Last Sunday was St. Frances Cabrini Shrine’s first Volunteer Appreciation BBQ. Nearly three dozen volunteers turned out to meet each other, chat, and enjoy the rare city experience of food cooked outdoors on the grill.
Celebrating Cabrini Day in Colorado on the First Monday of October
Cabrini Day
In March of 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law, HB 1031 establishing Frances Xavier Cabrini Day as a Colorado State Holiday. It is the first paid state holiday in the nation that recognizes a woman, and is now observed on the first Monday in October.
Taking advantage of a beautiful fall Colorado weekend, Mother Cabrini Shrine welcomed visitors and guests who came to walk the steps, light a candle in the chapel and enjoy the beautiful grounds that honor our beloved St. Frances Cabrini and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After the Sunday Masses, coffee and donuts were served in celebration of Cabrini Day. To us, Cabrini Day is about her story – her determination, grit and service to immigrants, the poor and those most in need, and we are always eager for those who come to the Shrine to learn of it and be inspired by her life, her faith, and all she accomplished.
Links to Cabrini Day local news coverage below:
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/mother-cabrini-shrine-cabrini-day/73-447f086d-18ff-4789-8e28-d33ad3e276f7
https://denver.cbslocal.com/video/6061635-coloradans-celebrate-cabrini-day/
A Lively Birthday Celebration
Mother Cabrini’s 171st birthday was celebrated with great joy last Saturday at St. Frances X. Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan. Joining us were a dozen Missionary Sisters, several lay collaborators from Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC and Dobbs Ferry, and hundreds of faithful families and friends. We had Mass with Bishop Gerald Walsh (English) and Bishop Josu Iriondo (Spanish), cake, mariachi, activities for kids, and a very, very good time.
July 15 is the 171st Birthday of Our Beloved Patroness of Immigrants
Maria Francesca Cabrini was born July 15, 1850, at Sant’ Angelo Lodigiano, a small town on the plains of Lombardy some twenty miles south of Milan. Two months premature, she was, at birth and throughout her life, of delicate health. Maria Francesca was the tenth child born to Agostino and Stella Cabrini.
Her Early Years
Her family played an important role in the formation of her personality. The loving atmosphere of the home developed in her an affectionate nature and strong self-identity. In later years, Mother Cabrini showed great concern for family life as she tenderly reached out to immigrant parents in their homes. She opened schools for their sons and daughters in which she applied a pedagogy of love. She provided specific medical assistance to young children and reserved for them a special place in her heart and in her works, establishing, when circumstances necessitated, orphanages where they came to know that although deprived of one or both parents, they had a new home where they were loved.
Francesca’s father had his livelihood on the land. The young Francesca, who was raised close to the soil, became familiar with the region’s fruits and flowers and she learned early to value nature. Throughout her life she would be acutely sensitive to cloud formations, birds, and the variegated hues and aromas of harvest.
This daughter of a relatively prosperous farmer was astute in recognizing potential sources of water on land considered to be arid. In 1890, Mother Cabrini purchased property from the Jesuits in West Park, New York, to house orphaned girls in the immigrant ghettos of New York City, The apparent lack of an adequate water supply was remedied when she personally inspected the grounds and indicated where a well should be dug. The effort was successful and still provides an adequate water supply for the property. A similar incident occurred a few years later. Mother Cabrini wanted to build a summer home for her orphan children in the mountains above Denver, but there seemed to be no water on or nearby the premises in Golden, Colorado. On a visit to the mountain locale she pointed to a large red rock and directed that it be moved. As soon as this was done, a bubbling spring gushed forth. All these years later, this same spring is still furnishing water to the site. The farmer’s daughter may have used a divining rod or her intuition to locate water on the properties or, as some say, these discoveries may have been small “miracles.”
A Saint for All People
As a testament to her life’s work, an award, given in 1952 posthumously, by The American Committee on Italian Migration to the Italian Immigrant of the Century, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini reads, “Mother of the Immigrant, Servant of the Poor, Consoler of the Sick, Guardian of the Orphan, Teacher of the Little Ones, Friend of the Laborer, Daughter of Italy, Citizen of the United States, Messenger of Peace, Handmaid of the Sacred Heart, who in her humble hidden life of prayer, work and sacrifice for mankind has merited the Crown of Sainthood in the Eternal City of God.
~Mother Cabrini, “Italian Immigrant of the Century” by Sr. Mary Louise Sullivan, MSC
A Celebratory Canonization Toast
To duly commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Canonization of Mother Cabrini at the Vatican on July 7, 1946, the members of the Cabrini University community gathered to offer a celebratory toast on this historic occasion. Holy Spirit Library Director Anne Schwelm provided a display of historic photos of the canonization for all to view during the ceremony.
Opening remarks were given by Angela Campbell, PhD, Vice-President of Mission, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Student Engagement. Dr. Campbell expressed her appreciation of and commitment to the Cabrinian mission and the many blessings it has afforded her.
