Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Bringing Christ's love to the world
Hundreds of students and pilgrims made their way to the St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan on Wednesday for Mass to mark the feast day of a saint who changed New York.
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On Friday, November 8, St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan welcomed approximately 150 newly-arrived immigrants for a special Mass to introduce them to Mother Cabrini, Patroness of Immigrants. Bishop Edmund Whalen, who has visited the Shrine since he was as a young boy, gladly celebrated.
The joy and hope in the chapel was palpable. After the Mass, a spread of empanadas and pupusas provided ample opportunity for community and conversation. One comment overheard between a visitor and his priest (translated from Spanish), “We don’t have a statue of Mother Cabrini in our church! We need to get one!”
The reply: “Absolutely!”
Last May, the St. Frances X. Cabrini Shrine was the launch point for the Manhattan leg of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. The chapel was packed to overflowing with the faithful who took to the streets with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
On Tuesday three of the “perpetual pilgrims” returned to the Shrine to discuss their experiences during nearly three months on the road with the Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Roger Landry, Zoe Dongas, and Marina Fratelli each spoke with compelling faith about what it was like.
Marina was a new convert to Catholicism and began the pilgrimage just days after graduating from law school. For her, participating meant giving up the two months she had available to study for the bar exam. Zoe Dongas had to quit her job to become a pilgrim, because her employer would not allow her that much time off. Neither young woman regretted her decision in the slightest.
Fr. Landry spoke of the intensity of walking with the Blessed Sacrament mere inches from his face for six or eight hours a day. The end result: he can no longer live with just one holy hour a day.
The witness of these three pilgrims who traveled with Jesus in heat waves and in rain, in prisons and on boats, was exhilarating. It left us all inspired to step out boldly in faith to bring the Gospel to the world.
NY Shrine Holds
Mass for Peace in the Holy Land
On Friday, St. Frances Cabrini Shrine held a Mass for Peace in the Holy Land, followed by a panel discussion of what it is like for Catholics living there and how we can help. The evening closed with a beautiful Holy Hour.
. Kareem Smith, head of intercultural affairs for the Archdiocese of New York, moderated the panel. Salem Farmand, a young Palestinian Catholic, spoke of his family’s experiences living in the Holy Land. Mother Mary Doliente, Superior of the Servant Sisters of the Lord and Our Lady of Matará in East Harlem, talked about the Servidoras’ mission in Gaza. There were many inspiring stories of deep faith and hope.
The Holy Hour featured live music and many candles. It was peaceful. It was prayerful. It was healing.
Jesus, pour out your love and peace on the people of the Holy Land.
The ongoing war in the Holy Land and its surrounding region has brought immense suffering to people worldwide, including many members of the Catholic Church. What is happening, and how is the Church impacted? We invite you to join us for a Mass for Peace in the Holy Land—and a special time of prayer, discussion, and worship. This gathering will create a space to support Catholics from the countries affected, as well as space for those who grieve and pray on behalf of the region.
The night will feature guest speakers Salem Farmand, a Palestinian Catholic and Campaign Manager for the Archdiocese of New York, and Mother Jesus Doliente, SSVM, whose community serves the sole Catholic parish in Gaza. Both will share insights into the challenges faced by the Church in the Holy Land from a Catholic, personal, and community perspective. The evening will conclude with Adoration with prayerful music led by Catholic musician artist Brianne Nealon.
For two days this week the retreat room at St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in New York is a happy mess, as neighbors bring in their gently-used clothing, toys, and housewares. Tomorrow we will take all the donations down to the Armory, where they will become part of the merchandise at the Uptown Wagon FreeStore.
The FreeStore is an event that is entirely run by volunteers. The concept is “give what you can, take what you need.” There is no charge for anything. Many of the ‘shoppers’ are new immigrants or people on minimal incomes. The layout is carefully set up to look like an actual store, where customers are treated with respect.
This is the third time the Shrine has acted as a drop-off point for donations for the FreeStore. Making it easy for our neighbors to give to others is, we think, part of being a good neighbor ourselves.
Julia Attaway, Executive Director, of the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine in New York City shares, “It is with great joy that I introduce you to Julissa Espinal, the Shrine’s new Associate Director.”
