The new Cabrini movie is taking the world by storm, with rave reviews from the secular and Catholic worlds alike. The biopic depicts Mother Cabrini’s move from Italy to New York, where she’s sent to assist the underserved Italian immigrant community. The moving film shows her work to provide orphanages and schools for children, and it’s bringing the story of a saint to a new audience.

As Father Mike Schmitz said in a recent video, “This is not a Church movie, this is a mainstream film about one of our own.”

Who was Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini?

Frances Xavier Cabrini was born to farmers in 1850 as the youngest of 13 children, but was only one of four to survive past adolescence. She obtained a teaching certificate and became headmistress at an Italian orphanage in 1871, later taking religious vows in 1877. In 1880, she and seven other sisters founded their own religious community–the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She served as their superior, and, together, the community took in orphans and opened a day school.

Her work drew the attention of Pope Leo XIII. When she approached him about establishing a mission in China, the pope told her “Not to the East, but to the West,” and asked her to travel to America to help the Italian immigrant population there.

Mother Cabrini and six other sisters arrived in New York on March 31, 1889. Once there she founded the Sacred Heart Orphan Asylum. She faced difficulties at every turn, but persisted in her mission. She established schools and orphanages and persistently sought donors to fund her work. She went on to found 67 missionary institutions across the United States, including Columbus Hospital in New York.

She died in Columbus Hospital in Chicago at the age of 67 from Malaria complications.

Mother Cabrini was beatified on November 13, 1938, by Pope Pius XI, and canonized on July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII, making her America’s first canonized saint. When she was canonized, an estimated 120,000 people filled Chicago’s Soldier Field for a Mass of thanksgiving.

Mother Cabrini’s Correspondence with Archbishop Elder

Within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s archives, there are two letters, written in Mother Cabrini’s own hand to Archbishop Elder, who was made the Archbishop of Cincinnati in 1883. They corresponded many times over the years, and the letters housed in the Cincinnati archives indicate that Mother Cabrini and Archbishop Elder knew, respected and cared for one another.

In the letter, dated 1892, Mother Cabrini writes: “Among the fine people that bind me with acknowledgement and esteem, Your Most Excellency occupies one of the prime seats, may you grant me therefore to manifest to you openly my pledges. Your image is always present to me; when I unite myself to God in prayer, it is not possible to abandon my supplication to Him until He grants Your Excellency distinctive and copious graces… with lively desire of obtaining them from the Divine Infant all those celestial favors which you desire and well deserve for your great zeal with which you employ to lead your flock to salvation.”

In turn she shared her great joy of meeting with the pope and sharing her work in America, stating: “If you could have seen Excellency with what joy, with what satisfaction the Holy Father listened the pleasing news that I could relate to him of that land [America], where so much is hoped for the good of the souls, for the exaltation of Holy Church, for the triumph of the Vicar of Christ; how he felt rejuvenated to each response I gave to his way of asking questions in the style of which the good diocesan bishops ask. Yes, even the day moved him and thus gave your Excellency special blessings with so much fervor and fatherly heart.”

She concludes, “As soon as I have taken care of so many urgent matters, I will send your Excellency most Illustrious and most Reverend the information regarding The Institute which you asked me about so that you may get to know us before coming to traffic in your vineyard,” alluding to the work her religious congregation would soon do in Cincinnati.

Mother Cabrini and the Sisters in Cincinnati

A Cincinnati Enquirer article dated April 21, 1892, provides a glimpse into the now-saint’s visit to Cincinnati.

There arrived in this city yesterday morning Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini, Superior General of the Silesian Missionaries Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in America, accompanied by Sister Mercedes Zepeta, of Granada, Spain. Both of these ladies have their head-quarters in New York. Mother Cabrini is of Firenzo, Italy. They are on their way back to New York, having just returned from Granada Di Nicaraig, Central America, where they established an Italian academy for little girls. They will remain in this city for a few days as the guests of the local Italian priest, in the Home of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on Broadway. They will return to this city and establish an Italian academy here as soon as the proposed Italian church is settled upon.
Her Lasting Legacy in the Archdiocese

A relic of Mother Cabrini, donated by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati archives, is now housed in the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics, along with two others.

According to Matt Hess at Maria Stein Shrine, “The [Mother Cabrini relic] given to us by the archdiocese is a second or third class relic in a wearable pendant.” He continued, “We have two documented first class relics of St. Frances Cabrini in our collection. They are in the American’s section of the Memorial Case on the east wall of the chapel. One is a very nice–and very visible–bone chip.”  For more information, visit https://mariasteinshrine.org/.