Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Archives for December 2025

Greetings from Sr. Diane Olmstead, MSC, Provincial

GDear friends and all those who help us in sharing the good news of God’s love,

We are in the joyful season of Advent. Advent is a time of opening the spaces within our mind, heart and will so that we may receive fully the extravagant gift of God’s Love and share that love with others. This season helps us remember that Jesus took on our human condition to help us better know who God is and who we are called to be. With the arrival of Christmas, we take the time to celebrate with family and loved ones the wonder of Jesus’ birth. He is Emmanuel – GOD present among us.

As we celebrate this season of Advent and the Christmas season let us find moments to pause, to be full of gratitude, and to consider: what one act of love can I do to make our world a better place.

We, Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, (Cabrini Sisters), want to express our deep gratitude for your friendship, for walking this journey of Faith with us, and for all the countless ways you share your gifts with us. We pray for you, your family and loved ones. We join you in longing for the gift of PEACE for our world.

May you be full of HOPE, knowing that JESUS walks with you and loves you.

Sr. Diane Olmstead, MSC

Celebrating a Joyful and Faith-Filled Christmas

The Christmas season at Cabrini High School is filled with beloved traditions, community spirit, and celebrations rooted in Cabrinian faith. Festivities began with the highly anticipated Cabrini High School Cookie Bake, a cherished dad-and-daughter event that offered yet another unforgettable evening of laughter, connection, and flour-covered fun. After a cozy Daddy and Daughter Dinner prepared by the famed Cabrini Dads’ Club chefs, cookie dough was rolled out, and the beloved “Flour Fight” erupted once again as clouds of flour and laughter filled the parking lot, celebrating the spirit of the season and the unique bond shared by Cabrini families.

The cookies baked that evening are enjoyed each year at Christmas on the Bayou, Cabrini’s treasured annual holiday celebration when Santa arrives on Bayou St. John. Families gather along the banks of the bayou to enjoy carols, choir performances, and lively routines from Cabrini’s award-winning Cheer and Dance Teams.

Christmas joy continues through the faculty Prayer Angel exchange, where participants pray for one another before revealing their identities at the faculty Christmas party. Krescent Kringle elves surprise students with treats and prizes, including skip-the-lunch-line passes, special dress-day privileges, and even a playful “pull the fire alarm” prize.

Grade-level and faculty Christmas trees are decorated in themes chosen by student council officers. Ugly sweater contests, hot cocoa bars, and Christmas music is sprinkled through lunchtime celebrations.

the season, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Mass honored Mary’s “yes” to God and Mother Cabrini’s faithful example of answering “yes” to her calling as well. As part of this cherished tradition, senior Crescents received their Mother Cabrini rosaries, symbolizing the guidance of both the Blessed Mother and our school’s patroness.

Together, these traditions reflect the heart of Cabrini High School: joy, community, faith, and the enduring spirit of Cabrinian women. As the school community enters exam week and the Christmas holidays, we celebrate the coming of the Savior with gratitude and hope.

 

Click  here for a video of the “flour fight”.

Christmas Clowns Bring Smiles to Kiddos

The Knitting Group at Cabrini Immigrant Services – Dobbs Ferry, NY (CIS-DF) have been Santa elves as they have crocheted clowns that will be donated to the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, NY. The very colorful clowns will bring big smiles to the faces of the children who are patients in the hospital.

Before donating the clowns, a special blessing was held. Everyone prayed over the crocheted clowns and asked God to send special blessings and healing to the children who will be receiving them. In addition to the clowns, a few more octopuses were crocheted and will be donated to the NICU at the hospital.

We are so proud of our Knitting Group as they continue to bring God’s love to so many people. They are happy knowing that they are helping children who will not be home for Christmas.

Elders Push for Immigrant Rights

Throughout this year, retirees and senior citizens in their 60s, 70s, and 80s have teamed up with consecrated religious of many congregations to rally for the rights and dignity of immigrants. They have conducted rallies and prayer vigils outside ICE offices as well as the offices of elected congressional representatives. This is particularly so in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.

Journalist Meir Rinde of Billy Penn at WHYY, the local news outlet for National Public Radio (NPR), recently did a feature on these social justice-minded senior individuals.

