Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Bringing Christ's love to the world
All Souls Day Mass
Cabrini University – Carry the Light Ceremony
On Thursday, November 2nd in the Bruckmann Memorial Chapel of St. Joseph during a special All Souls Day Mass, the campus community was invited to remember Cabrini family and friends who have gone before us this past year in a special Carry the Light ceremony.
Cabrini’s Barbara and John Jordan Center for Children of Trauma and Domestic Violence Education held its 13th Annual Domestic Violence Education Symposium in October on Cabrini’s campus. This year’s symposium honored the leadership of Barbara (HON’08) and John Jordan, the Center’s founders, and Director Colleen Lelli, EdD (’95), Professor of Education, as well as the Center’s many partners and friends.
Lynn Rosenthal, Director of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence for the US Department of Health and Human Services and longtime friend of the Center, served as keynote speaker and received its Resiliency and Advocacy Award.
“Walking into this room this morning, I was so overcome by this feeling,” she said. “It is that education with love, it is that heart of love, it is that common ground, it is that sense of community that Cabrini has given as a gift to the world.”
Rosenthal recalled that when she first met the Jordans in the White House years ago, she was impressed by their clarity of mission: to help children who had experienced the trauma of domestic violence.
“They were perfectly clear that we all had a role to play in ending this violence,” she said.
Before the program concluded, Barbara and John Jordan offered an emotional address.
“To Colleen and your Cabrini team, you are our heroes,” said John Jordan, speaking about the importance of the Center’s outreach and noting that 1 in 3 families are touched by domestic violence and 1 in 5 girls are sexually abused (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). “All of us involved with the Jordan Center share a common bond with a goal to end domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.”
The symposium ended with words of appreciation from Lelli to the Cabrini community, the Center’s community partners, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, her students, and the Jordans.
“Thank you to the masterminds behind designing [the Jordan Center] and walking alongside us as a community every step of the way,” she said of the Jordans. “You’re both always in my heart.”
The rainy weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the hundreds of Cabrini College/University alumni who returned to campus this past weekend. The weekend had an energetic kick-off at the Philadelphia Phillies game with alumni tailgating at the ballpark. Back on campus on Saturday, sports games, food trucks, tours of the Mansion were on tap followed by a dinner and dance party on Saturday evening in the historic Woodcrest Mansion.
On Sunday, the reunion continued with a special Mass in the Bruckmann Chapel of St. Joseph. Fr. Richard Jasper, ’96 was the celebrant. He delivered an uplifting and inspirational homily saying that although our hearts our deeply saddened by the closing of our beloved alma mater, each of us as alumni have been touched by Mother Cabrini’s ‘education of the heart’ and that we are called to go out into the world to bring the good news of God’s love and compassion to all those we encounter. He exhorted us to be BOLD, as Mother Cabrini was.
The weekend festivities continued with a special showing of the film CABRINI which is scheduled to make its debut in March 2024. Mr. Eustace Wolfington, the force behind the production of the movie, delivered remarks on the genesis of the film to the alumni and their families, faculty and friends.
Following the movie, campus guests were invited to visit the Cabriniana Room in the Holy Spirit Library to view the many artifacts and ephemera of St. Cabrini.
Thanks to the tireless work of the University staff and services, the weekend was a most welcome time of friendship, shared memories, laughter, tears, and gratitude for all that has been.
Each year, the History and Political Science Department of Cabrini University recognizes a woman who has made a noteworthy contribution to the civic life of her community; local, regional, national, or international. She is invited to Cabrini to speak to our students and receive the Ivy Young Willis and Martha Willis Dale Award.
This year’s recipient, PA State Representative Jennifer M. O’Mara, is being honored for her creative, innovative and progressive contributions to public affairs. Jennifer believes there is more that unites us than divides us and is committed to being part of a government that serves the people.
Established through the generosity of their respective families, in addition to many friends and alumni, the Ivy Young Willis and Martha Willis Dale Award and lecture series was initially established in 1992 by William G. Willis to honor Ivy, his late wife and modified in 2013 by John Dale to honor his late wife and daughter of Ivy and William. Martha’s son, Ian Anderson, offered a family history during the program.
