Frances Xavier Cabrini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SaintFrances Xavier Cabrini M.S.C. |
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| Religious and foundress | |
| Born | Maria Francesca Cabrini July 15, 1850 Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, Austrian Empire (now Lombardy, Italy) |
| Died | December 22, 1917 (aged 67) Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | November 13, 1938, by Pope Pius XI |
| Canonized | July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII |
| Major shrine | National Shrine of Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini, Chicago, IL; Mother Cabrini Shrine, Golden, CO; St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine, New York, NY |
| Feast | November 13 (US, 1961 to date), December 22 (elsewhere) |
| Patronage | Immigrants, hospital administrators |
Frances Xavier Cabrini (born Maria Francesca Cabrini; July 15, 1850 – December 22, 1917) was an Italian-American Catholic nun. She is also known as Mother Cabrini. She started a group called the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This group helped many Italian immigrants (people who move from one country to live in another) who came to the United States.
Mother Cabrini was the first U.S. citizen to be made a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. This happened on July 7, 1946.
Contents
Early Life and Calling
Maria Francesca Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850. She grew up in a town called Sant'Angelo Lodigiano in Italy. She was the youngest of thirteen children, but only four of them lived past their teenage years.
Francesca was born two months early and was often sick. Even as a child, she dreamed of being a missionary. She would make paper boats, put flowers in them, and pretend they were missionaries sailing to faraway lands.
When she was thirteen, she went to a school run by the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She graduated five years later with a teaching certificate. After her parents died in 1870, she wanted to join the Daughters of the Sacred Heart. However, they felt she was too weak for their way of life.
Instead, she became the headmistress of an orphanage in Codogno, Italy. There, she taught and gathered a small group of women who wanted to live a religious life. In 1877, Cabrini took her religious vows. She added "Xavier" to her name to honor Francis Xavier, a saint known for missionary work.
Starting a New Order
In November 1880, Mother Cabrini and seven other women started their own religious group. They called themselves the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (M.S.C.). Mother Cabrini wrote the rules for her new group. She remained its leader until she died.
The sisters cared for orphans and abandoned children. They opened a day school to help pay for their work. They also started classes in needlework and sold their beautiful embroidery to earn more money. In their first five years, the Sisters opened seven homes, a free school, and a nursery. Their good work caught the attention of important church leaders, including Pope Leo XIII.
Mission to the United States
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In 1887, Mother Cabrini wanted to go to China to start missions there. But Pope Leo XIII had a different idea. He told her to go to the United States instead. He wanted her to help the many Italian immigrants who were arriving there, often very poor. "Not to the East, but to the West" was his advice.
Mother Cabrini arrived in New York City on March 31, 1889, with six other sisters. Life in New York was hard at first. The local Archbishop was not immediately helpful. But Mother Cabrini eventually got permission to open the Sacred Heart Orphan Asylum in West Park, New York. This place was later renamed Saint Cabrini Home.
She organized classes to teach Italian immigrants about their faith and to educate them. She also made sure many orphans had what they needed. She opened schools and orphanages even when things were very difficult. Mother Cabrini was very good at finding people who would donate money, time, and help. In New York City, she founded Columbus Hospital. This hospital later became Cabrini Medical Center.
In Chicago, the sisters opened two hospitals: Columbus Hospital and Columbus Extension Hospital. These hospitals helped many people in the city's Italian neighborhood. Mother Cabrini also founded 67 missionary institutions. These places helped the sick and poor in many cities across the United States. She also started missions in Latin America and Europe.
Mother Cabrini became a United States citizen in 1909.
Death
Mother Cabrini died on December 22, 1917, in Columbus Hospital in Chicago. She was 67 years old and was preparing Christmas candy for children when she passed away. She died from problems caused by malaria. Her body was first buried at the Saint Cabrini Home in West Park, New York.
Becoming a Saint
In 1933, Mother Cabrini's body was moved as part of the process to make her a saint. Her head was placed in a chapel in Rome, Italy. Her heart is kept in Codogno, Italy, where she started her order. An arm bone is at her shrine in Chicago. Most of the rest of her body is at her shrine in New York.
Mother Cabrini was declared "blessed" (a step before sainthood) on November 13, 1938, by Pope Pius XI. She was made a saint on July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII. One miracle (an amazing event believed to be caused by God) that helped her become a saint involved a baby whose sight was restored. The baby had been blinded by a strong chemical solution in his eyes.
Her feast day (a special day to remember her) is December 22 in most places. In the United States, it is celebrated on November 13. In 1950, Pope Pius XII named Frances Xavier Cabrini the patron saint of immigrants. This was because of all her work helping immigrants with schools, orphanages, and hospitals.