Julia continues, “Julissa is a Dominican-born New Yorker and a graduate of St. John’s University. She has been actively involved in pastoral work and ministry since her college days. Following a six-year discernment period as a religious sister, she felt called to Denver, Colorado, where she dedicated herself to Early Childhood Education and served underprivileged families in the community. While there, she was a frequent visitor to Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden and always felt a connection with Mother Cabrini.”
“Returning to her hometown of New York City, she most recently served as a regional coordinator for the Office of Young Adult Outreach for the Archdiocese of New York. Julissa has fit in seamlessly to the team at St. Frances Cabrini Shrine. She is eager to share her talents, her devotion to Mother Cabrini, and her love for Jesus. Please keep her in prayer and for all of us at the Shrine of St. F.X. Cabrini as we move forward in mission together.”
On Sunday, July 7th, the Neocatechumenal Way held its 50th anniversary Eucharist at Barclay Stadium in Brooklyn, NY with over 25,000 people in attendance. In the course of the days leading up to the event, St. Frances Cabrini Shrine hosted over 20 groups of youth – not counting the busloads that arrived unannounced. At one point on Saturday, Fort Washington Avenue was lined with 10 coaches and the Shrine was packed, with groups on the lawn, in the parking lot, and in the chapel.
It was a joy to speak to so many young people eager to grow in love of Jesus, and to tell them about Mother Cabrini’s life.
Walking for Jesus
On Saturday, May 25, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage arrived at St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan. Five “perpetual pilgrims” will walk the entire 1,100-mile eastern route to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis this July, and they came to celebrate Mass as they initiated their Manhattan trek. The Shrine was one of only four stops in Manhattan.
Over 500 people turned out to attend the bilingual (Spanish/English) Mass. Enthusiastic worshipers filled the Shrine to the rafters and down the hallways. Fr. Roger Landry, the celebrant, gave a passionate homily about Mother Cabrini’s devotion to the Eucharist.
Eight Missionary Sisters were on hand to welcome visitors: Sr. Yolanda Flores, Sr. Antonina Avitabile, Sr. Pat Dunleavy, Sr. Renee Kittleson, Sr. Genet Henok, Sr. Albertina, Sr. Bernadette Anello, and Sr. Alfonsina Gomes provided warm greetings for all who attended.
Following Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and then brought in procession through the streets of Manhattan. The group left the Shrine and proceeded down Fort Washington Avenue, singing with passion and devotion in both Spanish and English. Their goal: Central Park, for Benediction.
Please pray for the faithful pilgrims who are committed to public witness to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Shrine donated the collection from the Mass to support the expenses they face as they sacrifice three months and many blisters as witnesses to Jesus.
Even if a picture says a thousand words, sometimes words tell a richer story. Thus, I offer the following vignettes of the impact Saturday’s National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Mass and procession.
Note: When the procession left the Shrine, its destination was the bandshell in Central Park, 7.7 miles away.
On Sunday, Vasilisa, a 70+ year old woman from the Dominican Republic who comes to daily Mass and Adoration came up and gave me a huge hug. “Oh, that was so beautiful!” she exclaimed in broken English, “Thank you! Thank you! I walked all the way to Central Park!”
“What?” I gasped.
“Oh yes! My legs hurt and hurt so much, and I kept saying, ‘Jesus, I am doing this for you!’ And I did it!” She practically glowed.
Irma and Margarita, both Mexican, came to set up for the Spanish Mass. “Are you okay?” I asked, concerned, as Margarita hobbled into the sacristy. She could barely walk
“Yes, but the bottoms of my feet are covered in blisters,” she explained, “We walked the whole way yesterday.”
Irma chimed in, “It was wonderful! That was the best thing we’ve ever done here! We sang to Jesus the whole way! The whole world knew! We should do this more often!”
Margarita nodded, and, smiling, continued to prepare for Mass.
Maria, a Filipina, knocked on my office door Tuesday morning.
“I was here Saturday,” she said, shyly, “I’d never been here before. That was a bit of heaven on earth!”
She’d brought some pamphlets of a newly-approved Litany to the Blessed Sacrament that she bought and wanted to offer the Shrine for free. Because the Shrine can become easily overwhelmed with outside literature, it’s a daily task to quietly remove what people leave behind. Thus, I’m generally averse to accepting donations of this sort. But the pamphlets were beautiful, the prayer fitting, and the intention splendid. So, I accepted the gift gladly. It seemed a suitable thank offering for a spectacular day that honored Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
And by the end of the day the first stack of 25 was half gone.