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Pope Francis Meets with MSCs at close of centenary year

From Vatican Radio by Sean-Patrick Lovett

Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini is an Italian-born saint who dedicated her life to helping thousands of immigrants living in the United States in the late 19th century.  She died in Chicago exactly one hundred years ago. [December 22, 1917]

On Saturday morning in the Vatican, Pope Francis met members of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The congregation is present today on 6 continents and 15 countries throughout the world.

During his discourse in Italian, the Pope recalled the holiness of their Foundress and praised her tireless work with migrants and the poor.  He held her up as an example for today, adding that the reality of migrants has evolved and is now “more current than ever”.  Migrants, said the Pope, “need good laws, programs of development and organization, but, above all, they always need love, friendship, human closeness; they need to be heard, looked in the eye and accompanied.”  They need God, he said, “encountered in love that is freely given”.   We must do as Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini does, concluded Pope Francis: “be capable of responding to the signs of our time, reading them in the signs of our time. Reading them in the light of the Word of God and living them in such a way as to provide an answer that can reach the heart of every person.

To read the English translation of the Pope’s address: http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/12/09/pope_meets_sisters_of_congregation_founded_by_mother_cabrini/1353887

 

Greetings on the Feast Day from the General Superior

CURIA GENERALIZIA – MISSIONARIE DEL SACRO CUORE DI GESÙ 00135 ROMA

Feast of Mother Cabrini

Dear Sisters, Cabrini Lay Missionaries and Partners in Mission,

Rome, November 13, 2017

Happy Feast Day to all of you. This Centenary year celebrating Mother Cabrini’s passage from this life to the next has been one of tremendous grace. Let’s unite in thanksgiving for all of the wonderful consolations that the Sacred Heart of Jesus has given to us throughout this year.

May we be worthy of all that God has given to us and have the courage to collaborate with His desire for us, that we truly be Bearers of the Love of God to the World today. Now is the favorable time; we must continue to move towards the future with love, humility and missionary audacity.

It is with great joy that we also announce the founding on this date of the new Santa Francisca Cabrini Province that is comprised of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The discernment for the major superior will take place November 25-27. I ask that we all join in praying for this new province, and offer my gratitude for the work that the sisters have done to bring about this new canonical entity. I am sure that our Mother Foundress, for whom the Province is named, will bestow on this province special help at this time of building something new for the good of the Institute and for the good of mission.

In this time of unprecedented human migration and displacement we must continue to look for ways of deepening our response to those who are without home or country. This is our charism. Let us work together with courage and energy to respond to the beginning of two new missionary endeavors; A house for refugees in Rome, and new mission in Uganda on the Sudanese border. It will take all of us together to make these missionary dreams become a reality.

The General Council and myself want to thank all of you for all that you do every day. Be assured of our pray, support and love as we together move towards the future in this favorable time in our MSC Institute.

United with you in the Heart of Christ,

Sr. Barbara Staley, MSC

General Superior

A Feast Day Message from Sr. Pietrina, Provincial

Dear Sisters and Cabrini Lay Missionaries;

It is with great joy that we celebrate the feast of our foundress during this centenary year. Truly, we have been gifted with a foundress and a charism that is as relevant today as it was in 1880.

Our Holy Father, Francis, takes every opportunity to praise Cabrini for her life of foresight in addressing the needs of migrants saying that she is an example of how to treat people with both charity and justice.

Recently our foundress has been featured in many articles including the Share the Journey campaign website and in many talks given by Pope Francis. This should inspire us to rededicate ourselves to a life of prayer and action on behalf of justice.

Our world is in need of healing especially after the natural disasters and acts of violence that have been inflicted here in the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Wars continue to force people out of their homelands into refugee camps, risking their lives in boats and through deserts.

What would Jesus do? What would Cabrini do? These are questions we need to reflect on and ask Jesus to give us the courage, energy and strength to respond in a way that we are able to with our time and talents. We are not asked to cure all the ills of the world but we are called to be bearers of the love of Jesus to all we encounter and do our part to spread unity and not division.

