March 8th is International Women’s Day. On this day in 2024, the film Cabrini was released and it’s chosen date is quite fitting. The story is based on true events on St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, or Mother Cabrini, the first American saint. She’s the patroness of immigrants and her achievement of this title was no easy task.
The Story
The film starts at her home in Northern Italy with her sisters of the order she founded, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She had been seeking permission to travel to China but was continuously denied. Seeking an audience with Pope Leo XIII, she was convinced to go west, to the US, where Italian immigrants were treated horribly and in desperate need of hope.
She and her sisters took up the mission and began what would become a historical project. Facing extreme prejudice, famine, disease, and most of all poverty, Mother Cabrini and her sisters worked to serve the immigrants of late 19th century New York City. Perhaps the most disparaging obstacle, however, was extreme prejudice from the authorities of the city. She fought tirelessly to combat local government for the rights of immigrants. She even had to argue with local Church officials for the ability to be there despite the opposition. Yet, thanks to her persistence over the years, she founded hospitals, changed minds, and saved lives.
Cabrini’s Resolve
Her story is truly incredible and the film manages to portray the important points well, though capturing her whole story would be difficult in the time allotted. You can read Mother Cabrini’s story here, or you can stream the movie on Angel, Apple TV, Amazon, or Fandango. Laura Vivio does an excellent job portraying the saint with her steely look and hard resolve. Mother Cabrini relentlessly begs for support for the poor immigrants and for an end to the prejudice. While shot down over and over, she straightens herself up, marching right back to the mayor (played by John Lithgow) to try again.
It’s like the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18: 1-8) where the judge who neither feared God nor respected man was forced to oblige a widow that wouldn’t leave him alone. Mother Cabrini was told to leave, to give up, even by her superiors, but she persisted for the sake of the children and the poor immigrants. She truly is a woman to be celebrated.
For Mother Cabrini, backing down was never an option. She was not there for employment; she was on a mission from God. Remaining faithful to her mission, to advocate for the poor, was all that mattered. She did not back down nor accept compromise, but resolved to go forward no matter who or what was in the way.
Beautification and Sainthood
The work expanded well beyond New York City, though the film only touches upon that in closing. Over time, the work she started created 67 hospitals, orphanages, and schools in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. She additionally traveled to South America and Europe to serve the poor there as well.
Mother Cabrini became a US citizen in 1909, then died in 1917 from ongoing illness. She was beatified in 1938 and canonized in 1946. In 1950, she was declared the patron saint of immigrants.
In a world which seems to celebrate all the wrong things, let’s celebrate a woman who took motherhood to a new level. She reached out to the poor, the marginalized, and the sick. She advocated tirelessly for their rights to healthcare and education. Mother Cabrini was not boastful or arrogant, but firm in her mission and relentless to the cause. Her selflessness and faith saved countless lives and changed many minds in her day. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us.