The activists included Jerry Zurek, PhD, a retired Cabrini University Communications Professor who co-leads a regional chapter of the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. Zurek said, “I believe we should welcome all people of good will. They enrich our country. I’m a former teacher, and I had so many students who were immigrants themselves, some of them undocumented. I want to do whatever I can to help them.”

Zurek, who is in his 80s, was one of many older people at [a recent] protest. He said he wanted to be there, despite the cold.

“I’m trying to do everything I can to support our immigrant community to make America better,” her said. “We just had twin granddaughters born, and we want to make the world OK for our grandchildren.”

Dr. Zurek was joined by alumni of Cabrini College/University who share his deep concern about the current treatment of immigrants.

To read the entire account, please click here
To learn about a prayer vigil for immigrants, please click here

 

Cookies, Mulled Cider and Mittens!

In collaboration with the Cabrini Immigration Commission of the Guadalupe Province, the Cabrini University CAVS Alumni Association held a drive to collect winter hats, gloves, and scarves for the immigrant children of the Norristown and southern Chester County, PA school districts.  Alumni, faculty and staff were invited to stop by the MSC Cottage in Wayne, PA, for an Open House where the warm aroma of mulled cider and Christmas cookies greeted guests as they dropped off their donations. Cabrini friends reunited for a time of relaxed conversation and camaraderie united in a meaningful cause.

Honoring Cabrini-Cornell Nutrition Workshop Grads

On Friday, December 5th, Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC held a graduation ceremony for the latest cohort of our Nutrition Workshop. Over the past two months, sixteen participants from various countries, including El Salvador, Ecuador, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico, completed nine nutrition workshops in collaboration with Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension.

Throughout the program, participants learned to read food labels; teach their children to eat in healthier ways; to practice food safety and take proper care when washing fruits and vegetables.

Each participant received a diploma and a gift from Cabrini and Cornell as a token of appreciation for their dedication and perseverance throughout the program. The graduation was a joyful event where everyone shared a pleasant time together and prepared healthy recipes such as fruit salad, green salad, rice, and guacamole.

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day Greetings from St. F.X. Cabrini Shrine, NYC

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrated on December 12, honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared to Juan Diego in 1531 on Tepeyac Hill near present-day Mexico City. According to tradition, Mary offered words of compassion and solidarity, asking that a church be built so she could share God’s love with all people, especially the poor and marginalized. As a sign of her presence, she left her image miraculously imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma, a sacred relic still venerated today in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This feast has become a powerful symbol of faith, cultural identity, and hope throughout the Americas, drawing millions of pilgrims each year who come to honor “La Morenita” and to seek her intercession.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of this province of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and includes the MSC ministries located in Australia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the United States of America.

Cabrini and Brother Martin Retreat Teams Share Faith with Catholic Schools

This year, the Cabrini High School Retreat Team embraced its call to share the Gospel in a meaningful new way: by partnering with the Brother Martin High School Retreat Team to host faith-filled retreats for local Catholic elementary students. Students participated in these special retreat days designed to strengthen their understanding of faith and community.

The combined Cabrini/Brother Martin retreat teams broke into small groups and together, they guided the students through discussions, reflections, and hands-on activities centered on building a strong foundation of faith. Their shared leadership created a dynamic environment where younger students felt supported, welcomed, and inspired.

What makes this partnership especially meaningful is the deep spiritual connection between the two schools. Cabrini High School was founded by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, while Brother Martin was founded by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Both religious communities share a devotion to the love and mercy of Jesus, symbolized by His Sacred Heart. Seeing students from these two traditions work together as modern-day disciples brought this devotion to life in a beautiful and tangible way.

Cabrini extends heartfelt thanks to Campus Minister Nicole Jouandot for her commitment to bringing Cabrini’s faith leadership to other schools, and to Donnie Midkiff of Brother Martin for inviting Cabrini to join in this mission. The schools are looking forward to hosting more retreats together in the spring.

1260 Upper Gulph Road, Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: 484-581-7163   Fax: 484-581-7164
info@mothercabrini.org