As COVID restrictions have lifted in New York City, our neighbors near St. Frances Cabrini Shrine have hungered for a greater sense of community. The Shrine responded by developing a 5-part jazz series on our lawn for the month of June. Each Wednesday night we explore the immigrant influence of a different culture on jazz. The series has been enthusiastically received, with between 150 and 200 attendees each week.
Dual Celebrations at Cabrini of Westchester
Cabrini of Westchester celebrated The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11th with a special liturgy led by Pastoral Care Director, Fr. Thomas Vadakemuriyil in the Cabrini Chapel. We were fortunate that several Missionary Sisters and Cabrini Lay Missionaries were present. They were able to recite their vows and commitments in front of the few that were physically gathered in the chapel and the residents who were watching the Mass from their rooms via television.
A festive luncheon, prepared by Cabrini’s Food Service Department, was held in the Board Room for those Missionary Sisters that reside in the nursing home.
As a happy coincidence, Sr. Alfonsina Gomes celebrated her birthday on this day! Sr. Alfonsina lives in the Cabrini convent and ministers to the residents as a Pastoral Care Associate. After the Mass concluded, Sister was serenaded to the tune of “Happy Birthday” and a birthday cake was served at the luncheon!
A wonderful Feast Day was had by all!
New Mother Cabrini Statue Stands Proud and Tall Outside Brooklyn Parish Where She Worked
June 12, 2021
By Erin DeGregorio, The Tablet
CARROLL GARDENS — It was a long time coming for the Diocese of Brooklyn to have its own Mother Cabrini statue, but the faithful finally got to see the final figure.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio unveiled and blessed the statue and shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini — also known as Mother Cabrini — outside her Brooklyn parish, Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Church on June 11.
Members of Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded in 1880 by Mother Cabrini, were also in attendance. Once the sisters removed the red fabric from the monument, applause, Italian music, and red, white, and green confetti filled the air.
The statue features Mother Cabrini standing on a cobblestone street with two young children on either side of her. She is depicted at the age she was when she arrived in Brooklyn — approximately 40 years old — and wearing the habit of her order.
The design of the statue includes a variety of historical references, including on the brick base on which the statue will stand. The base also contains the cornerstone of the original church.
Mother Cabrini worked in Brooklyn after she and six other Cabrini Sisters arrived in the U.S. from her native Italy in 1889 and tended to immigrants in the original Carroll Gardens church, which is now the site of Mother Cabrini Park.
“The decision was that the statue should be placed in the parish where she worked here in Brooklyn first,” said John Heyer II, pastoral associate at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Parish. “She founded the first school for Italian immigrants here on all of Long Island, quite frankly, and the first for the Diocese of Brooklyn.”
Sister Antonina Avitabile, MSC was a member of the committee that helped bring the diocese’s statue to fruition.
“I think the parish and the Italians in the Brooklyn diocese will love it,” she said before the unveiling. “We put a lot of work into choosing it.”
Msgr. Guy Massie, pastor of Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen, noted the important messages the monument sends.
“It makes a statement to all immigrants that the church is with them and for them, particularly at this time in the history of the United States where there are such anti-immigrant feelings,” he explained. “And it is a great statement of the devotion that people have to Frances Cabrini, who lived right here in our parish.”
To read the complete account, please click here
To view the video, please click here
A Day of Commitment and Celebration
Cabrini Lay Missionaries (CLMs), Guadalupe Province, shared a beautiful Feast of the Sacred Heart and the celebration continued until June 13th.
On the Feast Day, we had a special prayer service, via Zoom. During the service, Adela Jarquin and Marianne McGowan, renewed their commitment to the CLMs for 3 more years. We are so grateful for their continued presence and their work toward the Cabrinian mission.
