November 13 2024 - St. Frances Xavier Cabrini - Unwavering Faith in Jesus

 

A few months ago, a movie was released based on the life of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini. 

The movie did a lovely job portraying how Mother Cabrini came to this country from her native Italy at the request of the Pope to care for the Italian immigrants. The movie did a great job depicting Mother’s love for the orphans and the poor. The depiction of the squalor in which those early italian immigrants lived and the racism they suffered gave me a new appreciation for their plight. The costumes and sets were spot on. And honestly the treatment of the Church and the hierarchy were pretty fair. 

However, there’s one thing that the movie really shied away from, and it’s a pretty bizarre omission. While it depicted Mother Cabrini’s tireless charity, the movie glaringly omitted her faith. The movie depicted Mother Cabrini as a sort of extremely determined feminist social worker, rather than a woman of deep prayer and faith. I don’t think the movie ever mentioned Jesus Christ.

In fact, an article put out by the National Catholic Register said, “Cabrini is not specifically a religious movie”. And that is totally bizarre, because Mother Cabrini was a specifically religious woman. 

At her canonization in 1946, Pius XII said in his homily: 

“Where did she acquire all that strength and the inexhaustible energy by which she was able to perform so many good works and to surmount so many difficulties?  She accomplished all this through the faith that was always so vibrant in her heart; through the divine love that burned within her; and, finally, through the constant prayer by which she was so closely united to God…She never let anything turn her aside from striving to please God and to work for his glory for which nothing, aided by grace, seemed too difficult or beyond human strength.”

The world loves a story of determination and charity, but it often misses the deeper truth of what gives that determination its strength. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s life was not simply about good works—it was a life transformed by her deep, burning love for Jesus Christ. It was her intimate relationship with Him, nurtured in prayer and the sacraments, that allowed her to see every orphan, immigrant, and sufferer as a child of God, worthy of dignity and care.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini challenges us to cultivate that same love for Jesus in our own hearts—a love so vibrant and powerful that it transforms everything we do. We can start small: spending more time in prayer, drawing closer to Jesus  in the Eucharist, and asking for His guidance in our daily lives. And as we grow in love for Jesus, we’ll find the strength to reach out to those in need, just as Mother Cabrini did—not out of obligation, but out of joy, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That all members of the Church may grow in their love for Jesus Christ, drawing strength from prayer and the sacraments to serve others with tireless charity.

That world leaders may work to uphold the dignity of every person, especially the poor, the marginalized, and immigrants.

For those struggling to find purpose or strength in their lives: that they may encounter Jesus Christ in the life of the Church and find in Him the courage and joy to live for His glory.

For the sick, the suffering, the poor and afflicted, immigrants and refugees: That they may experience the healing and comforting presence of Christ through the love and care of others.

During this month of November, we pray in a way for our beloved dead, may all the souls in purgatory be welcomed into the eternal embrace of God’s love, especially N. for whom this mass is offered, 

Loving Father, through the example and intercession of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, may we grow in faith, hope, and love. Hear these prayers we bring before You and grant them according to Your will, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

November 13 2019 - Mother Cabrini - Impelled by Divine Love

Listen again to the first stanza of the psalm this morning, psalm 82:

Defend the lowly and the fatherless;
render justice to the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the lowly and the poor;
from the hand of the wicked deliver them.

Francis Xavier Cabrini was born near Milan, Italy.  She was rejected from joining several religious orders, having been told that her frail health would not be well suited to being a missionary.  So, she founded a new religious congregation, the Missionary sisters of the Sacred Heart. 

Her dream had been to be a missionary sister to China, but her bishop and Pope Leo XIII asked her to be missionaries to the United States, to care for the growing number of Italian immigrants. So, Mother Cabrini and six sisters of her congregation sailed for America in 1889 where they established schools, orphanages, and hospitals.

Mother Cabrini followed the Lord’s call to minister to the poor and the downtrodden, to lift them out of there desperate circumstances and to help them realize their dignity as children of God.  In the words of our Psalm, she defended the lowly and fatherless, rendered justice to the afflicted, rescued the lowly and the poor.”

In 35 years, despite constant poor health Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 6 institutions for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated and the sick, and organized schools and adult education classes for formation in the Catholic Faith. She died of malaria in her own Hospital in Chicago in 1917.
Mother Cabrini was the first US Citizen to be canonized, and she is known as the patron saint of immigrants.

Pope Pius XII at her canonization asked, “Where did she acquire all that strength and the inexhaustible energy by which she was able to perform so many good works and to surmount so many difficulties?...the divine love burned within her.”

May the divine love burn within us. May we nurture it through prayer and the sacraments. May it impel us to be attentive to the lowly and fatherless in our midst. May it help us find the courage to leave our comforts to care for the needy. May that holy fire illuminate our lives and guide us in imitation of the selfless Christ and His saints for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an end to the violence and poverty that displaces so many people from their homes and homelands, and that migrants, refugees, and strangers in our midst, may know the kindness and compassion of our local Church.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for those whose names are written in our parish book of the names of the dead, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, for those who fought and died for our freedom and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

November 13 2017 - Mother Cabrini - The Immigrant Saint

Small and weak as a child, born two months premature, Francesca Cabrini remained in delicate health throughout her 67 years. Yet, even as a little girl she dreamed of being a missionary.

Her poor health kept her from being admitted to religious life, but at the behest of her local parish priest, Francesca took over care of a local orphanage. Francesca persuaded several woman who worked at the orphanage with her to begin their own religious community. So, in 1877, she became Mother Superior to the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.  Within a few years she and her sisters had opened six orphanages. And when Pope Leo XIII, in 1889, asked her to go to the United States to care for the Italian Immigrants, she did not hesitate. Within a few years, she opened a Catholic school in New York City, founded an orphanage and hospital for the immigrants which had wards which were free to the poor.    She built other hospitals in Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, New Orleans, and Chicago.

This frail, immigrant, virgin nun become Mother to so many, particularly immigrants. She is also the first American citizen to be canonized, having become a naturalized US citizen in 1909. She never really mastered the English language, but that did not keep her from doing great and holy work, either.

At her canonization in 1946, Pius XII said in his homily:

“Where did she acquire all that strength and the inexhaustible energy by which she was able to perform so many good works and to surmount so many difficulties?  She accomplished all this through the faith that was always so vibrant in her heart; through the divine love that burned within her; and, finally, through the constant prayer by which she was so closely united to God…She never let anything turn her aside from striving to please God and to work for his glory for which nothing, aided by grace, seemed too difficult or beyond human strength.”

Is there some holy work you think God might be calling you to do? Likely, He is! So like Mother Cabrini seek strength to do this holy work through your faith and prayer and closeness to God in the Sacraments, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For an end to the violence and poverty that displaces so many people from their homes and homelands, and that migrants, refugees, and strangers in our midst, may know the kindness and compassion of our local Church.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of November: “That Christians in Asia, bearing witness to the Gospel in word and deed, may promote dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding, especially with those of other religions.”

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.