Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Bringing Christ's love to the world

Masthead Image for Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Celebrating Our Student Authors

Tuesday of this week was a ‘picture-perfect day.’  The sun was shining brightly, the temperature was in the high eighties, you didn’t need a winter coat or an umbrella. I thought, could this day get any better? It did!

The children wrote a story about one of Ms. Kaufman’s critters, whom they named Bella. Anne Marie Santoro, the teacher of our Sharing Stories! Making Movies! Program, shared the story with Ms. Kaufman who thought it was so wonderful that she published it in her new book.

I was honored to present a copy of the book to the librarian at Springhurst Elementary School in Dobbs Ferry, NY. Many of the authors’ classmates and teachers attended the ceremony that was held in the library. On display in the library was a sign that read, “We’re so proud of our student authors.”

One of the authors read the story to the group. After the reading, I presented the book to the librarian. She then asked each of the authors to sign the book. It was such a proud moment to see our students being recognized in such a unique way. It was beautiful to see all the support and accolades that they received from their teachers and classmates.                                              ~ submitted by Lorraine Campanelli, Director, CIS-DF

 

The Perfect Spot for a Peace Prayer

 

Pope Leo XIV asked the world to join him in praying a rosary for peace on Saturday, April 11. A handful of regulars at St. Frances Cabrini Shrine thought the perfect place to do that was on Mother Cabrini’s bench! Clear blue skies, sunshine, and spring temperatures made it a beautiful time of prayer.

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage

Walk with Jesus. Pray for the nation. Follow the journey.

In honor of America’s 250th year, the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will carry the theme One Nation Under God. One Nation Under God is not a slogan—it’s an invitation to realign our lives, communities, and country under the sovereignty of Christ. It’s a call to build unity through prayer, and to let Jesus, present in the Eucharist, renew and heal the heart of our country, one soul at a time. As pilgrims on this route, we walk with Christ so that His love might draw our nation back to Him.

The pilgrims will journey along what is known as the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini route which will travel up the Eastern seaboard, beginning on May 24 in St. Augustine, FL and will conclude on July 5th in Philadelphia, PA. The pilgrimage will pass through most of the original 13 colonies. ~ National Eucharistic Congress

To learn more and to see a map of the route click here and here

Earth Day is April 22nd

Earth Day 2026 calls for moving beyond awareness into tangible, daily responsibility under the theme “Our Power, Our Planet,” highlighting the duty to steward God’s creation through concrete actions. As we mark the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, this is an invitation to ecological conversion—linking faith with action on energy efficiency, clean energy, and protecting the vulnerable from climate change.  ~ Catholic Health Association

Key Themes and Messages for 2026:
• «Our Power, Our Planet: This theme stresses that choices in homes, parishes, and communities—not just rhetoric—are what protect the earth.
• Ecological Conversion: A profound, interior turning toward God as Creator, recognizing that environmental decay is a crisis that harms our neighbors, particularly the poor.
• Integral Ecology: Recognizing that everything is connected—social, economic, and environmental systems. Our faith calls us to care for God’s creation and those most vulnerable.
• Energy Action: The 2026 program specifically highlights clean and renewable energy, reforestation, and net-zero planning, particularly for U.S. Catholic institutions. ~ Catholic Climate Covenant

To learn more and for ways to get involved:
USCCB
Green Climate Fund Partnership
Laudato Si’ Movement

Tips to Protect Our Global Home: YOU Can Help!

Each of us can help the environment every day by focusing on reducing waste, conserving energy and water, adopting sustainable consumption habits, and lowering our carbon footprint through daily choices. Small, consistent actions by many people create a significant positive impact.

Here are ways to help:

Waste Reduction and Management:
• Refuse Single-Use Plastic: Carry a reusable bottle, coffee mug, shopping bag, and utensils to avoid disposable plastics.
• Recycle Properly: Learn local recycling rules to avoid contamination, and clean containers before recycling.
• Buy Less, and Second-hand: Choose quality over quantity, buy second-hand clothing, and borrow or rent items instead of buying new ones.