Ivy Young Willis was a teacher, administrator, and reading consultant whose work, at WQED in Pittsburgh led the way for the teaching of reading on public television. Martha Willis Dale, a much-beloved alumni director at Cabrini College for 26 years, modeled her mother’s teachings through her life of service to students, alumni and the community. This series is dedicated to their memory and the strong belief a that women have a unique talent for improving the climate and conduct of public affairs.
Dr. Angela Campbell, Vice President of Mission, DEI and Belonging and Chief Mission Officer,
at Cabrini University, recently presented a workshop on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion which was held at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in New York City on Tuesday, September 5th. The workshop focused on the history and current realities of African Americans.
Dr. Campbell shared, “We enjoyed our time learning and dialoguing together. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to support the education, empowerment and socialization of the novices. To Christ be the glory!”
Many MSCs traveled to Cabrini University to witness Sr. Amarech Lefamo, MSC, from Ethiopia, receive her degree in Educational Studies. Congratulations, Sr. Amarech!
A Message from the Sr. Amarech Lefamo, MSC
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” 1. Thessalonians, (5 .16-18).
My words can’t express my gratitude to God and to everyone who has helped me along this four-year journey, by offering me various forms of psychological and substantial support. Without all of you compassionate people who supported me along the way, I would not have been able to complete this endeavor. I want to start by expressing my sincere gratitude to the Guadalupe Province, and the Holy Spirit Region’s sisters and laity, who worked hard to get me accepted as an international student at Cabrini University.
I would like to thank Sr. Therese Merandi, who prayed and dreamed for a very long time about the opportunity for my education as an international student; Sisters Barbara Staley and Diane Dalle Molle, who successfully made it happen for me; Sr. Christine Marie Baltas, who guided me in different levels, who accompanied me from the beginning of my school year and directed my every step when I was a freshman; Sr. Regina Peterson, who supported me in many ways until the end of my school year and all the sisters who walked with me during my studying journey with their prayers and words of the encouragement. I am so grateful for each one of them and I offer you my humble thankful gratitude.
I continue to express my gratitude to Cabrini University for providing an exceptional environment for my growth and development in so many ways, including the opportunity to learn about Mother Cabrini’s teaching philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of providing children with holistic development through an education of the heart. Being a part of Cabrini University gave me the chance to develop my academic skills with the help of the generous and kind professors, librarians, cooks, and other staff members whom I encountered on numerous occasions. I also had the chance to experience and learn from Cabrini University’s welcoming environment for students of all faiths, cultures, and backgrounds.
Likewise, as an international student, there were good chances to exchange multicultural experiences. I am happy to offer my profound gratitude to everyone at Cabrini for allowing me the chance to grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally throughout the course of my four years there. On this occasion, I would also like to express my gratitude to all of my classmates who, alongside my professors, have been my companions throughout my journey and who have inspired and positively impacted me in a variety of ways from the very beginning of my school years to achieve my goal. As a result, I appreciate and thank everyone who has come into contact with me in various ways.
In addition, I am deeply thankful to my sisters who attended my graduation ceremony both in person and online. Your presence warmed my heart, and I was touched by your generosity.
Last but not least, I want to express my gratitude to my parents and families for having raised me with a sense of knowledge and of fear God. They also encouraged me to join the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to serve God’s people as a Missionary Sister because being a missionary had a big impact on my decision to enroll at Cabrini University as an international student. God is great in my life, and I rejoice always and praise Him without ceasing.
“I can do all things with Him who strengthens me.”
(St. Francesca Xavier Cabrini)
When graduates from the Class of 2023 cross the Commencement stage to complete their Cabrini journeys on Sunday, May 21, their Commencement speaker, Lucy Bustamante, will be completing a full-circle Cabrini journey of her own.
Long before Bustamante delivered Philadelphia’s morning news as an Emmy Award-winning news anchor and journalist for NBC10 and Telemundo62, she was a Cabrini High School student in New Orleans who traveled to Radnor, PA, to volunteer with the retired Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSCs) at the former St. Cabrini Home in Philadelphia.
As the daughter of Cuban refugees who fled Fidel Castro’s regime, Bustamante said she and her family found a home in St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s story, passion and life’s work as the Patron Saint of Immigrants. Bustamante’s sister who came from Cuba at age 4 was also educated at Cabrini High School in New Orleans.
