Francisca Javiera Cabrini
Francesca Saverio Cabrini (Sant' Angelo Lodigiano, July 15, 1850 - Chicago, December 22, 1917) was an Italian nun and the first American citizen to be canonized.
During her lifetime she was known as Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini (in English), Francisca Javier Cabrini (in Spanish) or simply Mother Cabrini . She is considered one of the most accomplished Italians dedicated to social assistance.[1]
Biography
[change | change source]Francesca Cabrini was born in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Lombardy (Italy), and was the youngest of thirteen children. Her health was always delicate. She took religious vows in 1877, becoming the superior mother of the Casa della Providenza orphanage in Codogno, where she taught.
In 1880, the orphanage closed and she became one of the seven founding members of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1888 the Bishop of Piacenza, San Juan Bautista Scalabrini, invited her to collaborate with his missions in America.
Recognition
[change | change source]Frances Cabrini was beatified on 13 November 1938 by Pope Pius XI and canonized on 7 July 1946 by Pope Pius XII.
The miracle that led to his beatification concerns the restoration of sight to a child who had been blinded by an excess of silver nitrate in his eyes. The miracle of her canonization was the cure of a terminal illness in a nun.
In 1950, Pius XII proclaimed Mother Cabrini the patron saint of immigrants and in 1952 the American Committee on Italian Migration of New York declared her the Italian immigrant of the century.[2]
There are several prayers and hymns in her honor.[3]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Scaraffia, L. (2000). "Francisca Javier Cabrini". Diccionario de los Santos. Vol. I. Madrid: San Pablo. pp. 815–820. ISBN 84-285-2258-8.
- ↑ Brownell, Elizabeth (2004). "Cabrini, Frances". In Jestice, Phyllis G. (ed.). Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia (in inglés). Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 153. ISBN 1-57607-355-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ↑ An example is:
Gloria, gloria a la santa Cabrini,
Misionera del célico ardor,
que traspuso del mundo los confines
irradiando su gran fe, esperanza y amor.
Misioneras del Sagrado Corazón
su Instituto ella quiso llamar,
pues la llama que abrasó su corazón
hizo de ella un viviente altar.
Incansable en la lucha divina,
la divisa de Pablo escogió,
y abrazando la cruz y las espinas,
nuevo apóstol su vivir al Señor consagró.
Misioneras…
A tu altar hoy venimos gozosos
implorando tu ayuda y favor,
muéstranos tus miradas amorosas,
danos Madre fe ardiente, confianza y valor.
Misioneras…
Literature
[change | change source]- Braghin, Andrea (2000). Francisca Cabrini: Memoria y camino: 1850-2000. 32 páginas. Éd. du Signe. ISBN 978-2-7468-0033-5.
- Maynard, Theodore (2000). Un mundo demasiado pequeño: Vida de Santa Francisca Javier Cabrini. 444 páginas. Misioneras del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. ISBN 978-84-607-1432-3.