St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Award Presented in Chicago

September 23, 2020

Earlier in September during a special Zoom event, Cardinal Cupich presented Sr. Cathy Fedewa, CSFN, Immigrant Outreach Coordinator at Cabrini Retreat Center, with the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Award. This award recognizes a leader in the Immigration Ministry’s network who embodies Mother Cabrini’s missionary and pastoral spirit in tireless service to immigrants.

A number of the Missionary Sisters attended the ceremony including Sr. Bernadette Anello, Sr. Antonina Avitabile, Sr. Ayantu Bishaka, Sr. Joaquina Costa, Sr. Catherine Garry, Sr. Genet Henok and Sr. Bridget Zanin.

Sr. Cathy’s spirit of Mother Cabrini goes beyond any doors and into the community making an everlasting impact on our immigrant sisters and brothers. She brings a wealth of experience and valuable insights as she serves individuals and families through active ministry in schools, parishes, and social agencies. As Coordinator of Immigrant Outreach and Advocacy at the Cabrini Retreat Center in Des Plaines, Illinois, she responds to the challenges immigrants face in new and creative ways.

She has visited and prayed with detained immigrants at the Broadview Detention Center and tutored a Chinese student through the Aquinas Literacy Center. Sr. Cathy serves on the Board of Bethany House of Hospitality for Women, which offers housing and support services to young immigrant women as they start the path for independence. (The Missionary Sisters also financially support Bethany House.)

Sr. Cathy provided leadership for the Chicagoland Share the Journey Walk partnering with the Archdiocese of Chicago, Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Mother Cabrini League, St. Anthony Hospital and Maryville Academy.

In addition, Sister Cathy is a member of Sisters and Brothers of Immigrants (SBI) and the Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants (ICDI), and has blessed Pastoral Migratoria with her many talents on the Immigration Ministry’s annual Posada and National Migration Week activities.

Nuns on the Bus Hit the Virtual Road Re: US Presidential Election

September 23, 2020

~ by Dan Stockman, Global Sisters Report

The Nuns on the Bus are getting a sort of staycation this year, running a bus tour of the country that will take place entirely online.

Network, a Catholic social justice lobby, announced that the tour, which runs from September 23 to October 23, will be entirely in cyberspace because of the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.

“We may be crazy, but I am excited about it,” said Social Service Sr. Simone Campbell, the Executive Director of Network

Nuns on the Bus began in 2012 as a cross-country bus tour to raise awareness of income inequality and the working poor, barnstorming through political battleground states. This will be the seventh tour.

“When you look at the church’s teaching, it is always linked to life issues like care for the poor and the marginalized, care for the Earth.” Voters following Catholic Social Teaching need to consider issues such as racism and white supremacy, xenophobia and economic inequality,” said Sr. Simone

While there are certainly drawbacks to not boarding an actual bus and meeting people across the country, Campbell said, there are also benefits to having an online version: Sisters can participate without committing to a week of bus travel and can pick which events best fit their schedules. And since it is virtual, nuns are not the only people who can get on the bus.

“Everybody can be on the bus this time,” she said. “That’s the cool part.”

Campbell said building community is another reason to host a tour, despite the technical challenges it presents: Much of the political and social divides in the United States fall along geographic lines between urban and rural voters.

“If we believe in democracy, we need everybody’s voice in the conversation,” Campbell said.

To read the complete article click here

This Sunday is the 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees

September 23, 2020

This Sunday is the 106th World Day
of Migrants and Refugees
Forced like Jesus Christ to Flee

The Church has been celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) since 1914. It is always an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges; and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers.

Every year the WDMR is the last Sunday of September – this year, September 27th. As the title for his annual message, the Holy Father has chosen “Forced like Jesus Christ to flee” to focus on the pastoral care of internally displaced people (IDPs). The following are excerpts from the Pope Francis’ message:

At the beginning of this year, I pointed to the tragedy of internally displaced people as one of the challenges of our contemporary world: “Situations of conflict and humanitarian emergencies, aggravated by climate change, are increasing the number of displaced persons and affecting people already living in a state of dire poverty. May of the countries experiencing these situations lack adequate structures for meeting the needs of the displaced.”

For these reasons, this message is devoted to the drama of internally displaced persons, an often unseen tragedy that the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated. In fact, due to its virulence, severity and geographical extent, this crisis has impacted many other humanitarian emergencies that affect millions of people, which has relegated to the bottom of national political agendas those urgent international efforts essential to saving lives. But this is not a time for forgetfulness. In light of the tragic events that have marked 2020, I would like this message to [also] embrace all those who are experiencing situations of precariousness, abandonment, marginalization and rejection as a result of COVID-19.

During the flight into Egypt, the child Jesus experienced with his parents the tragic fate of the displaced and refugees, “which is marked by fear, uncertainty and unease. Unfortunately, in our own times, millions of families can identify with this sad reality. Almost every day [we hear] news of refugees fleeing from hunger, war and other grave dangers, in search of security and a dignified life for themselves and their families.” In each of these people, forced to flee to safety, Jesus is present as he was at the time of Herod.

