Asking ‘what would Mother Cabrini do during these uncertain and perilous times for immigrants and migrants?’, the CAVS Alumni Association, in collaboration with the Guadalupe Province Immigration Commission, hosted a birthday party for Mother Cabrini at the Cabrini Cottage in Wayne, PA, for members of the Cabrini University and Villanova University communities.
Guests were invited to honor Mother Cabrini by donating gift cards to Walmart, Target and Giant Foods which will be donated to nearby school districts that serve large populations of immigrant students.
The Immigration Commission collaborates with the school district social workers who intimately know the students and their families who are in dire need – many of whom suffer from inadequate housing and food insecurity.
Providing the families with gift cards enables them to purchase food, clothing, and other necessities on their own which confers a sense of dignity and autonomy, especially during such stressful periods in their lives.
Deepest thanks to all who joined in celebrating Mother Cabrini in such a meaningful and impactful way. Once again, this year, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity of the Cabrini and Villanova communities.
We trust Mother Cabrini would have been smiling…and is very grateful.
Last Thursday evening, members of our Cabrini University community attended the Villanova University Endowed Scholarship Award Dinner, specifically to honor the recipients of the Cabrini High School Scholarship and the Cabrini University Alumni Association Scholarship.
On Tuesday, February 10th, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus joined in a Vocation Fair on the campus of Villanova University hosted by Fr. Jeremy Hiers, OSA, Vocation Director for the Villanova Province of the Augustinian Friars.
It was an event to introduce Villanova students to the many charisms in religious life and to meet religious sisters, brothers and priests and to learn more about religious life as a vocational path. Sr. Roselle Santivasi, MSC and MSC Vocation Team Coordinator Nancy Costello were present to meet and speak with students.
On the Feast Day of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Patroness of Immigrants, – which is also the birthday of St. Augustine – members of Cabrini University joined the Villanova University community in a Solidarity Walk to show support for migrants. The walk was sponsored by Villanova’s Mission and Ministry Office.
From October 1 to 3, Villanova University, through the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration, and the Refugees and Migrants in Our Common Home project, held three days of conferences and working groups at the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome, with the aim of “shaping the first drafts of action plans that will guide our collective response to migration in higher education and beyond.”
From October 1–3, 2025, just before the Jubilee for Migrants (October 4–5), a ‘Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home,’ conference is being held in Rome. This will be the first in-person gathering of a three-year initiative uniting higher education institutions, NGOs, and community partners to address the urgent realities of migration and displacement.