Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
| Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini | |
|---|---|
| Saint | Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini |
| Stage | Saint |
| Birthdate | 15 July 1850 |
| Birthplace | Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Lombardy, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia (now Italy) |
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| Deathdate | 22 December 1917 |
| Death Place | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
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| Cause of Death | Natural causes (dysentery and heart failure) |
| Notable Location 1 | Columbus Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA |
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| Notable Location 2 | Mother Cabrini Shrine, New York City, NY, USA |
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| Beatification Date | 13 November 1938 |
| Beatified by | Pope Pius XI |
| Beatification Location | Vatican City |
| Canonized | Yes |
| Canonization Date | 7 July 1946 |
| Canonized by | Pope Pius XII |
| Canonization Location | Vatican City |
| Miracle 1 | Healing of a blind child in 1937 |
| Miracle 2 | Cure of a woman’s cancer in 1945 |
| Miracle 3 | |
| Feast Day | November 13 |
| Profession | Religious Sister, Foundress, Missionary |
| Religious Affiliation | Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus |
| Patronage | Immigrants, hospital administrators, orphans |
| Attributes | Nun’s habit, heart emblem, ship (for immigrant voyages) |
| Primary Shrine | Mother Cabrini Shrine, New York City, NY, USA |
| Additional Veneration | |
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, born on July 15, 1850, in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy, was a tireless missionary and the first U.S. citizen canonized, founding the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Rejected by convents due to frail health, she formed her order in 1880, aiming for China but sent by Pope Leo XIII to aid Italian immigrants in America. Arriving in New York in 1889, she established schools, orphanages, and hospitals—67 institutions across the U.S., Latin America, and Europe—despite constant illness. Naturalized in 1909, she died on December 22, 1917, in Chicago, her heart failing amid dysentery, leaving a legacy of compassion for the marginalized.
Canonized on July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII, Cabrini’s feast day, November 13, celebrates her immigrant advocacy, with her incorrupt heart enshrined at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in New York City, a pilgrimage site. Patroness of immigrants, hospital administrators, and orphans, her letters and order’s records reveal a dynamo of faith, crossing oceans 23 times to serve. Named a U.S. patron saint in 1946, her work—epitomized by Columbus Hospital—endures, inspiring devotion for her “motherly” care in a new world.
Biography
Birth
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850, in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Lombardy, to Agostino Cabrini, a farmer, and Stella Oldini, the youngest of 13, many of whom died young. Named Maria Francesca, her premature birth left her frail. Lombardy’s rural plains framed her early life.
Her birth under Austrian rule shaped a resilient spirit. Devout from childhood, Frances’s origin in a struggling family fueled her later mission.
Early Life
Frances’s youth was pious; inspired by Saint Francis Xavier, she dreamed of missionary work, teaching catechism by 13. Orphaned at 18, she cared for siblings, then taught after smallpox barred her from convents. In 1877, ordained a “missionary of the Sacred Heart” by Bishop Gelmini, she founded her order in 1880 in Codogno, Italy, despite frail lungs.
Her early life pivoted from rejection to purpose, landing in New York in 1889. Frances’s formative years built a foundress for the forgotten.
Occupation
Frances’s occupation began as a teacher, then foundress of the Missionary Sisters in 1880. Sent to America in 1889, she worked among Italian immigrants, opening her first orphanage in New York. As superior, she founded hospitals (e.g., Columbus in Chicago), schools, and missions across continents, often sleeping on ships or floors, her health waning.
Her work was relentless service, dying in 1917 mid-mission. Frances’s occupation was a global ministry, lifting immigrants with education and care.
Vocation
Frances’s vocation emerged in Codogno, a call to serve Christ’s heart through the poor. Founding her order in 1880, she aimed for China, but Pope Leo XIII redirected her to America’s “wretched” Italians. From 1889, she crisscrossed oceans, building institutions—her first U.S. hospital by 1892—her motto: “I can do all things in Him.”
Her vocation peaked in Chicago, dying in 1917 after naturalization. Frances’s life was a missionary bridge, her frail body a vessel of strength.
Death
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini met her end on December 22, 1917, in Chicago, dying at 67 of dysentery and heart failure in Columbus Hospital’s chair. Exhausted by travel—she’d just returned from Seattle—she passed quietly, her order mourning. Buried in New York, exhumed in 1933, her body was mostly incorrupt, her heart preserved separately.
Her death sparked devotion, with miracles soon reported. Frances’s passing closed a life of ceaseless mission, her sanctity shining in relics.
Significant events
- Founded Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, November 14, 1880.
- Arrived in New York City, March 31, 1889.
- Naturalized as U.S. citizen, 1909.
- Died on December 22, 1917, in Chicago.
Parishes
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Canonization
Servant of God
The process began in 1928 in Chicago, with Archbishop Mundelein opening inquiries into her life, spurred by her order’s impact and reported cures.
Venerable
Declared Venerable on November 21, 1937, by Pope Pius XI, recognizing her heroic virtue after reviewing her letters and works, no miracle then needed.
Beatification
Beatified on November 13, 1938, by Pope Pius XI in Vatican City, after a 1937 healing of a blind child in Peru via prayers to Frances, verified by a commission.
Canonization
Canonized on July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII in Vatican City, following a 1945 cure of a woman’s cancer in New York after prayers with her relic, affirming her sanctity.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
In 1937, a Peruvian child, blind from birth, regained sight after her family prayed a novena with Frances’s relic. Doctors confirmed no natural cause, approved in 1938, echoing her care for the helpless.
Witnessed by her parish, it tied to her immigrant mission. This miracle hastened her beatification, a sign of her reach.
Miracle for canonization
In 1945, a New York woman with terminal cancer recovered fully after prayers with Frances’s relic at her shrine. Medical testimony verified the cure, ratified in 1946, sealing her canonization with a second miracle.
This healing mirrored her hospital work, affirming her sainthood. It completed her path to U.S. veneration.
Other notable miracles
- Incorrupt heart, exhumed 1933, a lasting marvel. - Posthumous cures at her shrines, fueling devotion.
Patronage
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants, hospital administrators, and orphans.
Feast day
The feast day of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini is celebrated on November 13.
Veneration
Saint Frances is venerated through prayers for immigrants and the sick, centered at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in New York, where her heart and relics rest. Depicted with a ship or heart, her cult thrives in the Americas, with November 13 Masses honoring her legacy. Her institutions—like Cabrini University—carry her spirit of service.
Books
Written about the saint
Written by the saint
- Letters and writings (preserved by her order, in archives)