Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Bringing Christ's love to the world

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Cabrini of Westchester Holds Raffle to Benefit Flood Victims

In recognition of The Jubilee Year of Mercy, the administration and staff of Cabrini of Westchester have been organizing monthly acts of Mercy to benefit various organizations and plights. For the month of September, Department Heads and their staff created themed baskets, which they raffled off in the lobby.

Family members, visitors, residents, patients and staff participated in the fun event each hoping to be the lucky winner of one of the 16 the beautifully packaged, fun-filled baskets ranging from a meditation basket, food baskets, an electronic basket and a basket of cheer, to name a few!

The event created a lot of excitement and, more importantly, raised close to one thousand dollars for a wonderful cause. Working in collaboration with Cabrini High School in New Orleans, Cabrini of Westchester donated the proceeds of this fundraiser to Denham Springs High School in Baton Rouge of which 80% of the faculty and students were victims of the recent floods in Louisiana.

 

Cabrini Mission Corps Comes to a Prayerful Close

On Saturday, June 18th, the Missionary Sisters, along with CMC Director Gina Scarpello, CMC missioners and CMC friends and benefactors gathered to mark the closing of the Cabrini Mission Corps (CMC) after 24 years of dedicated service to God’s people in many countries throughout the world.

A closing Mass, ritual and recommissioning were held in the Bruckmann Chapel of St. Joseph on the campus of Cabrini College in Radnor, PA.  Sr. Pietrina Raccuglia, MSC, Provincial and Sr. Lucille Souza, MSC, founding Director of Cabrini Mission Corps offered Gina their thanks and blessings for all she has done in her leadership role with CMC.

The liturgy was followed by a convivial luncheon during which Director Gina Scarpello spoke and offered her thanks and blessings “to anyone and everyone who has been a supporter of CMC and me over these years and is held with deep gratitude in my heart.”

Gina first thanked Mother Cabrini who “is ever present, guiding things and getting things done just as she did – and even more powerfully than she did – when she walked the earth.”

Gina thanked the planning committee for the beautiful Mass as a way to honor CMC and truly root the spirit of the program deeply through the recommissioning so that it continues to bear fruit into the future.

Gina closed with a prayer that the lives of all present be abundantly blessed with the goodness that God desires for you.  “I hope that you, like Mother Cabrini, continue to be open and trusting vessels to receive God’s love and allow it to flow through you generously so its transformative power may lavishly touch your life, the lives of the ones you love and continue to extend to the ends of the earth to the hearts and minds of all people.”

Following Gina’s remarks, Sr. Grace Waters, MSC, Karol Brewer and Nancy Costello, who have been colleagues of Gina’s for the past ten years, offered their own tribute to Gina as Director of CMC.  Nancy, citing Aristotle, said, “happiness is about doing something that makes the world a better place to be.”  And, that is what Gina has been about… leading, guiding, and forming young people to make the world a better place to be through their volunteer service with Cabrini Mission Corps.   Nancy went on to say, “you have encouraged them, challenged them, and through your own faith-filled life, you have inspired them.”

On a personal note, Karol Brewer shared that, “over the past ten years our connection has transcended that of co-workers and colleagues into a deep and lasting friendship based on respect and infused with love. We will miss your beautiful smile, your infectious laugh and your endless enthusiasm and creativity and the strong, loving, support team we have become.”

Sr. Grace Waters closed with a blessing for Gina in the words taken from the Irish poet John O’Donohue:

May the Angels in their beauty bless you.

May they turn towards you streams of blessings.

May the Angel of Awakening stir your heart to all the invitations that quietly surround you.

May you be blessed with good friends and continue to be a good friend to yourself, journeying to that place in your soul where there is love, warmth and feeling.

Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.

May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.

Now is the time to free the heart.  Free the joy inside yourself.

Awaken to the wonder of your life.

Amen.

We love you.

To view photos and videos from the CMC closing ritual:

http:/https://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryzurek/sets/72157667238061414

http:/https://vimeo.com/channels/1090315

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabrini of Westchester Hosts Sea of Celebration

Cabrini of Westchester recognized the achievements of three honorees at its 18th Annual Fundraising Event, The Sharing in Mission Dinner held on May 25, 2016 at the beautiful Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown, NY. Thanks to the honorees, sponsors, donors and the 2016 Sharing in Mission Dinner Event Committee of which, His Eminence, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, was the honorary chair. The evening was a tremendous success and netted over $180,000 to benefit the ministry of Cabrini of Westchester!

