The storm rolled in shortly before supper. Only six of the over 1,000 passengers on La Normandie made it to dinner that night because of the heaving seas. Mother Cabrini, of course, was one of them. Afterwards she retired to her cabin. Alert to the danger she remained half-dressed, prepared…
Mother Cabrini’s Relationship with Mary Mother Cabrini’s profound, tender relationship with the Virgin Mary permeates the letters she wrote. She considered Our Lady of Grace the foundress of the order and frequently encouraged the Missionary Sisters to imitate her. “She is lovable, love her,” she urged, “She is sublime and…
Mother Cabrini’s Letters Mother Cabrini was a prolific letter writer. Each year she wrote hundreds of letters to prelates, to her Missionary Sisters, and for business transactions. Much of her day was spent in correspondence. One of the great joys of reading the saint’s letters is that we get a…
The spring of 1895 saw Mother Cabrini traveling from New Orleans to Panama. The intent of the journey was to comfort the Missionary Sisters who had been abruptly expelled from Nicaragua due to a sharp shift in the political environment. The Sisters had taken refuge in Panama, where they were…
May 23, 1890 New York J.M.J.F Oh, my daughters, have great confidence in the Holy Spirit! He can soften the hardest hearts, pacify the rebellious, sweeten embittered souls, inflame tepid souls, fortify the weak, steady the wavering, convert the proud to humility, the disobedient to obedience and the avaricious to…
“Our beloved Jesus promised us His Holy Spirit. Yet we know that the divine promises are fulfilled through prayer and the sublime exercise of charity and union. “This excellent virtue of prayer, while it signifies the union and charity we necessarily must have among ourselves… signifies still another unity each…
In this letter from 1899, Mother Cabrini writes about the role Our Lady of Grace played in the founding of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “Oh, happy is the one who loves Mary! What care and tenderness this good Mother has for us!… “She rejoices when…
In 1892, one of the Missionary Sisters wrote to Mother Cabrini, concerned about how dry her prayer life had become. She received what was probably a surprising reply. “I rejoice with you for the eminent degree of holiness to which God calls you with the gift of great aridity,” wrote…
One of the delightful items in the Shrine’s museum is a pair of Mother Cabrini’s well-worn shoes. They are identical; there is not a left shoe and a right, because cobblers charged more for that kind of customization. Eventually, with enough wearing, the shoe would conform to the proper foot….
December of 1900 found Mother Cabrini traveling from Genoa to Buenos Aires aboard the steamship Alfonso XIII. As usual, she wrote regularly to the Sisters while she was at sea. Her letters contain a mix of spiritual advice and delightful travel tidbits. Her entry for December 4 provides news about…