“Didn’t I write and tell you that I am alive miraculously?” begins a 1904 letter from Mother Cabrini. She’d been traveling by train from the orphanage in Denver to the orphanage in New Orleans. Just after passing Dallas “the enemies of the railroad” attacked. Bullets peppered the train. Mother Cabrini…
This is the first in a series about visitors to the Shrine By Julia Attaway, Executive Director An elderly woman came into the Shrine last Sunday having traveled here – alone – by mass transit from New Jersey. We see her fairly regularly. She is so frail it is hard…
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…
On Saturday, July 15 the Shrine will celebrate Mother Cabrini’s 173rd birthday. This is always a great event that is filled with joy. Bring your family, friends, your hopes and prayers, and join us for the festivities! Highlights of the day include: Mass at 11am with Bishop Gerald Walsh (in…
“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….
Join us every Thursday evening in June for the third year of Melting Pot Jazz. This free series explores immigrants’ influence on American jazz. Concerts begin at 6:30pm. Bring a blanket, a picnic, a neighbor, and enjoy terrific music and a sense of community. This year’s terrific lineup includes: June…
Cardinal Spellman Arrives for the Dedication of the Shrine On May 10, 1960, eight hundred Mother Cabrini High School girls lined Fort Washington Avenue, while those in the senior class stood in the driveway. When Francis Cardinal Spellman arrived and saw the sight he unexpectedly had his car stopped. He…
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…