Our lives of prayer, sacrifice and service are means by which we can be builders of peace and justice. Let us move out of our comfort zones and give to Jesus our sufferings, prayers and actions in order to be part of the healing process.

Thank you for all that you do for the mission of Jesus. Your sister in the heart of Jesus,

Mother Cabrini Way Dedicated in NYC

The sidewalk at the corner of East 19th Street and 3rd Avenue was packed with people in a jovial mood well before 11:00 am on October 20th. A covered sign had been conspicuously placed below the one indicating 19th Street with a long rope coming from its corner wrapping around the pole. After months of hard work, this section of street in New York City would be dedicated to Mother Cabrini.

The people gathered were indicative of the Cabrini reach over the last 100 years. In addition to Sisters the guests included a group of retired Cabrini nurses and staff, police officers in uniform, and representatives from a number of NYC institutions including the Archdiocese of New York and Sacred Hearts-Saint Stephen’s Parish in Brooklyn.   All of these had experienced Cabrini in some way and were now present to celebrate this momentous occasion.

A brief program led by Sr. Pietrina Raccuglia, MSC started at 11:00 am. Speakers  of note included Father Arthur Golino, formerly of Epiphany Parish, who blessed the sign, Sr. Catherine Garry, MSC who gave a stirring reflection on the life of Mother Cabrini, and Kathleen Kelly from Community Board 6 who wrote the resolution requesting the City Council honor our foundress in this way. The keynote comments were provided by Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, who highlighted the continuing work being done by the Missionary Sisters in support of immigrant communities. Finally, all Sisters in attendance were invited to participate in the removal of the sign cover. “Mother Cabrini Way” was revealed to a resounding countdown from 10 and cheers from the over 100 people present.

The celebration continued during a reception at Cabrini Senior Apartments, where people could take photographs with the duplicate sign. The community room and outdoor patio was filled with laughter and happy chatting. This coming together as one showed a true Cabrini spirit, which doubtless caused Mother to smile upon the occasion.

To view a Smilebox presentation on the dedication:

http://play.smilebox.com/SpreadMoreHappy/4e4455334f4455344d445a384d5441304d7a6b7a4e5445770d0a?title=Mother%20Cabrini%20Way&image=4e4455334f4455344d445a384d5441304d7a6b7a4e5445770d0a.jpg

Pope Francis Sends Greetings to the MSCs for the Centennial Celebration

To the Reverend Mother

Sister Barbara Louise Staley

General Superior of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

FRANCIS centennial of the death of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini is one of the main events marking the journey of the Church both because of the greatness of the figure commemorated and because of the contemporary nature of her charism and message, not just for the ecclesial community but for society as a whole. Through this message of mine and my prayers, it is my wish therefore to participate in spirit in the General Assembly which as the Institute of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and its lay collaborators you will hold from September 17 to 23 this year in Chicago near the National Shrine named after your beloved Foundress and Patron Saint of Immigrants.

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini accepted a missionary vocation from God, which in those days could have been considered unusual – to train and send consecrated women all over the world setting no limits to missionary horizons, not just as auxiliaries of religious institutes or male missionaries but with their own charism as consecrated women religious. At the same time, these women were willing to collaborate fully and totally with both local churches and with various congregations dedicated to proclaim the gospel ad gentes. This clearly feminine, missionary consecration born in Mother Cabrini came from the total and loving union with the Heart of Christ whose compassion surpasses all limits. She lived and instilled in her sisters the impelling desire of reparation for the ills of the world and to overcome separation from Christ, an impetus that sustained the missionary in tasks beyond human strength. She took St. Paul’s claim, “I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) as her motto. This motto was borne out by the surprising number and by the importance of the works that she undertook during her lifetime in Italy, France, Spain, Great Britain, the United States, Central America, Argentina and Brazil. But her love for the Heart of Christ translated into the evangelical fervor that shines out in the care Frances Xavier Cabrini gave to those who today are considered emarginated in society. One such example was when Mother Cabrini opened a house in the most infamous Italian quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, just one year after the cruel lynching of Italians accused of having murdered the city’s Chief of Police.

