Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day Greetings from St. F.X. Cabrini Shrine, NYC

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrated on December 12, honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared to Juan Diego in 1531 on Tepeyac Hill near present-day Mexico City. According to tradition, Mary offered words of compassion and solidarity, asking that a church be built so she could share God’s love with all people, especially the poor and marginalized. As a sign of her presence, she left her image miraculously imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma, a sacred relic still venerated today in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This feast has become a powerful symbol of faith, cultural identity, and hope throughout the Americas, drawing millions of pilgrims each year who come to honor “La Morenita” and to seek her intercession.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of this province of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and includes the MSC ministries located in Australia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the United States of America.

A Hope-filled Day

What did the 140 students from St. Elizabeth School do on their Jubilee pilgrimage to St. Frances Cabrini Shrine? Created a giant chain of hope, made their confessions, blew on a yobel (the ram’s horn used to announce a jubilee), colored their own prayer cards, wrote postcards to refugee children, prayed on Mother Cabrini’s bench, took the Cabrini Pledge, attended Mass, and had FUN and grew in faith! It was a whirlwind day with many graces… and hope.

Multi-day Celebrations Mark the Feast Day at NY Shrine

What a week! St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in New York hosted seven Feast celebrations over four days.

On November 13th we greeted youth from four Catholic schools and in the evening held the Canonization Concert, a re-creation of the Gregorian chant and other music used at Mother Cabrini’s canonization ceremony.

Saturday included Mass in Italian (with a surprise marriage proposal afterwards!) and a Mass for the Filipino community. Sunday dawned with beautiful weather and a full chapel for the English Mass. Msgr. Roger Landry, the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, celebrated. His tremendously inspiring homily can be heard here.

As the English Mass ended a busload of Ugandans arrived from Massachusetts. Warm smiles, beautiful harmonies, and huge pots of food lit up the afternoon. While they were finishing their meal in the retreat room a joyous Mass in Spanish began in the chapel, celebrated by Bishop Edmund Whalen.

All in all it was a spectacular few days.

Blessings to all!

A Serene Spot for Prayer, Once Again

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On Wednesday, November 12 a group gathered on the lawn at St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in New York City for the unveiling and blessing of Mother Cabrini’s newly-restored prayer bench. This bench was used by Mother Cabrini when she stayed in northern Manhattan. It features griffins as side supports, and an ornate iron top.

Originally placed in the garden outside the professed sisters’ residence, the bench was moved to a side yard when construction of the current Shrine began. Later it was moved yet again to a location overlooking a parking lot. In recent decades the bench fell into severe disrepair. Nearly 200 donors contributed toward its restoration. Now sturdy and beautiful, the bench can once again be used by visitors the way Mother Cabrini herself used it: for prayer.

The brief ceremony was led by Msgr. Robert Ritchie, with Sr. Diane Olmstead, MSC, Provincial, Sr. Patricia Dunleavy, MSC and Sr. Sharon Casey, MSC in attendance. The bench is now located at the back of the Shrine’s lawn, where it overlooks the Hudson River. Next year the Shrine intends to build a serene prayer garden to surround it.

Jubilee Family Day of Hope at St. F.X. Cabrini Shrine

On Saturday, October 18th, an exuberant group of kids and parents gathered at St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in New York to celebrate a Jubilee Family Day of Hope.

Designed as a close-to-home pilgrimage families could take together, the day included talks about hope, Mass, activities (writing postcards to refugee children, making a prayer bracelet, a color-your-own holy card, and creating a saints candle), and finished up with putting together packages for the homeless with the help of the Sant’Egidio Community.

What fun! The 50-voice children’s choir from Good Shepherd School sang beautifully and lifted everyone’s hearts. This is an event we will definitely repeat, so Catholic families have the opportunity to gather and
spend time together.

A New Website for St. Frances X. Cabrini Shrine – NYC

On Mother Cabrini’s birthday, St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in New York City launched its newly-updated website. Crisp and visually appealing, the site focuses on encouraging pilgrimages and learning more about Mother Cabrini.

Abundant educational resources are easy to download. Take a look – here!

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CAVS Pilgrims Travel to NY Shrine

This past Sunday, June 1st, members of our Cabrini University community traveled to the St Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine in New York City. We had an diverse group of Cabrini alums (at least one from EVERY decade!!), faculty, staff and friends.

Our group was hosted by the amazing Julia Attaway, Executive Director of the Shrine, who gave an educational presentation on Mother Cabrini. Mass, a tour of the Shrine and its interesting displays, a delicious lunch and a trip to the gift shop for mementos and keepsakes rounded out the experience.

It was a day filled with joy, memories and camaraderie. Thank you to all who made the trip possible.

Speakers of Hope

As part of its Jubilee “Speakers of Hope” series, last week St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in New York City hosted Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza.

Immaculée’s story is tremendously inspiring and had the audience riveted. Ouar guests included attendees from the Bronx, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. Immaculée received a standing ovation at the end.

A reporter from the Archdiocese of New York’s news site, The Good Newsroom, was on hand and wrote a nice piece about the event.
~ submitted by Julia Attaway, Executive Director,
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine, NYC

You can read the article here:
https://thegoodnewsroom.org/genocide-survivor-offers-message-of-hope-at-st-frances-xavier-cabrini-shrine-talk/.

Neighborly Gestures of Support

For two days last week St. Frances Cabrini Shrine served as a drop-off point for our neighbors who wished to donate gently-used clothing and housewares. Volunteers sorted the items and all items were transported to the Uptown Free store, a pop-up event with the motto, “Take what you need, give what you can.”

Never let it be said that New Yorkers are uncaring! The generosity of our neighbors is humbling. ~ submitted by Julia Attaway, Executive Director, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine, NYC

For a quick video of their goodness of click here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1E2unm7ZGa/
(You don’t need to be a Facebook user to see it.)

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