Energy and Water Conservation:
• Switch Off and Unplug: Turn off lights when leaving a room and unplug electronics (like chargers and computers) when not in use to avoid phantom energy drain.
• Use Energy-Efficient Appliances: Swap to LED light bulbs and use energy-efficient appliances.
• Conserve Water: Take shorter showers, fix leaks promptly, and turn off the tap while brushing teeth or washing dishes.
• Adjust Thermostat: Lower the heat in winter and raise the AC in summer by just a few degrees.

Transportation and Diet:
• Choose Sustainable Transit: Walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation instead of driving alone.
• Reduce Meat and Dairy Intake and Food Waste: Adopting a more plant-based diet reduces carbon emissions and land use; eat leftovers, eat local/seasonal

Lifestyle and Advocacy:
• Go Digital: Choose electronic statements and bills to save paper.
• Maintain Digital Hygiene: Delete old emails, files, and apps to reduce the energy consumption of data centers.
• Support Eco-Friendly Brands and Educate others: Buy products from companies with transparent and sustainable practices and share those tips with others

Holy Days and a Joyful Easter

Cabrini Health, Australia
Holy Thursday

Each year, [on Holy Thursday] we have a Ritual of Washing at Cabrini. It is a mark of thanksgiving for each person in our community and the service they carry out daily in the healing ministry of Jesus.

We invite everyone to come forward and allow their hands to be washed by a senior colleague and dried tenderly by another. I’m incredibly humbled and moved by it each year – as are the people who attend.

Although it’s almost 50 years old, we still use the beautiful Servant Song to frame the liturgy. ~ submitted by Margaret Stewart, Group Director, Identity and Mission, Cabrini Health

 

Will you let me be your servant?
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant too.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine, New York City
Good Friday

On Good Friday, St. Frances Cabrini Shrine held stations of the cross especially tailored to children.

The gentle, Montessori-style devotion included stories at each station, kid-appropriate questions, a prayer, and an activity or hands-on item. When Jesus fell the first time, each child received a BandAid.

After learning about Simon of Cyrene, the kids traced their own hands to remind them they could be helpers, too.

Veronica wiped Jesus’ face, so the children got to tenderly wipe the face of a bust of Jesus.

It was an enthusiastic crowd, and a beautiful way to introduce kids to this important part of salvation history. ~ submitted by Julia Attaway, Executive Director, St. F.X. Cabrini Shrine, NYC

Mother Cabrini Shrine, Golden, Colorado
The Triduum and Easter Sunday


Holy Week and Easter was a grace-filled and joyful time at Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colorado, as we welcomed many pilgrims, visitors, and friends to celebrate these sacred days.

Fr. John Lager, O.F.M., Cap., along with fellow Capuchins and student friars, led the liturgies throughout the Triduum. Holy Thursday began with a Seder Meal for staff and weekly volunteers, followed by the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and the washing of feet. On Good Friday, many pilgrims carried crosses up the road to the Shrine, and the day included reflections on the Seven Last Words, the Liturgy of the Passion. The Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses were beautifully celebrated, with overflowing crowds.

During Lent, our Shrine community continued a long-standing outreach project tradition and prepared and delivered 200 Easter baskets to students at Annunciation Catholic School in Denver, sharing the joy of the Resurrection through this act of generosity.

Telling the Truth: An Important Lesson Imparted Through Story

Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry, NY held a STARS (StoryTelling, Art, Reading and Socialization) Program for students in Grades Kindergarten – 2. Dr. Wendy Mages, a trained storyteller, told the story, Howard B. Wigglebottom and the Monkey on His Back by Howard Binkow and Rev. Ana.

The children listened intently as they heard about how Howard B. Wigglebottom kept making wrong choices throughout the day. When confronted with a situation, Mr. Wigglebottom would always lie because he didn’t want to get in trouble. After the story was told, the students had a very lively discussion about the importance of being truthful.

The children then made sock puppets and reenacted stories that they created about characters who were either lying or telling the truth. Together, we had to determine whether the person in the story was being truthful or lying. It was such a beautiful time watching the children work together to create stories and help each other with their puppets and making their stages.

They were so happy to receive a copy of the book so they can read it at home to their parents and their siblings.

Palm Sunday

Liturgies often begin outside churches where the faithful receive blessed palm branches and join in a procession recalling the day that Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem.

On the first Palm Sunday, the road into Jerusalem was alive with expectation. Word had spread that Jesus was approaching and people gathered along the path cutting branches from palm trees and laying them on the ground before him.