Following the renewals, five new CLMs made their initial commitment for 1 year. We are blessed to have Digna Merchan, Sheny Hinestroza, Susan Pierson, Veronica Hernandez-Perez and Victoria Ortiz-Perez begin their new journey as CLMs. Digna lives in New York, Susan in Pennsylvania and Sheny, Veronica and Victoria are from Guatemala. Each person received a certificate, their CLM handbook and a symbol, which is worn as a sign of being a CLM. They will be sharing more about themselves in the coming weeks in our CLM Corner in The Update.
We certainly did not let distance or a pandemic stop us from celebrating the gift of our new CLMs. On June 13th, we met again on Zoom. The Cabrini Sisters were invited to join us so they could meet our new members. We had Sisters from Colorado, Guatemala, New York, Pennsylvania and Nicaragua. It was a beautiful gathering as our new CLMs spoke about themselves and the amazing work that they are doing. A special blessing was prayed by all for our new CLMs. We pray that they will continue to bring the love of Christ to the world.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this such a special time for all our CLMs.
On Anniversary of DACA Migration Chairman Reaffirms Need for Congress to Act
June 15, 2021
WASHINGTON—[June 15th] marks nine years since Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was created. DACA allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children—known as Dreamers—to remain in the country, subject to several requirements. DACA does not provide legal status, nor does it create a pathway to citizenship, but it does make recipients eligible for work authorization and other benefits. There are over 600,000 active DACA recipients currently living in the United States and as many as 3.6 million Dreamers total, about 1.8 million of which are DACA-eligible.
In recognition of DACA’s anniversary, Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, issued the following statement:
“Every day, DACA recipients make important contributions to their communities and the life of our nation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, over 200,000 DACA recipients have served as essential workers, and they continue to demonstrate their resolve during this period of recovery. Yet, these young people have far too often faced uncertainty and rejection at the hands of our broken immigration system.
“The Biden Administration has identified immigration reform as a priority, and we look forward to seeing it realize that commitment through congressional engagement. Meanwhile, the ideal time for Congress to act has long since passed, though the opportunity and imperative still remain. Dreamers—together with Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure holders, migrant agricultural workers, and undocumented essential workers—deserve relief.
“As a Church, we recognize the inherent, God-given dignity of every human person, regardless of immigration status. Therefore, we will continue to call for comprehensive immigration reform that preserves family unity, honors due process, respects the rule of law, recognizes the contributions of foreign-born workers, defends the vulnerable, and addresses the root causes of migration, consistent with the common good.”
Congress currently has multiple opportunities before it to enact immigration reform, including the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 1603), bipartisan bills passed by the House of Representatives in March. Bishop Dorsonville submitted written testimony for a hearing held [Tuesday] by the Senate Judiciary Committee on the American Dream and Promise Act. This follows a statement issued in March by Bishop Dorsonville and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the USCCB, urging the Senate to act.
Sunday, June 20 is World Refugee Day
Sunday, June 20 is World Refugee Day
This year’s theme: Together we heal, learn and shine.
What is World Refugee Day?
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20 and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
Why is World Refugee Day important?
World Refugee Day shines a light on the rights, needs and dreams of refugees, helping to mobilize political will and resources so refugees can not only survive but also thrive. While it is important to protect and improve the lives of refugees every single day, international days like World Refugee Day help to focus global attention on the plight of those fleeing conflict or persecution. Many activities held on World Refugee Day create opportunities to support refugees.
When was World Refugee Day inaugurated?World Refugee Day was held globally for the first time on June 20, 2001, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. It was originally known as Africa Refugee Day, before the United Nations General Assembly officially designated it as an international day in December 2000.
What happens on World Refugee Day?
Each year, World Refugee Day is marked by a variety of events in many countries around the globe in support of refugees. These activities are led by or involve refugees themselves, government officials, host communities, companies, celebrities, school children and the general public, among others.
To learn more please click here
Exciting News from Mother Cabrini Shrine
At the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, CO, our newly renovated and expanded gift shop and additional restrooms are open! We invite you to come and see the beautiful, new space and shop our great selection of religious articles and merchandise. The gift shop is open every day of the week from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Campaign Update
To date, $3,170,635 has been raised for our capital campaign. We are so grateful to everyone who has contributed thus far! A $1 million, dollar for dollar match, has been generously offered to help us meet our campaign goal and complete this renovation project.