Following her remarks, Sr. Christine Marie Baltas, MSC, Campus Ministry Associate, offered a toast giving thanks for the life of Mother Cabrini and the lay collaborators who continue the Cabrinian mission each day. Cheers!
National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Funds New Mother Cabrini Exhibition
National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Funds New Mother Cabrini Exhibition
A federal grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will fund the next phase in a Cabrini-led effort to digitize and exhibit artifacts telling the life story of University namesake Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. Totaling nearly $150,000, the grant affords access to critical hardware, software, and data storage tools, as well as professional photography, supporting the creation of an online exhibition titled “America’s First Citizen Saint: The Saint Frances Cabrini Collection.”
“Everyone can relate to something in Mother Cabrini’s life, whether it’s her spirituality, love for Christ, or her work with immigrants, the poor, and orphans,” said Anne Schwelm, Director of the University’s Holy Spirit Library. “It’s such a compelling story, and this project will help it to be told.”
The project is expected to be completed in spring 2024, though the Holy Spirit Library began digitally cataloging photographs, portraits, letters, and other documents related to Mother Cabrini for The Cabriniana Collection in 2019. Much of the work to date has been supported through contributions to a fund named in honor of Sister Mary Louise Sullivan, MSC, PhD (’63), a former Cabrini President and Mother Cabrini historian.
While the collection resembles a digital catalog at this phase in its development, Schwelm said the NEH grant will allow us to expand from this foundation and “enable us to really create a digital exhibition that links the artifacts and puts them together to tell [Mother Cabrini’s] story.”
Schwelm said there is interest in collaborating with other archivists to link together Mother Cabrini’s archives with those of other saints. “We’d love to see this as one component of digitizing America’s saints,” she said.
The project has roots in academia, but Schwelm said she sees it making a broader impact in K–12 education, as well as with anyone who has an interest in American history. She said the collection’s primary sources offer an important look into the anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic prejudices Mother Cabrini faced, while underscoring students’ broader diversity, equity, and inclusion education.
Requests for access to artifacts have already come from Mother Cabrini shrines in New York City, Chicago, and Denver. In addition to the “First Citizen Saint” digital exhibition, the project will also be available through digital portals, including the Catholic Resources Research Alliance and Digital Public Library.
“The digital collection is so important because it will make the story of Saint Frances Cabrini and her legacy available to anyone who may be seeking information about her online,” said Christine Marie Baltas, MSC (’66), when the Cabriniana Collection opened in 2019.
Residents and Staff Join in Feast Day Observances
Cabrini of Westchester celebrated the Feast Day of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini on Friday, November 13th and included both staff and residents in the celebration. A Mass, with live music, took place in the St. Cabrini Nursing Home Chapel that was beautifully decorated with vases of purple and white flowers. Sr. Romualda Molon, MSC also included a striking figurine of Mother Cabrini that was hand painted in 1939 and a gorgeous violet plant that she lovingly tends to in the home’s convent among the décor for the altar.
Later in the day, Sheri Gottlieb and her dedicated Therapeutic Recreation Staff distributed ice cream cones to the residents as a special treat in honor of the Feast.
The staff was included in the celebration with the distribution of $10.00 gift certificates to Magnolia’s Café for each employee.
What a special day to honor such a truly extraordinary wom an: our patroness, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini!
Cabrini
Like its namesake, a film against all odds
~ by Rev. Alexander Santora/for the Jersey Journal
The feature length film will simply be called “Cabrini.”
Before completing the script, executive producer J. Eustace Wolfington and screenwriter Rod Barr read 22 books on the life of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and spent time in the Vatican archives. They discovered that Mother Cabrini personally lobbied Pope Leo XIII to found her own missionary order of women religious independent of any priest, a first. When Pope Leo saw her coming he would simply [exclaim] “Cabrini,” according to Wolfington.
And that’s how the film got its title.
The hard part followed. Some $30 million needed to be raised and now with a completed script, casting can begin in March 2021.
“I would like to get across her leadership, organizational and entrepreneurial skills,” Wolfington said.
Mother Cabrini and six sisters arrived in New York City on March 31, 1889 and were turned down by Archbishop Corrigan for financial assistance and were told to return to Italy. Cabrini was also prohibited from raising funds outside the Italian community which was poor. She was shrewd enough to go to the press, which exposed the plight of the Italian immigrants to be pathetic, with many orphan children living in subhuman conditions. Then [donations] poured in and she founded orphanages, schools and hospitals.
“She had a way with people to get them on board with her vision,” said Monsignor Paul Bochicchio, now a senior priest at St. Francis Church in Hoboken, NJ, and who serves on the film’s committee.
The film will have a possible release date later next year on her November 13 feast day or in 2022.
feature length film will simply be called “Cabrini.”
