Ana (not her real name) knocked loudly on the door before the Shrine officially opened. She knelt in front of the altar as soon as we let her in, and remained in prayer a long time. I happened to be going to get a cup of coffee around the time…
If we’d seen them come in on their bicycles, the three religious who visited at around noon yesterday might have been our pilgrims of the month. But it was only as they departed, helmets strapped over their veils, that we realized how they’d arrived. The octave of Christmas is always…
Mother Cabrini’s Feast is November 13. This year we will celebrate with five Masses in four languages over two days, with a special concert on the Feast Day itself. Saturday, November 11 Mass in Italian at 11 am Filipino Mass at 2 pm French Mass at 4 pm Note there…
“I have missed the train on account of the Holy Father,” Mother Cabrini wrote wryly to the Sisters in 1898. She’d wanted Leo XIII to bless her latest initiative: establishing a house in Paris. However, the pope was ill and sent his greetings via the Nuncio, instead. Then, just as…
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…
A Loan and a Lawsuit Mere weeks after the founding of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1880, the bishop of Lodi generously lent them 6,000 lire. The loan came with the stipulation that all interest accrued was to go to three impoverished…
Hundreds of immigrant families have been bused to New York City from the southern border in recent weeks. They have been placed in all-purpose City shelters, and the influx has strained City resources. To respond to the needs of our newest neighbors, five Cabrini institutions — The Cabrini Mission Foundation,…
This Saturday the Shrine will participate in the NY Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Open House, offering guided tours of the Shrine at 12pm and 2pm. Stop in to learn why Mother Cabrini’s remains rest here, visit our new “A Day in the Life of a Saint” exhibit, or simply spend…
This Friday, April 8 at 7:30pm the outstanding Continuum Wind Quintet will be at the Shrine to play a benefit concert for health care workers. Their program is exciting, interesting, and well worth attending. Want a sample? Pop over to the Shrine’s Facebook page for a quick listen to their…
This past Thursday the Shrine was filled with vibrant joy as more than 50 Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus gathered from around the world to witness the perpetual vows of three Sisters from Ethiopia. Sr. Asnakech Asefa, Sr. Aynalem Paulos, and Sr. Berhane Ashebo made lifelong vows…