People also sometimes ask for her help to find a parking space! A priest once joked, "She lived in New York City. She understands traffic."
Shrines Honoring Mother Cabrini
Many places honor Mother Cabrini, especially where she worked. These places are called shrines.
Chicago, Illinois (National Shrine)
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After Mother Cabrini died, her room at Columbus Hospital in Chicago became a popular place for people to visit. They came seeking healing and comfort. Because so many people visited after she became a saint in 1946, a large shrine was built in her honor. It was opened in 1955.
The hospital and shrine closed in 2002 for new buildings. But the shrine and Mother Cabrini's room were saved and made beautiful again. They reopened to the public in 2012. The shrine is a beautiful building with gold mosaics, marble, and stained glass. It is a place for prayer and visits.
Golden, Colorado
In 1904, Mother Cabrini started an orphanage for girls in Denver, Colorado. Many of these girls were orphans of Italian miners. In 1910, she bought land in Golden, Colorado, to use as a summer camp for the girls. A stone house was built there in 1914.
Later, a replica of the Lourdes Grotto (a famous cave where a saint had visions) was built. After Mother Cabrini became a saint, the campsite officially became a shrine. In 1954, a long Stairway of Prayer was added for visitors. This stairway leads up the mountain to a 22-foot (6.7 m) statue of Jesus.
The orphanage closed in 1967. The summer camp became a place for retreats and prayer all year round. A new building was completed in 1970. It has rooms for the Sisters and for visitors. It also has a chapel and an exhibit of things Mother Cabrini used.
Upper Manhattan, New York
The St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan, New York, looks out over the Hudson River. In 1933, as Mother Cabrini was getting closer to sainthood, her remains were moved. They were placed in the chapel of a Catholic school she had founded, which was renamed Mother Cabrini High School.
When it became a popular place for visitors after she was declared blessed in 1938, her body was placed in a glass coffin under the altar. After she became a saint in 1946, even more people visited. So, a larger shrine was built next to the school from 1957 to 1960. Her remains are now in a bronze-and-glass case in the shrine's altar. She is still on display for people to see and honor. The shrine is still a place that welcomes new immigrants and visitors from many countries who come to pray.
Other Shrines
Many other places around the world also have shrines or special tributes to Mother Cabrini. These include:
- Southwark, London, England: A shrine in St George's Cathedral.
- Burbank, California, U.S.: A chapel and library.
- Lewiston, New York, U.S.: A shrine at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.
- Lower Manhattan, New York, U.S.: A shrine, statue, and stained-glass window at Our Lady of Pompeii Church.
- Peru, New York, U.S.: A stone grotto shrine.
- Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.: A shrine at St. Lucy parish.
Mother Cabrini's Legacy
Mother Cabrini's work has left a lasting impact around the world. Many churches, schools, and hospitals are named after her.
Churches and Parishes
Many churches in Italy, the United States, and other countries are named in her honor. For example, there are St. Frances Cabrini Parishes in Codogno and Rome, Italy. In the U.S., you can find St. Frances Cabrini Churches in places like San Jose, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. A large statue of "S. Francisca Xaveria Cabrini" is also found in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
Educational Institutions
Mother Cabrini believed in the power of education. Many schools bear her name, including:
- Istituto Comprensivo "F.S. Cabrini" in Milan, Italy.
- Cabrini High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Cabrini University in Radnor, Pennsylvania.
- Colegio Santa Francisca Javier Cabrini in Madrid, Spain.
Hospitals
Her dedication to the sick led to many hospitals being named after her.
- Santa Cabrini Hospital in Montreal, Canada.
- St. Frances Cabrini Medical Center in the Philippines.
- Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, Louisiana.
Other Tributes
- The St. Cabrini Home in West Park, New York, was her early orphanage and burial place.
- The Cabrini Mission Foundation raises money to support her programs.
- Cabrini Eldercare provides care for older people in New York.
- Mother Cabrini was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1996.
- The Milan Central railway station in Italy was dedicated to her in 2010.
- Chicago's Cabrini–Green housing project was named after her because of her work with immigrants in that area.
- Cabrini Boulevard and "Cabrini Woods Nature Sanctuary" are near her shrine in Manhattan, New York.
- Pope Francis was partly inspired by Mother Cabrini's work with Italian immigrants in Argentina.
- In 2020, a public statue of Mother Cabrini was unveiled in Manhattan's Battery Park City. It faces Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, important places for immigrants.
- Colorado renamed its Columbus Day state holiday to Cabrini Day, starting in 2020.
Images for kids
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Mother Cabrini High School, New York City
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Shrine in St George's Cathedral, Southwark
See also
In Spanish: Francisca Javiera Cabrini para niños