The charism of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini enlivened a total and intelligent dedication to the immigrants who left Italy for the New World. This choice was the fruit of her sincere and loving obedience to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII, and it extended to other fields of missionary work as well. Today’s epoch-making population movements with the inevitable tensions they create make Mother Cabrini a very contemporary figure. In particular, the Saint focused attention on situations of greatest poverty and fragility such as the needs of orphans and miners. She combined that with a lucid cultural sensitivity by continuous dialog with local authorities. She undertook to conserve and revive in the immigrants the Christian tradition they knew in their country of origin, a religiosity which was sometimes superficial and often imbued with authentic popular mysticism. At the same time, she offered ways to fully integrate with the culture of the new countries so that the Missionary Mothers accompanied the Italian immigrants in becoming fully Italian and fully American. The human and Christian vitality of the immigrants thus became a gift to the churches and to the peoples who welcomed them. The great migrations underway today need guidance filled with love and intelligence similar to what characterizes the Cabrinian charism. In this way the meeting of peoples will enrich all and generate union and dialog, not separation and hostility. Nor must we forget that the missionary sensitivity of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini was not sectorial but universal; that is the vocation of every Christian and of every community of the disciples of Jesus.

The present centennial celebration is an invitation to take a new look at all this with intimate and joyful gratitude to God. This is a great gift above all for you, the spiritual daughters of Mother Cabrini. May your whole Institute, every community and every religious receive an abundant effusion of the Holy Spirit that revitalizes faith and the following of Jesus in accordance with the missionary charism of your Foundress. May your many faithful lay collaborators share and support your evangelical work in the current social context. For my part, I assure you of my remembrance and prayers with deep affection, both because I have always known the figure of Mother Cabrini and because of the special concern I devote to the cause of immigrants. While I ask you to pray for me and for my ministry, from my heart I send a special Apostolic Blessing to your Assembly, to the Congregation and to the whole Cabrinian family.

From the Vatican, 29 August 2017

Memory of martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist

 

Pope Francis Cites Mother Cabrini as Exemplar of Ministry to Immigrants

~ reprinted from the Catholic News Service

By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Although she died 100 years ago, St. Frances Cabrini is a shining example of “love and intelligence” in ministering to the needs of immigrants and helping them become integral members of their new homelands, Pope Francis said.

Responding to “the great migrations underway today” the same way Mother Cabrini did “will enrich all and generate union and dialogue, not separation and hostility,” Pope Francis said in a letter to Sister Barbara Louise Staley, superior of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which the saint founded.

Mother Cabrini arrived in New York in 1889 to work with Italian immigrants, setting up orphanages, schools and hospitals in nine U.S. cities. Naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1909, she died in Chicago Dec. 22, 1917.

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are holding their general assembly September 17-23 at the National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in Chicago.

In her work, particularly among Italian immigrants to the United States, Mother Cabrini “focused attention on situations of greatest poverty and fragility, such as the needs of orphans and miners,” the Pope wrote in his letter, which was released at the Vatican Sept. 19.

Mother Cabrini also demonstrated “a lucid cultural sensitivity” by making sure she was in constant contact with local authorities, the pope said.

“She undertook to conserve and revive in the immigrants the Christian tradition they knew in their country of origin, a religiosity which was sometimes superficial and often imbued with authentic popular mysticism,” he wrote. “At the same time, she offered ways to fully integrate with the culture of the new countries so that the Missionary Mothers accompanied the Italian immigrants in becoming fully Italian and fully American.”

With dialogue and help integrating, he said, “the human and Christian vitality of the immigrants thus became a gift to the churches and to the peoples who welcomed them.”