We are called to respond to this pastoral challenge with the four verbs I indica ted in 2018: welcome, protect, promote and integrate. To these words, I would add another six pairs of verbs that deal with very practical actions. You have to know in order to understand. It is necessary to be close in order to serve. In order to be reconciled, we need to listen. In order to grow, it is necessary to share. We need to be involved in order to promote. It is necessary to cooperate in order to build.

This is not a time for self-centeredness, because the challenge we are facing is shared by all, without distinguishing between persons”. To preserve our common home and make it conform more and more to God’s original plan, we must commit ourselves to ensuring international cooperation, global solidarity and local commitment, leaving no one excluded.

To read Pope Francis’ full message click here
To access videos on the Migrant and Refugee crisis click here

Join Sisters for their World Debut

September 17, 2020

This new video release is part mystery, part drama and has thousands of superheroes! From the GLOBAL SISTERS REPORT – now playing at a click of your mouse:
“Sisters in Ministry: The Gospel in Action.”

Explore something that’s a mystery to too many people: Why do these women do what they do?

Discover the drama of Catholic sisters around the world who live their faith in brave and selfless ways! Be amazed at the wondrous women — not in capes, but some in habits — who pursue truth, justice and the narrow way!

The CLM Corner

September 16, 2020

Cabrini Lay Missionaries (CLMs) are women and men, single or married, who come from different cultures, backgrounds, professions and economic situations. They are called and invited by Jesus to live the special charism of Mother Cabrini.

The CLMs in the Guadalupe Province currently live in California, Washington State, New Jersey and New York. All are involved in different ministries and volunteer services. Through their witness and example, they are spreading the charism of Mother Cabrini.

At Mexican Camp near US Border Asylum Seekers Grow More Desperate

September 16, 2020

~by David Agren, Catholic News Service

Matamoros, Mexico – When Sr. Norma Pimentel used to query the needs of asylum seekers in a tent camp along the Rio Grande in this Mexican border city, they asked for supplies such as utensils and blankets. Now when she speaks with them they voice fears for their safety and ask about an exit.

“We’re moving to a more desperate situation: ‘Get me out of here, I am afraid for my child,’” she said they tell her.

Residents of Dignity Village – populated by asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico as their cases proceed in US courts, part of the Migrant Protection Protocols plan – have endured everything from cold snaps to hurricanes, from rats and snakes to vermin infestation, and from criminal gangs to kidnapping them to the COVID-19 pandemic. But fear has gripped the camp in recent weeks as at least seven individuals have been found murdered in an area where camp residents used to wash and bathe.

“It’s hard to know (what’s happening) because the authorities are not saying and they’re not identifying the person(s)” said Sr. Pimentel, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus and Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. “It’s dangerous and everyone wants out.”

As time drags on, desperation sets in, especially as the temporary tents residents use become battered by the elements – Hurricane Hanna stormed through in August nearly flooding them out – and the COVID-19 pandemic postpones their US court appearance for the foreseeable future.

There’s nothing in sight that can really move them forward…They have endured months of hardship and COVID-19 doesn’t make it any easier,” said Pimentel.

The camp’s population has dwindled to less than 1,000 residents, roughly a third of its peak occupancy. Some of the camp’s residents are also attempting to cross the Rio Grande into the United States – a risky proposition. The river has deceptively strong currents and organized crime demands a payment to attempt the crossing.

Pimentel often deals with Mexican immigration officials, taking requests from residents to them for consideration. She also listens to petitions, such as the pleas of a group of pregnant women, who were wondering if US officials would expedite their hearings. For all the desperation, she said, many have not given up hope on reaching the United States for one simple reason: “They can’t return to their countries.”

Cabrini High School Alumna Named Louisiana Elementary School Teacher of the Year

September 16, 2020

Angelle Bourgeois, current assistant principal of Allemands Elementary School and former teacher of Norco Elementary School, was announced as the 2021 Louisiana Elementary School Teacher of the Year at the 14th Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Awards Gala.

In partnership with Dream Teachers and the Louisiana Association of Principals, the Louisiana Department of Education annually recognizes and celebrates some of the state’s most exceptional educators through the Teacher and Principal of the Year programs. These programs provide an opportunity to acknowledge teachers and leaders who are making exceptional gains with students.

In a communication with Yvonne Hrapmann, Cabrini High School Principal, Bourgeois, a proud alumna of Cabrini High School, Class of 2005, wrote, “I promoted Cabrini and the outstanding Catholic school education I received in the two interviews I gave this weekend. I am so proud to be a graduate of Cabrini High School which helped prepare for my successes in college, career, and in life.”

Pope Francis will take Post-Pandemic Pleas to Global Stage

September 9, 2020

~ by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service

When he addresses, via video message, Pope Francis is expected to speak about using the coronavirus crisis as an opportunity to rethink economic, political and environmental policies in a way that will benefit humanity and the earth.

