Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

An Outpouring of Gratitude

October 8, 2026

We are grateful to Sylvia Falzon, the Chair of the Board at Cabrini Health in Australia, who shares the following note on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the Cabrini Outreach- Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub.

Last night we held a celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of this life changing service for many people who come to our shores in search of care, love and support.

The room was full of so many clients, staff, service partners, donors, government dignitaries and board colleagues.

Here is a short video I am sure you will enjoy. We are truly blessed to have so many outstanding people lead this service especially Sharon Sherwood, Professor Suresh Sundram and Tracey Cabrie. ~ Sylvia Falzon, Chair, Cabrini Health, Board of Trustees

To view the tribute video, please click here

Cabrini Day in Colorado Affirms Migrants and Refugees

October 7, 2026

Colorado celebrates Frances Xavier Cabrini Day on the first Monday of October, a state holiday established in 2020 to honor St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and her remarkable legacy of faith and service. Colorado is the first state in the nation to establish a paid state holiday honoring a woman.

Mother Cabrini Shrine was filled with joy as we celebrated Cabrini Day and welcomed newly installed Archbishop James Golka for his first official visit. During his homily, Archbishop Golka reflected on Mother Cabrini’s extraordinary witness, saying that if the world had 100 more Mother Cabrinis, our faith and the Church would grow in ways we could hardly imagine.

He also introduced a joint statement on migration signed by Archbishop Golka, Bishop Jorge Rodríguez and other Christian leaders throughout Colorado. The statement, affirming the dignity of migrants and refugees, was intentionally released on Cabrini Day—a particularly meaningful connection to Mother Cabrini, Patroness of Immigrants.

Following Mass, the celebration continued with the Festival of Nations, filling the Shrine with food, music, dance and traditions representing the many cultures of our community.

Read the Joint Statement | Read the Denver Catholic Article | See Photos

Celebrating Migrants, Refugees, and Hispanic Culture!

October 1, 2026

Last Friday, Cabrini Immigrant Services – New York City (CIS-NYC) held an event in recognition of National Migration Week and World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

We were joined by the families we serve, allies, current and former clients, neighbors, and advocates who support us.

Together we celebrated our culture and contributions and prayed, led by Sr. Yolanda Flores, MSC, for vulnerable children who are detained or in transit to new destinations. We enjoyed a variety of foods from Latin America and we danced. Thank you so much to everyone who joined us!”

112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees – Sunday, September 27, 2026

September 23, 2026

The 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, centers on the theme “Even Just One of These Children” (Mt 18:5). Issued by Pope Leo XIV, this year’s message turns global attention toward the millions of displaced minors—children and adolescents caught in forced migration, conflict, poverty, and environmental displacement. ~ Diocese of Portland – portlanddiocese.org

Key Focus Areas & Core Principles:
• Human Dignity Over Statistics: The papal message challenges global society to view human movement not through individual human lives. “Even just one” emphasizes that every displaced youth possesses inherent, inalienable dignity.
• Extreme Vulnerability of Minors: Displaced children face heightened risks, including family separation, trafficking, exploitation, loss of education, and severe psychological trauma along dangerous migration routes. www.vatican.va
• A Shift from Management to Rights: Faith leaders and international organizations call on governments to move beyond restrictive migration enforcement and prioritize human rights, immediate physical safety, legal protection, and family reunification. www.usig.org
• Integration and Pastoral Care: Local communities, schools, and parishes are urged to move past simple charitable aid. Instead, the focus is on creating environments where young migrants can fully participate, overcome isolation, and build shared futures with host youth. www.vatican.va

Originating in 1914 under Pope Pius X, the World Day of Migrants and Refugees remains a call to action. The 112th observance reminds the international community that welcoming and protecting a vulnerable child is both an ethical imperative and a testament to shared humanity. Portlanddiocese.org

Pope Leo XIV Visits Sant’ Angelo Lodigiano

June 22, 2026

On June 20, 2026, Pope Leo XIV made a pastoral visit to the town of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, the birthplace of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. During the visit, he prayed in the parish church dedicated to St. Cabrini, venerated a relic of her heart, and reflected on her example of faith, missionary zeal, and service to immigrants and the poor.

“I am here to pay homage to Mother Cabrini,” the Pope told all those gathered in the church for his visit. Pope Leo praised Mother Cabrini as a model for Christians today, especially for her compassion toward migrants and those on the margins of society. He encouraged young people to learn about her life and writings, highlighting her courage, trust in God, and dedication to serving those in need.