While Mother Cabrini and the sisters had a specific mission to assist the immigrants and strengthen their faith, he said, Catholics today cannot forget “that is the vocation of every Christian and of every community of the disciples of Jesus.”

On a more personal note, Pope Francis told the sisters, “I assure you of my remembrance and prayers with deep affection, both because I have always known the figure of Mother Cabrini and because of the special concern I devote to the cause of immigrants.

July 15th is the birthday of Mother Cabrini

On July 15th, we will celebrate the 167th anniversary of Mother Cabrini’s birth which took place in S’ant Angelo Lodigiano, Italy.

She was the child of Stella and Agostino Cabrini.

She went on to found the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  In her 67 years of life, she founded 67 institutions throughout the world to help the poor, the sick and the orphaned.  Her special outreach was to immigrants.

She was canonized in 1946 at the first American citizen saint.

Today, her Missionary Sisters serve on six continents and 15 countries throughout the world.

 

July Brings Special Cabrini Commemorations

During the month of July, the Cabrinian Community observes two very special occasions. On July 7th, we mark the anniversary of the canonization of Mother Cabrini who in 1946 became the first American citizen to be declared a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. On July 15th we celebrate Mother Cabrini’s 167th birthday.

In the book, “Immigrant Saint” The Life of Mother Cabrini” by Pietro Di Donato, he writes of the canonization day, “On July 7, 1946, [the Basilica of] St. Peter’s wore a holiday appearance. Its venerable and imposing pillars were decked with magnificent ancient damask hangings. Countless electric lights and candles were grouped around the pontifical altar…paintings depicting Mother Cabrini hung from the balconies. The activities in the Vatican began just after seven in the morning, when the Cardinals, patriarchs, Archbishops and other dignitaries who were to participate in the canonization began to arrive at the Sistine Chapel. Pope Pius XII entered the Sistine Chapel and intoned the Ave Maris Stella.

“The Pope made the following solemn declaration in Latin: “…we inscribe in the Catalogue of the Saints, the blessed Francesca Xavier Cabrini, ordaining that her memory be celebrated in the universal church on the Day of December 22, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.’”

In his homily the Pope said of Mother Cabrini, “Although her constitution was very frail, her spirit was endowed with such singular strength that, knowing the will of God in her regard, she permitted nothing to impede her from accomplishing what seemed to be beyond the strength of a woman.” ~excerpt from “Immigrant Saint” The Life of Mother Cabrini by Pietro Di Donato

“Religious leader, business administrator and spokesperson for the downtrodden, Mother Cabrini was always a woman of compassion. Despite hardship, poor health and disappointment, Mother Cabrini’s peace of soul enabled her to radiate a joy born of unfaltering trust in divine providence. This total and unabashed trust in God was her outstanding personality characteristic and was the source of an inner strength, which propelled her to remarkable accomplishments in a relatively short amount of time. Some saw in Cabrini the embodiment of immigrant aspirations: to get ahead, to excel, to prove one’s self. Others, instead, attributed her achievements to the zeal of a saint.”

                                               ~ Sr. Mary Louise Sullivan, MSC, Ph.D., Mother Cabrini, “Italian Immigrant of the Century”

 

To view a video of Mother Cabrini’s canonization:

Our History

A Sacred Heart Feast Day Message from Sr. Barbara Staley

A Sacred Heart Feast Day Message  

from Sr. Barbara Staley, MSC, Superior General

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Centenary Year

Celebrating Mother Cabrini’s Entrance into Paradise

June 23, 2017


Dear Sisters and Brothers,

United together as Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, co-sharers of the charism and partners in mission, let us rejoice and give thanks to the Heart of Christ for the many blessings He is giving us.

God has gratuitously poured out His extravagant love and grace on us during this wonderful year of celebrating 100 years since Mother Cabrini’s death and going home to her beloved. All over the MSC world, sisters, laity, and the local Churches are commemorating the life of our Mother Foundress.