The Sea of Celebration theme added a lot of frivolity to the evening. Guests were greeted by little mermaids handing out seashell leis as they entered the mansion. Upon entering the dining room, they were enchanted by the sea décor featuring a driftwood arbor, sea fans, sea shells, starfish and the elaborate high and low colorful coral centerpieces that topped off the aquatic theme. Mike Bennett, a local radio host, kicked off the evening with his great wit followed by moving speeches from each of the three honorees.

This year’s honorees included: Member of the Board of Trustees of Cabrini of Westchester for over 20 years, Donald Amoruso and, his wife, Marie, a volunteer and benefactor of Cabrini Immigrant Services; The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm for sharing in Cabrini of Westchester’s ministry of providing high quality eldercare and, in recognition of 25 years of leadership of Cabrini, Patricia Krasnausky!

Cabrini High School Students Honored for Service

Cabrini High School students Asia Satcher and Jillian Wohlgemuth received the St. Timothy Service Award from the Archdiocese of New Orleans for service in the community.

Cabrini's Sacher and Wohlgemuth Receive St Timothy Service Awards photo crCabrini Senior classmates Satcher and Wohlgemuth were both recognized for their volunteer service of others in the Greater New Orleans community.  Archbishop Gregory Aymond made the presentation of the awards during a ceremony at the St. Louis Cathedral

Asia Satcher received her award in recognition of her service as a member of Cabrini’s campus ministry team, and as an altar server, lector and an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at her parish, St. Mary of the Angels.  She also served for several years on both the IMANI team and Teen CROSS.

Jillian Wohlgemuth received her award in recognition of her service as a member of Cabrini’s Student Council leadership team and represented at the LASC as an officer in her parish CYO, St. Christopher the Martyr Parish in Metairie.  She was also a delegate at Teen CROSS and CLI, and a member of the victory corps volunteers at the World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Cabrini College Holds Campus Beautification Day

Since his arrival, Cabrini College PresidentDr. Donald Taylor has inaugurated the tradition of spring and fall Campus Beautification Days. This week, faculty and staff fanned out across campus to plant shrubs and colorful annuals and perennials in anticipation of the College’s Commencement this weekend. This year’s class will be the last to graduate from Cabrini College, which will become a university on July 1, 2016. 

 

Cabrini Mission Corps to close after 24 years of service

CMC to close in June after 24 Years of Service in the US and Overseas

Closing Mass and Celebration to be held June 18that Cabrini College

In a recent letter to Cabrini Sisters, Lay Missionaries, CEOs and Board Chairs, Sr. Pietrina Raccuglia, MSC, Stella Maris Provincial, and Council announced the closure of Cabrini Mission CoLove through Service 2016rps, the lay mission program sponsored by the Province, after 24 years.

“The decision to end the program was made by the Stella Maris Provincial Council after careful discernment. The decision was made given the reality of the Province. Our mission sites are fewer as well as placements in community. This was not an easy decision, although we are confident it is the right action,” said Raccuglia.

She went on to say, “We are sincerely grateful for the ‘education of hearts’ that the CMC program has offered to many missioners and sisters, Cabrini ministry sites and all those they have served. Our hope is that the few months that remain can be a time of prayerful reflection on and reverence for all the program has offered over these many years. We want to thank Gina Scarpello, especially, for the good work in forming the hearts of these missioners for life; and Sr. Lucille Souza, MSC who launched the program, and all the other directors of this ministry.”

Gina Scarpello, CMC Director, will continue to work closely with the Province to ensure a graceful closure of the program that has meant so much to so many.

In a recent interview, Scarpello stated, “Overall the emotion is one of sadness, yet peace. The program has served its purpose well for almost a quarter century. 143 men and women have served as missionaries in the US and overseas, and each one has answered what they felt was call to serve in the spirit of Mother Cabrini. Wherever they were placed, for however long they served, they sought to be and were instruments of God’s love and mercy. The beauty of love and mercy is that once it flows out there, its effects are endless – it just flows and multiplies. We have a saying at CMC that “#missionneverends” – and even though the CMC program is coming to a close, the mission continues, and there is peace in knowing this.”

A Closing Mass and Celebration will take place on June 18, 2016 at Cabrini College

Cabrini College Founder’s Day Honors Those Who Give Back

 

Every year Cabrini College honors the College’s founder, Sr. Ursula Infante, MSC (1897-2001), through a day-long ceremony called ‘Founder’s Day.’ During this ceremony, the College recognizes students who have demonstrated dedication to their community through service and volunteerism – an essential dimension of the Cabrini College experience.

This year, thirteen Cabrini CollFounders Day 1A MG_4994ege students and the three Cabrini Mission Corps missioners – Ashley Block, Vanessa Miranda and Morgan Perry – were honored with the Presidential Service Award for their commitment to civic engagement and volunteerism through community service.