Since COVID-19 was officially recognized as a pandemic in early March, the Pope has been urging individuals, organizations and governments to recognize the inequalities the pandemic has highlighted in economics and access to health care and education, as well as the ways current patterns of production and consumption have damaged the environment.

In an interview published on August 27, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, was asked what principles of Catholic Social Teaching could help the global economy recover from the pandemic and its lockdowns.

“COVID-19 not only provoked a health crisis but impacted multiple aspects of human life: the family, politics, labor, businesses, commerce, tourism, etc.,” Parolin said. “The broad and interconnected character of the pandemic constantly reminds us of Pope Francis’ observation that ‘everything is connected.’”

“Today the pandemic is giving a tremendous shock to the entire economic and social system and its supposed certainties at all levels. The problems of unemployment are and will be dramatic; the problem of public health require the revolution of entire health and education systems; and the role of states and relations between nations are changing,” Parolin said.

The church feels called to accompany the complicated journey that lies before us all as a human family. She must do so with humility and wisdom, but also with creativity,” Paolin continued.
Today’s courageous creativity is more urgent than ever so that the dramatic crisis of the pandemic does not end in terrible tragedy, but opens spaces for the human and ecological conversion that humanity needs,” Parolin said. To read the entire article click here

UPDATE: It was announced that Pope Francis will travel to Assisi on October 3 to sign an encyclical on the social, political and economic obligations that flow from a belief that all people are children of God and therefore, brothers and sisters to one another. The encyclical is expected to [focus on] preferential option for the poor, universal destination of goods and the obligation of solidarity.

Cabrini University Welcomes the Class of 2024 to Campus with Hybrid Matriculation

September 8, 2020

Cabrini welcomed the Class of 2024 to campus on Friday, August 28, as first-year students, with the help of their families, took turns moving into East, Woodcrest, and Xavier halls. A total of 389 students—both residential and commuter—were enrolled as part of the Class of 2024 when classes began on August 31

Students participated in a new move-in process this year, which included capacity limits within each residence hall, as well as campus-wide face mask and social distancing mandates in accordance with Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 social restrictions.

“Morale has been high,” Je La Boulden ’23 said while helping direct students outside of East Hall. “A lot of schools can’t offer Orientation and the events that we’re having. Because we have the advantage of being a small school, it’s a lot easier for us to maneuver and still keep everything safe for the students, parents, faculty, and staff.”

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Chioma Ugochukwu, PhD, addressed Cabrini’s newest students during a virtual Matriculation address on Friday.

“To our new Cavaliers, I am very proud to officially say, ‘Welcome, Class of 2024,’” she began. “I ask you to keep these questions in mind. How will you contribute your voice? How will you impact your community and your chosen field? How will you share your passion with the world?”

Several upperclassmen then explained, via video, what the University’s core values of Vision, Respect, Community, and Dedication to Excellence mean to them.

Junior Anthony Frasca encouraged students to ask themselves, “How are you going to leave your mark on campus and live with purpose?”

After the address, incoming students gathered in small groups in the Founder’s Hall lobby to sign Cabrini’s Charter of Core Values—an agreement to uphold the University’s core values and a signal of their transition to the next step in their lives.

Cabrini University Alumna Advocates for Immigrant Farmworkers

September 8, 2020

When the United States began its most stringent COVID-19 lockdown in mid-March, America’s food supply workers – from grocery store clerks to farmworkers quickly became some of the country’s most essential laborers.

Cabrini University alumna Meghan Hurley ’07, who has served at CATA – The Farmworkers Support Committee in southern New Jersey since 2012, farmworkers were essential personnel long before COVID-19 gripped the globe. Of her work helping mobilize farmworkers in the CATA network to advocate for improved labor conditions before legislators in New Jersey and Washington, D.C., she said, “What we are seeing is not new, but just refocused.”

Hurley said that labor legislation has often excluded farmworkers, who are largely people of color and immigrants – including permanent residents and workers on temporary work visas or without documentation. This Cabrini alumna is advocating for at least six pieces of legislation in New Jersey that would provide some economic relief for undocumented immigrants and expand labor protections for farmworkers and many other essential workers, including increased sick days and the right to refuse work in unsafe conditions without fear of retaliation or termination.

“Right now, we are focused on the immediate needs of Latino working communities and pushing for better protections,” Hurley said.

“We call these workers essential but treat them as though they are expendable,” she said.

Hurley credits much of her passion for immigrant advocacy work to the experiences she had as a Cabrini undergraduate studying English and Communication. She said Jerry Zurek, PhD, Professor, English and Communications, had a particularly profound impact, helping Hurley foster a passion for social justice and advocacy. Need another photo

“Meghan’s work now for immigrant farmworkers should touch our conscience,” Zurek said. “These farmworkers don’t earn minimum wage and, if undocumented, haven’t received a penny in COVID-19 protection and relief. What Meghan does now is what Mother Cabrini would do if she were here today.”

This Sunday is the 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees Forced like Jesus Christ to Flee

This Sunday is the 106th World Day
of Migrants and Refugees
Forced like Jesus Christ to Flee