Feast Day – Friday, November 13th
This year, as we observe the 80th Anniversary of her canonization, we reflect upon the fact that complex personality factors combined to make Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini an outstanding woman of her era. Without a 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 20th and 21st centuries as times of sweeping change and therefore, 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 of Jesus.
Frances Cabrini was a woman endowed with special understanding and insight.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, guided by the light of Christ and the love of God for his children, blazed a path still brightly lit through a world which was too small for her zeal. She invites us all to follow in her footsteps of love and service.
~ excerpts from Mother Cabrini, “Italian Immigrant of the Century” by Sr. Mary Louise Sullivan, MSC, PhD and. In Weakness, Strength, The Life and Missionary Activity of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini