The life of Saint Frances Cabrini= Known to the world as Mother Cabrini

The 13 of November is the feast day of Saint- Mother Frances Cabrini, an amazing women, my patron saint.

St Frances Cabrini gave up her dream of evangelizing China and instead obeyed God by working with the poor in the United States.

Frances Cabrini was born July 15, 1850 in Lombardy, Italy the youngest of 13 children. She was born two months premature, and was not expected to live more than a few hours, so she was rushed to the church to be baptized.

 

Frances’s recovery was slow, her body remained frail, and delicate most of her life, but in mind and spirit she excelled beyond her years.

Franny, as her family knew her, lived on a small farm-like estate, for the most part the Cabrini’s were self-sufficient. They grew their own vegetables, raised small farm animals and there home was beautiful, surrounded by wild flowers.

 

The Cabrini family was devoted to their home, their children, and their church.

 

After dinner each evening Frances’s father would read the children stories about saints, and missionaries.

Frances told her father that she would like to be a missionary one-day.

 

Rosa, Frances’s older sister by fifteen years was a local school- teacher. She was very influential in Frances’s education.

 

Frances attended the Sacred Heart local school, and at the age of fifteen decided she wanted to be a Sacred Heart nun. She applied to the order, but was refused. She was told her health could not handle the hard work the nuns had to accomplish, so her parents decided to send her, as they did her sister to a special school to obtain her teaching credentials.

In three years Frances became a schoolteacher and worked alongside her sister in the local school. It was here that Frances demonstrated her love for children, especially the poor, and the orphaned. She decided in her teaching that all of God’s children should be educated, not only the ones that could afford it.

 

The desire to go as a missionary to China was a dream that never left her, so she decided to speak with her parish priest about it

 

Her parish priest listened to what Frances had to say, then told her he would set up an appointment for her to speak with the Bishop.

 

The Bishop told Frances that he did not know of any nuns being sent to china as missionaries. That was usually left to men.

 

But he suggested that she might want to start a new order of nuns dedicated to missionary work.

 

Soon after the Bishop’s suggestion, Frances founded an order of nuns called “Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

 

Frances was thirty years old when her real calling came.

 

To seek approval for her order Frances went to Rome. She requested an audience with Pope Leo x111.

 

She spoke to the Pope and told him about her dream of going to China with her sisters as missionaries. The Pope was silent for awhile, and then said to Frances “ No my child not to the East, but to the West. I want you to go to America. The Italian immigrants need you there, they are suffering greatly. You must help your brothers and sisters. You must make your country loved.

 

Frances said yes to the Pope’ request, and took China out of her mind and heart, and never looked back.

 

Frances received word from the Bishop that everything was arranged for her, and her sisters to open a convent, and school, in New York, and they were to leave on the next ship to America.

 

Mother Cabrini as the sisters began addressing her, and seven of the nuns arrived in New York City late in the evening of 1889 with only a little money to help them get started, and a suitcase for each of them. They waited, and waited by the ship for someone to show them where their convent was to be, but no one came to greet them. Frances knew something was wrong, but she did not want to frighten the sisters so she suggested they find a place to eat, and rest for the night, and in the morning they would go and see the Bishop to find out what went wrong. After they had something to eat they were directed to a boarding house.

 

Frances and her sisters could not believe their eyes upon entering the room they were given. They had never seen a room so filthy; roaches were running around, there were holes in the walls, and when they looked at the beds –tiny bugs were on the dirty sheets. Frances gathered the sisters and told them tonight we will not sleep it will be a night of prayer, don’t be afraid, God is with us.

 

In the morning after getting something to eat Mother Cabrini and her sisters went to see the Bishop. He was surprised to see them and said to Frances “ Didn’t you receive my letter stating that I needed more time to prepare a place for you?” Frances went on to tell the Bishop that she did not receive any such letter, but she did have a letter from the Pope telling her that a convent was arranged for them. The Bishop told her the best thing for them to do was to return to Italy on the next ship until such time it takes for him to arrange a place for them. Mother Cabrini reminded the Bishop that they were in New York because Our Holy Father sent them and they did not come of their own accord. Here they were and here they would stay. The Bishop made some calls and a miracle happened a benefactress came forward and offered the nuns a building to use as a convent, and school.

 

That was just the beginning of Mother Cabrini’s Missionary work.

 

As time went on Mother Cabrini saw that there was a great need for a hospital for the immigrant’s, and the poor, as they could not afford the local hospital fees. She looked for and found a benefactor who told her to begin looking for a suitable building. Word got out and a real estate person approached Frances and showed her a building that was once used as a hospital but fell in disrepair. She examined the building but thought it needed too much work, and money and did not suit there needs, so she said no. That night Mother Cabrini had a dream. In the dream she saw Our Blessed Mother rolling up her sleeves, pinning on an apron, and leaning over to help the patients. Mother Cabrini said to The Blessed Mother “What are you doing Mother.” The Blessed Mother looked at Frances and said” I am doing what you should be doing.” In the morning Mother Cabrini knew that she should buy the property.

 

In sixty-seven years that Mother Cabrini lived she founded sixty-seven institutions

Hospitals, convents, schools and orphanages in North, and South America

 

Each institution was worth over a million dollars.

She became a United States citizen, and is listed in the women’s Hall of Fame

 

A quote from Mother Cabrini “ Every grace you receive is a special token of God’s love.”

 

I will end with a quote from Pope Frances” To be saints is not a privilege for the few, but a vocation for everyone.