Attending a recent Advocacy Day in Harrisburg is Abel Rodriguez, Director of the Center on Immigration at Cabrini University and some University students. The day was organized by the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC). Next semester, we’ll coordinate a group to DC to advocate on immigration issues.
Preparing Students for School Success
Cabrini Immigrant Services, Dobbs Ferry, hosted a workshop for immigrant parents, grandparents and caregivers entitled, “Preparing Children for School Success.” Donna-Marie A. Lasco, the owner of Terrific Twos©, along with her mother, Dr. Marie Amoruso, presented the very informative workshop. Many of the participants have children who attend our local schools and come to our Afterschool Homework Program.
The participants learned about the importance of having a routine for their children. Through the use of various materials, they saw how their children can learn and have fun. One example was teaching a child about measurement by using rice and a pail. The child learns that if the shovel is small, it will take more scoops to fill up the pail as opposed to a larger shovel.
Everyone was able to participate in several small group activities. One of the activities was to discuss the routine you have in the morning when your child wakes up. Each group wrote out their routines and then shared it with the larger group. Some people shared that they sing a song in the morning with their child as they brush their teeth, brush their hair, put on their pants, etc. Donna-Marie s hared the importance of consistency for the children as this helps them learn.
All the participants received a gift of the Spanish translation of Grandma Needs a Nap!, La Abuela Necesita un Descanso! written by Dr. Marie Amoruso. Everyone was so excited to receive the book and couldn’t wait to read it to their children.
Thank you to Donna-Marie and Marie. You brought so much joy to our parents. You empowered them in their important role as parents.
Cabrini Health Launches New Mental Health Services
On Wednesday 26 April, the Hon Martin Foley MP, Minister for Mental Health, launched a new specialist mental health service being introduced at the Cabrini Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub in Brunswick.
Other special guests at the event included:
- Hon Jane Garrett MP, State Member for Brunswick
- Paris Aristotle AM, 2017 Victorian Australian of the Year and CEO of Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture
- Samantha Ratnam, Deputy Mayor of Moreland
- Richard Rogers, Chair of the Cabrini Health Board
- Professor Suresh Sundram, Advisor to the Cabrini Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub
A new aspect of care and services at the Cabrini Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub, the new specialist mental health service will provide a wrap-around service including case-management and community outreach.
“Our vision is to meet the significant and growing need in the community for extremely vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers who may fall through the gaps or are unable to access to mainstream services,” said Cath Garner, Cabrini’s Executive Director of Mission and Strategy.
Dr Tram Nguyen has been appointed Director of the Specialist Mental Health Service and Cabrini is currently working to recruit a mental health nurse and social worker to the team.
The specialist mental health service was launched 12 months almost to the day since the opening of the Cabrini Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub by then-Mayor of Moreland Cr Samantha Ratnam.
The Cabrini Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub is providing a much needed service in Melbourne’s inner north filling the gap in healthcare faced by asylum seekers and refugees when they arrive in Australia without income or access to Medicare. Since June 2016, Cabrini has provided medical care to 140 asylum seekers and refugees who have come to Australia from countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Ethiopia.
The Cabrini Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub is a member of a number of asylum seeker and refugee health and settlement networks, both in the region and statewide. The Cabrini Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub may be contacted on ph (03) 8388 7874.
St. F. X. Cabrini Shrine, NYC – Sacred Sites Open House
This year marks the Landmarks Conservancy’s seventh annual Sacred Sites Open House on May 20th and 21st.
This year’s theme, Stained Glass: Windows on this World and the Next focuses on the significance and conservation of stained glass and windows in religious sites and highlights work of American stained glass masters including John LaFarge, Henry Sharp, and Louis Comfort Tiffany as well as prominent European artists and studios including Henry Holiday and Mayer of Munich among others.
Over 130 churches, synagogues, and meetinghouses throughout the city and state will be open for you to explore their wonderful religious architecture.
The St. Frances X. Cabrini Shrine will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a gift shop and both guided and self-guided tours.