Before completing the script, executive producer J. Eustace Wolfington and screenwriter Rod Barr read 22 books on the life of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and spent time in the Vatican archives. They discovered that Mother Cabrini personally lobbied Pope Leo XIII to found her own missionary order of women religious independent of any priest, a first. When Pope Leo saw her coming he would simply [exclaim] “Cabrini,” according to Wolfington.
And that’s how the film got its title.
The hard part followed. Some $30 million needed to be raised and now with a completed script, casting can begin in March 2021.
“I would like to get across her leadership, organizational and entrepreneurial skills,” Wolfington said.
Mother Cabrini and six sisters arrived in New York City on March 31, 1889 and were turned down by Archbishop Corrigan for financial assistance and were told to return to Italy. Cabrini was also prohibited from raising funds outside the Italian community which was poor. She was shrewd enough to go to the press, which exposed the plight of the Italian immigrants to be pathetic, with many orphan children living in subhuman conditions. Then [donations] poured in and she founded orphanages, schools and hospitals.
“She had a way with people to get them on board with her vision,” said Monsignor Paul Bochicchio, now a senior priest at St. Francis Church in Hoboken, NJ, and who serves on the film’s committee.
The film will have a possible release date later next year on her November 13 feast day or in 2022.
Cabrini
The feature length film will simply be called “Cabrini.”
Before completing the script, executive producer J. Eustace Wolfington and screenwriter Rod Barr read 22 books on the life of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and spent time in the Vatican archives. They discovered that Mother Cabrini personally lobbied Pope Leo XIII to found her own missionary order of women religious independent of any priest, a first. When Pope Leo saw her coming he would simply [exclaim] “Cabrini,” according to Wolfington.
And that’s how the film got its title.
The hard part followed. Some $30 million needed to be raised and now with a completed script, casting can begin in March 2021.
“I would like to get across her leadership, organizational and entrepreneurial skills,” Wolfington said.
Mother Cabrini and six sisters arrived in New York City on March 31, 1889 and were turned down by Archbishop Corrigan for financial assistance and were told to return to Italy. Cabrini was also prohibited from raising funds outside the Italian community which was poor. She was shrewd enough to go to the press, which exposed the plight of the Italian immigrants to be pathetic, with many orphan children living in subhuman conditions. Then [donations] poured in and she founded orphanages, schools and hospitals.
“She had a way with people to get them on board with her vision,” said Monsignor Paul Bochicchio, now a senior priest at St. Francis Church in Hoboken, NJ, and who serves on the film’s committee.
The film will have a possible release date later next year on her November 13 feast day or in 2022.
To read the complete article, please click here
We Celebrate the Feast Day of St. Frances X. Cabrini
Complex personality factors combined to make Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini an outstanding woman of her era. Without doubt she possessed that intangible element known as charisma. Only a charismatic personality could have attracted so many followers and captivated the attention of both the powerful and lowly of this world.
Cabrini was a modern woman. Her interests were extensive. She certainly did not adapt readily to the role expected of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century women religious. She was an entrepreneur and world traveler, keenly aware of the currents of thought in the world of her time. Cabrini foresaw the twentieth century as one of revolution and tailored her philosophy of education, healthcare, and social service to accentuate the intrinsic value and dignity of each human being touched by her Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
Frances Cabrini became an American citizen. Quite possibly, she may have taken the decision to become a naturalized citizen to secure the extensive property holdings of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters to be able to cross national boundaries with greater facility.
Her struggles presage those we experience in this century. To wit, in 1915, when Mother Cabrini decided to expand her works in Seattle with the purchase of the Perry Hotel, which she planned to transform into a foundling home, a violent controversy broke out. Allied against Cabrini were neighbors, bankers, and jealous spectators, who did not want Italian sisters to purchase the building. Clearly, the primary objection to Cabrini’s purchase of the Perry Hotel was prejudice and discrimination based on her gender, her religion, national origin, and her mission: she had come to minister to Italian immigrants who at the time were the most detested group in society. A memoir of the Missionary Sisters in Seattle records: “Businessmen eager for profit, financiers and bankers agreed that the Perry would make a good speculative investment and couldn’t bear to see such an elegant building transformed into a foundling home – by a sister – and this one an Italian.” Never mind that Mother Cabrini had become a naturalized citizen in Seattle six years prior.
In spite of the antagonism, Mother Cabrini was always one to continue her course. She obtained the bill of sale for the Perry Hotel on April 16, 1915. Then the onslaught of all parties began anew. John L. Corrigan, a Seattle attorney, noted that Cabrini “never faltered or wavered in carrying out her plans and she overcame obstacles that would have disheartened the bravest of human hearts with a supreme confidence that edified and inspired everyone who came in contact with her.”
~ from Mother Cabrini, Italian Immigrant of the Century, by Sr. Mary Louise Sullivan, MSC, PhD