Thursday, November 13, 2008

St Frances Xavier CABRINI (1850-1917)


Extraordinary woman born in Italy, she was the first US citizen to be canonized. She traveled thousands of miles to work for Italian immigrants in New York.

She encountered a lot of disappointments and difficulties but her deep trust in God helped her doing the work of Christ. In 35 years Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor, the abandoned, the uneducated and the sick. Seeing great need among Italian immigrants who were losing their faith, she organized schools and adult education classes.

At her canonization on July 7, 1946, Pius XII said, "Although her constitution was very frail, her spirit was endowed with such singular strength that, knowing the will of God in her regard, she permitted nothing to impede her from accomplishing what seemed beyond the strength of a woman."