This year, on the occasion of Mother Cabrini’s birthday, it seems fitting to reflect upon the remarks delivered by Pope Leo XIV when he recently visited Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Mother Cabrini’s birthplace. ~ excerpts from Vatican News and www.cabriniworld.org
“I am here to pay tribute to Mother Cabrini, Patroness of Migrants and the first Saint of the United States of America, who was born here in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano in 1850 and died in Chicago – my hometown – in 1917.
When the time came to make the decisive choice regarding the “direction” her religious institute’s mission should take, she wanted the Pope to be the one to point the way. And Pope Leo XIII was clear: “Not to the East, but to the West,” in service to the thousands of Italian emigrants in America.
Through these words, Mother Cabrini interpreted the signs of the times and understood that her dream of going to China, following in the footsteps of St. Francis Xavier, was to be realized wherever the need was greatest at that moment.
But dear sisters and brothers, when we look at the world today, what are we to say? That “sign” – that is the phenomenon of migration – has entered a different phase, one that is certainly more complex, yet no less capable of challenging the Church.
Let us ask ourselves: if Mother Francesca were alive today, what would her missionary spirit tell her? Or rather, what would the Heart of Christ say to her heart – that of a woman consecrated to Him and to the service of His kingdom? And what would a Pope like Francis – who, as the son of Italian immigrants, had made service to migrants one of the key priorities of his pontificate – ask of her?
Brothers and sisters, what could be more relevant today than this charism? I say this here before the relic of Mother Cabrini’s heart, brought from the Motherhouse in Codogno. I say this as I greet and thank with affection her spiritual daughters, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred heart of Jesus. What could be more relevant today than a missionary charism dedicated to serving migrants?
I therefore take this opportunity to make an appeal, especially to young people: get to know Saint Frances Cabrini! Read her writings, filled with passion for Jesus and for the mission: her letters, her travel journals, and the notes from her retreats. Anyone who gets to know Mother Cabrini is captivated by her.
May Saint Cabrini help you to be in love with Christ, and witnesses to his Gospel with a dynamic and generous spirit, in service to the poorest.
Finally, I pray to the Lord for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in all their communities: May God bless them and renew them in their fidelity to Mother Cabrini’s charism.” ~ www.cabriniworld.org
To read the full text of the remarks of Pope Leo XIV and to view the video of his visit to Sant’ Angelo Lodigiano, please click here