The Student Disability Service Award was given to student Francis X. Cornely ’16 who has dedicated his time to focus on issues related to disabilities.

Also conferred were the Pierce Fellow awards, which were given to five students who spent time working alongside other community groups to address issues of hunger and food insecurity.

In addition to this annual recognition of Cabrini College students, each Founder’s Day, Cabrini invites an accomplished individual who has demonstrated the vision of Sr. Ursula to deliver a keynote address. This year, the keynote was given by current Director of Development for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Chandreyee Banerjee.

Ms. Banerjee has served as the Director of Tsunami Response following the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake in 2004, and most recently was the Country Representative for Turkey and Syria, overseeing programming in response to the refugee crisis in the region. During her presentation, Ms. Banerjee shared her experiences on working with Syrian refugees and her efforts to provide them with the essential necessities to ensure their well-being.

The Cabrini College community is grateful to Ms. Banerjee for her inspirational message and to the students for their enthusiastic engagement in changing the world for the better. The College remains especially thankful for their founder, Mother Ursula, for her vision, perseverance and dedication in founding a College so rooted in service to others.

Cabrini College Hosts Involvement Fair

On Thursday, September 10th, the staffers at the Cabrini Cottage attended Cabrini College’s annual Involvement Fair. The event is focused on providing students, both incoming and veteran, with information about clubs and organizations that are available to them on campus. Our staff wanted to be sure that we maintained a presence throughout the event to welcome students and to become familiar with or be reintroduced to our MSC sponsored organizations.

As some Cabrini students are looking towards their post-graduate future, our staff was there to remind them of the opportunity to possibly volunteer with the Cabrini Mission Corps. Cabrini students were also reminded of the urgency of anti-human trafficking efforts and the awareness that is being raised through the Cabrini Action and Advocacy Coalition (CAAC).

Our staff, as well as having a presence at the fair, wanted to informally introduce the new CMC missioners to the college community – Ashley Block, Vanessa Miranda, Morgan Perry and Rachel Recolcolin.

Lastly, another of our goals was to create increasing familiarity of the Missionary Sisters as the religious sponsors of Cabrini College; to meet Sr. Christine Marie Baltas, MSC and Sr. Grace Waters, MSC whom we are blessed to have on our campus; as well to heighten awareness of the MSCs’ presence and ministries throughout the world.

Cabrini Health Nurse Volunteers in Rwanda

Jovie Ann with childIn February 2015, Jovie Ann Decoyna, a nurse who works at Cabrini Health, Australia left for two weeks to volunteer in Rwanda. Accompanying her on the flight was the goodwill of many within the Cabrini community who had donated toys, clothes and medical supplies.

Rwanda, a central African country, remains impoverished and deeply scarred by the civil war that began in 1990, which climaxed in a frenzied period of genocide in 1994. Jovie travelled there as part of the medical program of the Global Volunteer Network and was supported by a Cabrini clinical services grant.

Jovie worked in a health centre taking blood, performing HIV tests, giving immunization protection, dressing wounds and assisting in the maternity unit. She dewormed children in a transient centre and visited women who had been victims of domestic violence. The medical supplies Jovie brought with her provided health workers there, at least for a short while, with the means to do their work as best they could. The donated clothing was distributed to the waiting arms of those who had little to call their own and whose gratitude was immense.

Until the volunteers arrived, the children’s beds in the transient centre were alive with bed bugs. Jovie was one of the volunteers who washed blanketsJovie Ann with child on back cr and sheets by hand for hours and painted the beds in preparation for a shipment of new mattresses and bedcovers. The donated toys now grace beds fit for the children and have brought joy to their lives.

Jovie was shaken by much that she saw but grateful and honoured to be able to help. She says: “During one of my dressing changes, an elderly woman came in. Her wound was almost healed but I noticed that the scar encircled the entire lower leg around the ankle. She said she sustained it during the genocide. What can you say to an elderly woman who has carried the burden of seeing the horror and atrocities of the genocide through her open wound every day for 20 years? I just went on my knees and cleaned her wound in reverent silence.”

Jovie’s work does not end in Rwanda, she volunteers weekly with Asylum Seekers.

Cabrini Mission Corps – Capturing a year of service.

A year on mission is many things.  It is a year of discovery, growth, spirituality and friendship.  It is about learning who you are and who you are becoming.  It is about giving of oneself and serving others.  It is about the transformation of  hearts – your own and those of others.  It is about walking with others and walking in their shoes.  It is about the hope of changing the world for the better.  It is about being a “bearer of the love of Christ in the world.”

Please enjoy this video that captures the essence of service with Cabrini Mission Corps.

1260 Upper Gulph Road, Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: 484-581-7163   Fax: 484-581-7164
info@mothercabrini.org