Even as a child, Mother Cabrini desired to go to China as a missionary, but, at the urging of Pope Leo XIII, he encouraged her instead to serve her Italian countrymen in the United States where they were living in dire conditions. Pope Leo XIV described this decision to change her lifelong plans as “a profound example of reading the ‘signs of the times.’” The pontiff pointed to the fact that Mother Cabrini realize that her missionary dreams were not to be fulfilled in China, but rather, where the need was the greatest.

The Pope noted that migration remains one of the most pressing realities facing nations and the Church, although much more complex than in Cabrini’s time.

“If Mother Frances were living today,” he asked, “what would her missionary soul say? What would the Heart of Christ say to her heart?”

The answer, he continued, lies in the spiritual source that animated every aspect of Cabrini’s life: the love of Christ revealed in His Sacred Heart.

~ excerpts from Vatican News website

The Pope’s visit was an auspices moment for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. General Superior Maria Eliane Azevedo da Silva, MSC, and General Councilors Sr. Gilda Mercedes Mendoza Argueta, MSC, Sr. Stella Maris Elena, MSC, and Sr. Patricia Godoy, MSC and many more Missionary Sisters were in attendance in the Basilica of Saint Antonio Abate and St. Francesca Xavier Cabrini.

The visit underscored the Pope’s continuing emphasis on welcoming migrants and caring for the vulnerable, themes that were central to Cabrini’s ministry and remain important in the Church’s mission today.

For Catholics, the visit was a reminder of Mother Cabrini’s enduring legacy as a missionary saint whose faith and charity continue to inspire the Church around the world.

To learn more and to view videos of the Pope’s visit, please click here

Carrying the Cross of the Unknown

June 18, 2026

In May, Ivonne Moreno-Rodriguez, Social Work Supervisor at Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC, joined humanitarian workers, faith leaders, and advocates in the 23rd – Annual Migrant Trail Walk through the Sonoran Desert. The seven-day, 75-mile pilgrimage honors migrants who have lost their lives while seeking safety, reunification with loved ones, and opportunities for a better future in the United States.

Despite increasingly restrictive immigration policies intended to deter migration, people continue to flee violence, persecution, poverty, and instability in search of safety and hope. Between May 2025 and May 2026, the remains of 109 migrants were recovered in the Sonoran Desert alone. Of those, only 17 have been identified.

Ivonne carried a cross bearing the word Desconocido (“Unknown”), representing one of the many individuals whose identity remains unknown and whose family members—a spouse, mother, father, children, or siblings—may still be searching for answers.

During the walk, Ivonne became ill and required medical attention. The experience led her to reflect deeply on the migrant whose cross she carried. “When I became sick, there were people around me who cared for me and made sure I received help,” she shared. “I couldn’t stop thinking about the migrant I was carrying. He may have also become sick in that same desert, but there was no one there to help him.”

After being discharged from the hospital, Ivonne was welcomed into the home of a local family who offered her a warm meal, a comfortable bed, and a place to recover. “I experienced the nurturing power of community,” Ivonne noted. “I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if we welcomed every migrant with kindness, compassion, and respect for their dignity, rather than responding with persecution and discrimination.”

As a ministry of faith inspired by Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants, Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC remains committed to serving immigrant families with compassion while advocating for the humanity, inherent worth, and rights of every person. We honor the lives of those lost and affirm the dignity of those who continue their journey today.

Ice Should Allow Pastoral Workers to Bring Communion to Detainees

November 6, 2025

In remarks made on November 4th, Pope Leo XIV told reporters that he “would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs” of detained migrants.

recent days in the Chicago area, specifically, at the Broadview Processing Center, for the second time in three weeks, ICE agents barred a group of clergy, religious sisters, and lay people from entering the facility to offer Holy Communion to migrants being detained there.

To read more about Pope Leo’s remarks please click here

Cabrini U. Unites with One Church, One Family

October 23, 2025

~ a reflection by Jerry Zurek, PhD, former Chair, Communications Department, Cabrini University

Cabrini University alumni and friends joined 100-plus faithful in raising their voices in song and prayer in front of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Philadelphia field office

This public witness was a part of the nationwide Catholic campaign to call people of faith to publicly demonstrate solidarity with migrant families, asylum seekers, and refugees. The campaign is called One Church, One Family. Information may be found at 1family.us.

The speakers reflected the spirit of Pope Leo’s recent message on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees: “Migrants and refugees stand as messengers of hope. Their courage and tenacity bear heroic testimony to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death on the various contemporary migration routes.”