We invite you to please consider a donation to help us reach our $4.5 million goal so we can begin the chapel remodel and expansion in the fall. Please join us in praying for the Shrine and the success of our campaign. To learn more about the campaign and the further expansion plans please click here
Crayons, Beans and Chalk…Intergenerational Tools!
Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS) Dobbs Ferry, NY, offered a workshop, via Zoom, to some of our parents. The workshop was held once a week for 4 weeks. CIS, wanted to help the parents work with their children when they arrive home from school as well as preparing their younger children who are still at home.
Donna Marie Lasco, a NYS certified teacher, created this workshop to help some of our CIS Moms. Each week, the Moms would come to CIS to pick up the needed supplies for each workshop. The first week, everyone received the book, Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina. Mrs. Lasco showed them how to ask questions of their children while reading the book. This skill would help them improve their reading skills as well as help them in their schoolwork. They also received crayons, beans, sidewalk chalk, play dough, etc. All these items were used to show how learning can be fun. It also allowed the children to not be on a computer but rather learning by doing. For example, the beans help the children learn to count, the play-dough helps them to create a letter or a number.
The workshop was presented in English and Spanish. Thank you to Cindy Ambrosio, MSW, a former social work intern at CIS, who translated into Spanish. We are grateful that she was able to assist.
The participants were very happy with the workshop and asked that we continue to offer programs that help them, help their children.
Month of May Rosary for COVID Healing Concludes
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – At a prayer service on May 31st in the Vatican Gardens, Pope Francis concluded the Catholic Church’s monthlong rosary marathon with special prayers to Mary, Undoer of Knots, one of his favorite titles for the mother of Jesus.
Pope Francis and his guests prayed that Mary will “untie the knots that oppress us materially and spiritually so that we can witness with joy to her son, our Lord Jesus Christ,” said a Vatican news release.
Pope Francis entrusted to the Blessed Virgin five prayer intentions, five knots to undo,”
the statement said. The five are: injured relationships; unemployment; violence, especially domestic violence; universal access to healthcare and vaccines; and the need for renewed pastoral enthusiasm and outreach.
The rosary in the Vatican Gardens concluded a month of special recitations of the rosary from Marian shrines and parishes around the world, all with the intention of asking Mary’s intercession to help end the coronavirus pandemic and to give strength to people working to end it or suffering its effects.
June 11 is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
June 11 is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is devotion to Jesus Christ Himself, but in the particular ways of meditating on his interior life and on His threefold love — His divine love, His burning love that fed His human will, and His sensible love that affects His interior life.
Christ crucified is the revelation of the Father’s glory. Understanding this splendid revelation fills our hearts with the unique joy of being loved and participating in the salvation of the kingdom. This was the message entrusted by the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, calling us to render love for love, to make amends for the indifference and the coldness of so many hearts, to free our own hearts from egoism and violence. We learn from the Sacred Heart of Jesus what it means to give ourselves to the world. ~ Frances Cabrini: Remembering the Journey
For Mother Cabrini, steps, words, movements, thoughts were the field of action in which the Heart of Jesus could work, especially in souls who were open in expectant and faithful love. Joyful intimacy with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an abundant communion of love, is available to everyone. Those who love Jesus are happy when He is loved by others, but at the same time, they desire their own love to grow. ~ Frances Cabrini: Remembering the Journey
Let us pray:
Oh, Sacred Heart of Jesus, may we be patient and persevering in times of desolation, trusting that your love and grace will be ever present.
May we be grateful for the gift of your consolation and let it invigorate our faith, our hope, and our love.
May we always discern for this “work of your heart” in the light of your good spirit and hold firm in times of discouragement and darkness. We ask this, O Jesus, trusting in your promise. Amen.
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