The Heart of Jesus unites us and gives us a common meaning and purpose. Conforming ourselves to the Heart of Christ, all that we do must spring from this Fountain of Love. Each day we journey together to become more human and more humanizing. Our love of God is a strong and courageous love that shares the anguish of God and urges us outside of ourselves to touch human misery, the suffering flesh of others. Mother Cabrini’s complete giving of herself to the Heart of Christ allowed her to trust “I can do all things in Christ Who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). Let us also give ourselves completely to Love.

With this deep security of being held within the very Heart of Christ, we continue to respond to the mandates of the XV General Chapter. Our personal lives, our apostolic missions, and our internal and external structures must all be transformed. The transformation to which we are called is radical and demands fearlessness. It is a transformation in service of bringing a new evangelization to the most needy in today’s world. This transformation will help us to more effectively bear the love of God to the world. We trust the grace emanating from the Chapter that, “now is the favorable time” for this transformation.

On this great Feast of Love, let us all, love, love, love, and love even more. Let us embrace each other and embrace those whom we serve. Let us together embrace the joys and consolations of our journey and also let us together embrace the challenges and hardships of our shared journey.

Wishing each of you many blessings and assurance of God’s love for you. I am also sending my gratitude for all the good that each of you do in everyday, mostly unnoticed and unacknowledged ways.

Happy Feast Day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

Sr. Barbara Staley, MSC

Sr. Barbara Staley, MSC Superior General

Too Small a World: Catholic Sisters as Global Missionaries

On April 6 through 8, many members of the Cabrini family gathered at the University of Notre Dame for the conference “Too Small a World”: Catholic Sisters as Global Missionaries.  With over 20 Missionary Sisters and lay collaborators in attendance, the spirit of Mother Cabrini, already woven through the theme, was alive throughout the sessions.

The program was held in honor of the centenary of Mother Cabrini’s death.  The study of missionary sisters embraces Cabrini’s boundless ambition as well as the practical and cultural constraints that shaped the outcomes of her and others’ journeys.  An international group of scholars gathered to investigate the transnational work and shifting identities of Catholic sisters as global missionaries, asking how the study of these border-crossing women, organized into multinational structures, can help all historians enter into the global history of Catholicism.  The presentations and conversations kept alive the history while also ensuring we focused on the future of religious vocations, missionary spirit, and our faith.  The conference ended with a trip for all participants to the National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini in Chicago.

An exhibit of Mother Cabrini’s artifacts, including her traveling cutlery, several items of clothing, and checks she signed, was on loan from the Cabriniana Room at Cabrini University’s Holy Spirit Library to the Hesburgh Libraries at Notre Dame to be displayed throughout the conference.  The response was so positive, the exhibit will continue to be displayed through their commencement.

Anne Schwelm of Cabrini University co-curated the exhibit.

CUSHWA CONFERENCE 2017-04-07 20.35.31 (1)

 

Presenters included:

Sr. Barbara Staley, MSC General Superior of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who gave the opening comments, with a focus on the Cabrinian charism today.

Yvonne Hrapmann, Principal, Cabrini High School “From Student to Principal: Stories of Cabrinian Mission in High School Curriculum and Hiring”

Jeff Gingerich, PhD, Provost, Cabrini University, “Education of the Heart: Lay Leadership and Mission Integration in Cabrinian Higher Ed”

Ray Ward, PhD, Associate Director, Peace and Justice, Cabrini University “Theological Resources for Lay Participation in Cabrinian Institutional Identity”

Maria Williams, University College London, Institute of Education,“Too Small a World: The Transnational Mobilization of Mother Cabrini’s Catholic Educational Practice 1889-1917”

Tom Southard, JD, Executive Director, Wolfington Center, Cabrini University “‘She Was No Saint:’ Leadership Styles of 19th Century Foundresses”

Maggie McGuinness, PhD, La Salle University “How Far Do You Have to Go to Be a Missionary? The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Philadelphia”

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