Stained glass in the chapel depicts the life of Jesus and a 3-story image of Mother Cabrini. They have painted realistic detail and dynamic shape. They were designed by Fabian Zaccone in New York and fabricated by G. Pollini in Florence, Italy, installed in 1959.
The pictorial mosaic that surrounds the altar, depicting Mother Cabrini’s life and work, is outstanding in its artisanship and message. This mosaic, recently restored by Stephen Miotto of Miotto Mosaic Art Studios, is priceless and irreplaceable. It is 123 feet long and 24 feet high, and is a unique undertaking for its time, or any time. It is an architectural and spiritual treasure.
The Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was designed by architects De Sina & Pellegrino. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American citizen to be made a saint, was the founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was sent to New York in 1880 to assist Italian immigrants. She established schools, hospitals, and orphanages around the country. With a commitment to immigrants of all kinds, her ministry extended across the country and into South America. Mother Cabrini died in Chicago in 1917. Her remains were returned to Washington Heights, site of the Mother Cabrini High School, and enshrined. She was canonized in 1946.
Click on the Open House Sites tab to begin planning your trip.
Cabrini Immigrant Services, NYC and Cabrini University rally on May Day for Immigrants
Cabrini Immigrant Services Marches in New York City
On May 1st Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC staff and Justice for Immigrants members joined immigrant rights, labor, faith and allied organizations for a May Day action in support of immigrants and workers. Thousands came together in New York City to stand up against anti-immigrant and anti-worker policies and to demand that President Trump end his attacks on immigrant, refugees and Muslim communities. Activists, community leaders, City Council Members and even the Mayor were present to show their support for our immigrant brothers and sisters. To stay up to date on how CIS-NYC continues to stand up for immigrants every day follow us on Twitter or Facebook or check out our website!
Cabrini University Students and Staff Rally in Washington, D.C.
On Monday, May 1, Cabrini students and staff took time away from preparing for finals to make their way to the nation’s capital for a march and rally in solidarity with workers and immigrants. Earlier in the semester students had made protest signs with slogans like, “No Human Is Illegal,” and “Fight Ignorance, Not Immigrants,” and these signs were hung on a barricade constructed on the University Commons for a Border Solidarity Mass celebrated on April 19 to commemorate Pope Francis’s visit to the US-Mexico border the year prior.
Cabrini students took those signs and joined thousands of other protesters in DuPont Circle to protest anti-immigrant sentiments and policies, representing the namesake of the Patron Saint of Immigrants. Chants worked their way through the crowds, alternating between English and Spanish: “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” “¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!” We arrived at Lafayette Square, named for an immigrant hero of the Revolution and cheered facing the White House for the hope that we can be better together.
Walking back to the van we passed through the MLK Memorial, with tired legs and hoarse voices, reading his words: “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” And “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Cabrini University Launches Center on Immigration
On Thursday, April 27, President Donald Taylor and Provost Jeffrey Gingerich welcomed approximately 150 guests to the Cabrini University Mansion to celebrate the creation of the Center on Immigration. Inspired by the legacy of Mother Cabrini, the Patroness of Immigrants, and led by Abel Rodríguez, Center Director and Assistant Professor of Religion, Law and Social Justice, the Center will be a global leader promoting immigrant rights through advocacy, scholarship, and advancement of cultural expression.
The celebration opened with an invocation to Mother Cabrini given by Sister Christine Marie Baltas, MSC, and a reflection by Fabrine De Oliveira, a Cabrini student and a native of Brazil who shared her own immigrant experience.
Luz Colón, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, presented a proclamation in which PA Governor Tom Wlf acknowledged the Center’s planned contributions to the immigrant community.
A panel discussion took place featuring Sr. Yolanda Flores, MSC, Family Program Coordinator at Cabrini Immigrant Services – NYC; Hernán Guaracao, Publisher & CEO of AL DÍA News Media and Cabrini University Trustee; Erika Almirón, Executive Director of Juntos; John Grogan, Esq., Founding Partner at Langer, Grogan and Diver PC; and Steven Larín, Esq. Senior Director of Legal Services & Immigration policy at Nationalities Service Center.