“We reject the culture of fear that dehumanizes,” said Sr. Michelle Cimaroli, of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

A second day of prayer is planned for Nov. 13, timed to coincide with the feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.

Personally, I was inspired by the many women religious present. As I mingled with everyone, each person spoke from their rich lives, often of decades of service. One, an IHM Sister from Peru, spoke of how the image of the United States has changed for many in other countries.

I hope that public events like this reveal the true spirit of many Americans and Catholics who understand that we truly are one family and must care for those seeking hope as best we can. Participating in a prayer vigil or a public action gives me greater courage to stand up for what we believe.

Refugees and Migrants in Our Common Home

October 22, 2025

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From October 1 to 3, Villanova University, through the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration, and the Refugees and Migrants in Our Common Home project, held three days of conferences and working groups at the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome, with the aim of “shaping the first drafts of action plans that will guide our collective response to migration in higher education and beyond.”

The invitation came from attorney Michele Pistone of Villanova University, which enabled Javier Ramirez Baron, Executive Director, Sister Pietrina Raccuglia, MSC, and Sister Yolanda Flores, MSC of Cabrini Immigrant Services – New York City (CIS_NYC) to participate, along with our Superior General, Sister Eliane Azevedo da Silva, MSC; General Councilor Sister Patricia Godoy, MSC, Sister Joseane Cabral, MSC and Sister Tatiana Avdokushina, MSC.

An integral part of the program was an audience with Pope Leo XIV, who encouraged us to strive to seek new ideas and forms of service “by placing the dignity of each person at the center of any solution.” When we encounter difficulties, he said, we should not fall into the trap of “globalization of indifference,” but rather nurture a “culture of reconciliation.” The Pope, recognizing that this work is not easy, encouraged us to formulate action plans without forgetting that “it is also important to remember that migrants and refugees can be privileged witnesses of hope through their resilience and trust in God.”

During the conference, Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz created a sculpture of Frances X. Cabrini, incorporating figures of migrants considered—in his own words – “angels unawares.” His work reflects what we can offer through our service, hope, and support for each person we serve. This piece of art was blessed on the last day by Fr. Joseph Farrell, OSA, the Prior General of the Augustinian Friars, in the presence of all the participants.

On the 4th and 5th, we actively participated in the Jubilee of Migrants and the Mission.

On the 6th, a group of MSCs, along with a lay person, Javier Ramirez, held a meeting to evaluate our participation in the jubilee and share our different types of services related to migration. This was an opportunity to present to the General Council a proposal to organize a small committee of sisters and lay people (two to three people) to help us find resources, creative ways, and support for the work we do on behalf of migrants and refugees. It can be a small drop into a huge ocean of needs, but a helpful drop maybe needed to complete the ocean.

At Washington Conference, Attorneys Address an Unsettling New Era on Immigration

October 16, 2025

At Washington Conference, Attorneys Address an Unsettling New Era on Immigration
~ by Rhina Guidos for National Catholic Reporter/Global Sisters Report
Reprinted with permission from Global Sisters Report

“We gather today in unprecedented times,” Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., told the crowd. Her organization, known as CLINIC, along with the Migration Policy Institute and Georgetown Law organized the 22nd Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference. That’s where immigration attorneys, paralegals, community advocates, as well as some priests and least one Franciscan sister, gathered on October 9 to hear a range of legal experts, historians and journalists speak. Panelists painted a picture of migrants consumed by fear and a legal community seeking to defend them, but lacking the resources to do so.

Conferences of the past provided a legal bird’s-eye view of policy in the country’s immigration realm, but scholars and experts like Doris Meissner agreed that this year, it’s different.

“We have entered a new era,” said Meissner, senior fellow and director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at Migration Policy Institute, as she moderated one of the panels.

No one exactly knows how this era will evolve.From the president’s public call to end birthright citizenship for children whose parents aren’t in the country legally, using information from the Internal Revenue Service to seek out migrants for deportation, and employing military and other law enforcement resources in that effort — those actions raise “profound questions about our society,” Meissner added.

A lawyer at the conference addressed the obstacles the government is putting in place to make it difficult for attorneys to contact their clients. An economist voiced worries about the impact of ICE raids at work and said the actions are at odds with economic strategy. A reporter said he had seen the negative impact of immigration enforcement on communities of faith.Immigration, after all, said CLINIC’s Gallagher, touches “every aspect of our country.”