today without the experiences [the trip] gave me.

Living in the Presbyterian church in Summerville and working in the house of Jason in the Netti area made us [better understand] the effects of poverty among the West Virginia communities. After our trip, I was curious about the history behind West Virginia’s poverty and I [learned] that West Virginia’s poverty rate is one of the highest in the nation. 2017 estimates indicate that 19% of the state’s population lives in poverty, exceeding the national average of 13%. I absolutely agree because of what I saw in some of the West Virginia neighborhoods.

The seven of us had an experience of social, economic and cultural aspects of rural poverty through serving and speaking with the people who lived in the region. We had a supervisor who helped us with the tools and made our experiences fun and enjoyable. Tim (our supervisor) is an example of how people should love unconditionally and help others. Tim is the one who introduced us to Jason and helped us in helping him.

We had two major projects in Jason’s home: converting two bathrooms into a bedroom, and converting a church pulpit area into to a flat floor since the house was first a church. While serving others, we had the opportunity to share our lives through service, prayer, reflection and time that we spent together. West Virginians were so grateful even for the little things we did for them. They cared about our wellbeing and were grateful for all of us to be serving in their midst.

National Catholic Sisters Week Day of Service

From March 8 – 14, National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW) is an annual celebration that began in 2014 to honor women religious with a series of events that instruct, enlighten, and bring greater focus on the lives of these incredible women.  It’s a chance to recognize all that they do, with the hope that as more young women learn about women religious, more will choose to follow their example.

In celebration of NCSW, on Saturday, March 7th, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus joined with the Delaware Valley Member Area of the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) in a day of service in Phoenixville, PA sorting and packaging socks at The Joy of Sox warehouse. The Joy of Sox, is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides new socks for those experiencing homelessness.  Sisters from seven religious congregations including Missionary Sisters Antonina Avitabile, Christine Marie Baltas, Amarech Herego LeFamo, and MSC candidate Evarlyne Ndeti, sorted a total of 22,730 pairs and packaged 260 bags of socks for later distribution to shelters in the greater Philadelphia, PA and Trenton, NJ region, and shipment to shelters throughout the United States. The work of sorting and packaging was made lighthearted with the sounds of oldies and Motown songs to which everyone joined in singing.

United with Our Immigrant Brothers and Sisters

For more than ten years, dedicated immigration advocates have braved the weather, rain or shine, cold or snow, to hold a prayer vigil at the Broadview Detention Center in Chicago. This was the place, until a year ago, from which immigrants were sent on their way out of the country when deported. They are now deported from a location in Kankakee, Illinois, but the processing of new detainees still takes place here.

Each Friday at 7:15 am people from different faiths gather to pray…for those being deported that day; for those whose cases are being considered; for families broken apart; for children traumatized by our immigration system; for asylum seekers sent back to Mexico; for those who have died in the process; for all affected by the tragedies occurring daily.

On this cold, windy first Friday of the month of March, Sr. Cathy Fedewa, CSFN, a staff member at the Cabrini Retreat Center in Des Plaines, IL, joined the interfaith group and heard prayer and testimony from the Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions. Rabbi Brant Rosen wrote his rendering of Lamentations 2 which, when read with the tragedy of our current immigration system in mind, becomes a sad commentary on our country. In one section he writes:

“our so-called glorious past is now seen
for the sham that it was,
the way of life we celebrate is but a privilege
for the few and the powerful,
we can’t see that our own might
will be our downfall”

Sadness and frustration was in the hearts of all those who attended, some of whom later joined others for a meeting to discuss what could be done to counter the wrong that is being inflicted on migrants, particularly through the Migrant Protection Policy (MPP, commonly called Return to Mexico).

Consideration is being given to use the annual public Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, held in downtown Chicago, as one of the opportunities to educate the public on the tragedies occurring as a result of this policy. This is being done in the hope of helping all to understand the need to de-fund MPP and allow migrants to stay in the U.S. while their asylum case is being considered

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