Mr. Rodríguez shared his vision for the Center, and the panel members addressed the needs and concerns of immigrants and their families and critiqued current immigration policies, which have expanded the detention and deportation of immigrants and created extensive fear and distress in immigrant communities.
Mark Kiselica, Ph.D. Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, paid tribute to the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the employees and volunteers of Cabrini Immigrant Services for their heroic work on behalf of immigrants and their families.
The celebration concluded with a special presentation by Sr. Christine Marie Baltas, who gave Mr. Rodríguez a framed Seal of the Institute of the MSCs on behalf of Sr. Pietrina Raccuglia, Provincial, and all MSCs as an expression of the Sisters’ support for the future work of the Center.
Cabrini University Senior Received into the Catholic Church
Divine Mercy Sunday was truly a very special and blessed day for Chelsea Di Pompeo, a senior at Cabrini University. Just a year ago Chelsea was part of a group of students preparing for a service trip to Ecuador. As part of the preparation Fr. Carl Janicki, our Director of Campus Ministry, reviewed the ten principles of Catholic Social Teaching with the group. Immediately after the meeting Chelsea went to Father’s office and announced that she wanted to become a Catholic. Obviously, what she had heard made a great impression on her and the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart.
Throughout this academic year Chelsea was mentored in the teachings of the Catholic faith by several members of the campus community. This prepared her for acceptance into full membership in the Catholic Church. The Easter season was the perfect time for her to make her profession of faith, to receive Confirmation and to make her First Holy Communion.
Rosa Altomare, our Campus Minister, was Chelsea’s sponsor and several of Chelsea’s friends, and those who regularly attend the Sunday evening Mass, came to offer a show of love and support for her. After she received Confirmation, everyone circled around the altar and Chelsea extended the sign of peace to each one. What a beautiful and heart-warming scene this was!
Mother Cabrini’s life and legacy prompted Chelsea to choose Francesca for her Confirmation name. May our beloved saint continue to guide and inspire her in her mission of being a bearer of Christ’s love to the world.
Cabrini High School Teacher Accepted into Smithsonian Art Museum Institute
Michelle Fortier, chair of Cabrini High School’s English Department, has been accepted to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Summer Institute: Teaching the Humanities through Art in Washington D.C.
During her summer at the institute, Fortier ‘97 will learn about American art from professionals and learn how to integrate art into her daily teaching lessons. She will be joining educators from across the country to learn about the connections between American art, social studies, history, and English/language arts. After the institute, Fortier will be able to stay connected to her new network of colleagues and museum staff throughout the upcoming year.
Said Fortier, “I am so excited I was chosen for this opportunity because I understand the importance of the arts in every subject that we teach at school, and I am excited to have the opportunity to be able to bring new knowledge that I will gain from the institute to my future classes.”
According to the institute, they were only able to accept less than half of all participants, which shows Fortier’s acceptance is a testament to the strength of her application, her hard work and determination, and her many qualifications.
Spring Arts Festival Opens At Cabrini High School
Cabrini High School’s Fine Arts program will present a production of Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Women during Cabrini’s Spring Arts Festival beginning Thursday, April 20.
Instructors Ashley Evison, Michelle Fortier and Caroline Harris are co-directing the play that will be headlined by students Bailey Chauvin and Sabrina Costales. Performance times are Thursday, April 20; Friday, April 21; and Saturday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. in Cabrini’s gymnasium.
The festival will also feature the artwork of over 100 students in the Art I, Art II and Fine Arts Survey classes, including works from the “Across the Curriculum” Art display showcasing various creative pieces from other courses. On Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22 there will also be an AP Studio Art Gallery highlighting the exceptional art of the AP class.
For nearly 20 years, Cabrini High School has showcased its visual and performing arts students through the inspirational Spring Arts Festival.
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.
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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