Mother Cabrini’s Violets Born on July 15, 1850 in a small town in northern Italy in 1850, Francesca Cabrini knew from a young age that she was called to be a missionary. As a child she made paper boats and filled them with violets — her “missionaries” — floating them…
“I have missed the train on account of the Holy Father,” Mother Cabrini wrote wryly to the Sisters in 1898. She’d wanted Leo XIII to bless her latest initiative: establishing a house in Paris. However, the pope was ill and sent his greetings via the Nuncio, instead. Then, just as…
On Corpus Christi the Shrine opened its newest exhibit, “Mother Cabrini and the Eucharist,” an exploration of the saint’s relationship to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Mother Cabrini is primarily known as a woman of action. She established schools, hospitals and orphanages in more than 40 locations across three continents….
Mother Cabrini Begs to Conquer Herself In New Orleans during the blistering summer of 1892, Mother Cabrini was severely short on funds. She beckoned to one of the Missionary Sisters and announced they were going out begging together. The Sister, who feared for Mother Cabrini’s health, tried to dissuade her….
The storm rolled in shortly before supper. Only six of the over 1,000 passengers on La Normandie made it to dinner that night because of the heaving seas. Mother Cabrini, of course, was one of them. Afterwards she retired to her cabin. Alert to the danger she remained half-dressed, prepared…
Mother Cabrini Arrives in Nicaragua In 1891, Mother Cabrini traveled with 28 Missionary Sisters from Italy to New York. Most of the group was bound for Nicaragua, where Mother Cabrini had been invited to establish a school for girls in Granada. Once in the U.S. they boarded the steamer New…
It’s easy to imagine that because Mother Cabrini founded 67 missions in 40 locations across three continents, everything went smoothly. The reality was that nearly every mission began with challenges. This did not trouble Mother Cabrini in the slightest. Her attitude toward obstacles was rooted in her certainty that if…
Mother Cabrini’s Death Mother Cabrini died in Chicago on December 22, 1917. She died peacefully, and according to one of her earliest biographers, Mother Saverio de Maria, MSC, her “post-mortem face reassumed almost immediately its natural color, and it remained so for the 12 days she lay in state.” The…
Mother Cabrini’s Letters Mother Cabrini was a prolific letter writer. Each year she wrote hundreds of letters to prelates, to her Missionary Sisters, and for business transactions. Much of her day was spent in correspondence. One of the great joys of reading the saint’s letters is that we get a…
Join us on six Tuesdays at 6:30pm to discuss In Weakness, Strength, a short but insightful overview of Mother Cabrini’s life and spirituality. Bring your questions, curiosity, and desire to learn about and from St. Frances Cabrini. The group begins on September 21. The book is $8.95 and available in…