As Jesus entered the city riding on a simple donkey the crowd cried out with joy, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Their voices echoed through the streets filled with hope. In that moment, the scene was both triumphant and tender – a king welcomed not with power or wealth, but with faith and open hearts.

Yet, beneath the joyful welcome, there was a quiet tension. This procession marked the beginning of a sacred and sorrowful journey in the events of Holy Week.

In our times, in the Palm Sunday liturgy, we, as Catholics, experience both triumph and sorrow. Palm Sunday invites us not only to celebrate Jesus as king, but also to walk with Him toward the cross. Holding our palms, as centuries ago, we are reminded that faith is not only about moments of joy, but also about remaining faithful throughout our struggles and sacrifice, trusting in the resurrection to come.

Cabrini High School Celebrates Annual St. Joseph Altar

Cabrini High School’s annual St. Joseph Altar opened on March 18, 2026, welcoming students with the traditional “Tupa-Tupa” ceremony, a reenactment of the Holy Family seeking shelter before the birth of Jesus. Created in partnership with the Elenian Club, the oldest Italian women’s club organization in the United States, the altar reflected months of care, shared devotion among students, alumnae, and volunteers, and a strong commitment to tradition.

The opening day also included a lecture by Joann Testa, past Elenian Club president, on the Sicilian heritage of New Orleans and its enduring connection to Cabrini High School, offering students a deeper understanding of the cultural roots that continue to shape the school’s identity.

Guests of the altar experienced a beautifully arranged display of traditional foods and symbolic elements, including intricately shaped breads, fresh flowers, candles, and images of St. Joseph and Mother Cabrini. Tables were filled with handmade baked goods, especially Italian cookies prepared by religion classes under the guidance of the Elenian Club and Cabrini alumnae. The altar invited quiet prayer and reflection while showcasing the richness of a tradition passed down through generations. A highlight each year is the guided tours of Mother Cabrini’s bedroom, the Cabrini Museum, and the shrine.

The Cabrini community now looks ahead with anticipation to next year’s altar, carrying forward a tradition rooted in deep faith, devoted Catholic practice, and the rich Italian heritage that continues to shape Cabrini High School.

Helpful Workshops and a Graduation!

Towards the end of February, on Sunday the 22nd, the Justice For Immigrants Program held a Bystander Training Workshop at the St. F. X. Cabrini Shrine in New York City. Neighborhood locals gathered to learn how to support and defend their immigrant neighbors by getting some basic Know Your Rights information, tips on identifying federal immigration officers, how to accurately record and report ICE presence, and much more. We are grateful to all those who came with a willingness to learn!
Graduation Day!

On Friday, March 13th, the graduation ceremony for the Cabrini Nutrition Workshop took place. Thirteen participants from various countries, including Honduras, Venezuela, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico, completed nine nutrition workshops in collaboration with Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension. Story continues on following page.
Throughout the program, participants learned to read food labels, teach their children to eat healthier, 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.

The nutrition group began on January 16, 2026, with an orientation session and concluded on March 13, 2026.

Today is the Feast of St. Joseph

Although he never speaks in the Gospels, his actions reveal a man of deep faith, humility, and obedience to God’s will.

Joseph was a carpenter by trade, living in the town of Nazareth. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke describe how he was betrothed to Mary when he learned she was expecting a child through the Holy Spirit. Initially troubled, Joseph planned to quietly end the betrothal to protect her from public shame. However, after receiving a message in a dream from an angel, he accepted God’s plan with courage and took Mary as his wife, demonstrating extraordinary trust and righteousness.

Joseph played a vital role in safeguarding the Holy Family. He led Mary to Bethlehem for the census, where Jesus was born, and later protected them by fleeing to Egypt to escape the threat of King Herod. Eventually, he returned with his family to Nazareth, where he raised Jesus, teaching Him both his trade and the traditions of the Jewish faith.

Often called the “silent saint,” Joseph is honored for his quiet strength, integrity, and unwavering devotion. He is recognized as the patron saint of workers, fathers, families, and the universal Church. His life is a powerful example of faithful service, reminding believers that holiness is often found not in words, but in loving action, responsibility, and trust in God’s guidance.

Read Pope Leo’s comments on St. Joseph here

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