A Saint for Immigrants

Mother Cabrini = first United States citizen to be canonized!

A woman.

An immigrant herself.

A SAINT.

I had heard about a saint named Cabrini for a couple of years, and I had seen her image here and there…but I never paid much attention to her. That is, until one year ago when the film “Cabrini” by Angel Studios premiered in theaters. I have to be honest: I went to watch it a couple of times, and each time my eyes would tear up in awe of this inspirational woman of God.

Sometimes as a Catholic woman, you can feel “less than” or limited.

Priests are men.

The Pope is a man.

Jesus is a man.

While it is true that as women we can’t fulfill those roles, it is not true that we do not have amazing gifts and talents that only women are capable of having! Mother Cabrini is a great role model for women to look up to. Since her childhood, she had such a strong passion and zeal in her heart to go out and bring the love of Christ to all who are in need and to those who do not know Him. Not only did she have such a strong calling placed on her heart, but she also had to trust and wait patiently for God’s perfect timing.

Mother Cabrini was closer to her forties when she came to America as a missionary with her sisters. God prepared her and her team for a very fruitful yet difficult mission of serving and evangelizing immigrant families here in the States. As I watched the film, it brought flashbacks of the stories I was told growing up about my own family coming to the States in hopes of a better life for future generations. It is truly sacrificial love that fuels people to leave their homes, languages, and loved ones to navigate through unknown territory and push through hard work in order to “make a living.”

America is a great melting pot; we are who we are because of the eclectic mix of immigrants. It is such an honor that the very first saint in this country was a God-fearing immigrant woman who gave of herself to bring Christ’s love to those in greatest need.

It is an honor to be a Catholic.

It is an honor to be a woman.

It is an honor to come from an immigrant family.

Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini,

Pray for America, for immigrants, and especially for all women!

(& also, teach us to pray, to love, and to serve)

In Christ,

Jessica :)

+JMJ+