Bustamante encourages graduates, particularly first and second-generation Americans, to embrace their cultural identity as an asset as they discover their own vocations.
“I don’t think there’s a better character to be in the American story than a first-generation American,” she said. “It is the front row seat for why this country is so special, at least in its ideals. As graduates, they need to really focus on what they have to offer and realize that the duality of being an American and whatever other culture they came from is a humongous benefit—more now than ever.”
Bustamante developed her craft as a broadcast journalist under some of “the first women in broadcast.” Early in her career, she rose to the challenge of covering Hurricane Katrina, which devastated her hometown of New Orleans in 2005.
At Cabrini’s 63rd Commencement Exercises later this month, Bustamante will amplify messages of inspiration to graduates and their families. She said she hopes to impart a lesson learned from her immigrant parents: visualize yourself living the American dream in the form of a vocation based on your passion.
Dr. Nick Rademacher, former faculty member at Cabrini University in Radnor, PA, is now on the faculty of the University of Dayton, in Dayton, OH. The photo clip below is from an article that recently appeared in the University of Dayton Magazine. Nick and his faculty colleague, Joy Willenbrink Conte, taught together in new 12-week minicourse, entitled Educating the Whole Person.
In the course of the article, Nick states, “My approach to teaching and learning has been inspired by the educational philosophy of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, an immigrant to the United States and the first U.S. saint, who wrote about the ‘education of the heart’. This approach seeks to facilitate intellectual development and the formation of one’s heart and then putting that into action in service of others. That’s one of the reasons why I really appreciate the title of this mini-course.”
We are grateful to Nick for continuing to espouse and model the “Education of the Heart” as he teaches his students at the University of Dayton. We are also grateful to Michelle Sherman, Nick’s wife and a former Cabrini Mission Corps missioner for sending this article to The Update. Nick and Michelle really continue hold the Cabrinian charism deep within their hearts.
A new group of Cabrini University students, staff, and alumni visited the mission of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala this past week. This is the 14th visit, which we describe as an immersion experience. People often ask what we do. While we do perform work of the kind experienced on mission trips, such as building homes, the purpose of Cabrini University’s week-long trip is to learn from the people of San Lucas Tolimán about their lives, culture, and religion as well as their challenges and successes.
Among the challenges are climate change, persistent poverty, and migration. We could see how drought and unreliable rainfall affect crops, especially maize and coffee, both so vital to their diets and economy. When the economy makes it difficult to support a family, a ripple effect occurs, affecting all aspects of family life and may lead to migration.
However, over the 14 years we have been visiting we see such exceptional progress. We visited the Mission’s school, which educates 650 students each year. The hospital serves hundreds of residents without regard to the ability to pay. The coffee cooperative, run by the Mission, produces award-winning beans exported to the States. The farmers growing the coffee are paid above-market prices for their beans so they can live lives of dignity. All the projects run by the mission are now fully staffed and led by members of the community.
Each evening the students and alumni led discussions centered on one of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. The principles helped us all to focus what we experienced each day. All returned to the States with a renewed commitment to solidarity and the common good. ~ submitted by Dr. Jerry Zurek, Cabrini University
One of the alumni on the trip, Angelina Capozzi, now a professional photographer, documented what we saw with some exceptional photos. https://angelinacapozzi.pixieset.com/guatemala2023/
Students, faculty and staff joined together to serve on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 16th. This Cabrini group volunteered at The Joy of Sox warehouse in Phoenixville, PA, counting socks that had been donated through recent school sock drives and banding and packaging the socks for distribution to shelters and organizations that provide direct services for men, women and children who are experiencing homelessness.
Tom Costello, Jr., the Founder of The Joy of Sox, expressed his gratitude for the ongoing collaboration of Cabrini University and The Joy of Sox.
“We have a long history with Cabrini University. Since our inception in 2010, Cabrini alumni and more recently, Cabrini students, have formed the heart of our volunteer organization. The University community has generously donated to our mission through the Give Hope, Give Love, Give Socks campaigns. We are now in our 13th year of operation and this year, we are going for our millionth pair of socks distributed to those living without adequate shelter. We remain deeply grateful for the ongoing synergy with Cabrini University and believe this is our way of continuing the legacy of Mother Cabrini.”