AMERICA: USA : FEATURED UNIVERSITY : UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS IN TEXAS
ASIA: VIETNAM : PRAYERS FOR MARTYRS OF TODAY
AUSTRALIA: CARDINAL PELL HONORED BY CAMPION COLLEGE
AFRICA: SOUTH SUDAN : NEW HOSPITAL PAVILLION
TODAY'S SAINT: NOV. 13: ST. FRANCIS CABRINI
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE: 33RD SUN. OF ORDINARY TIME/ YEAR A
During his address the Holy Father also underlined the fact that because our earthly existence is marked by impermanence our life should be lived as a “pilgrimage” and we should keep our eyes fixed on the ultimate goal, the God who created us.
Recalling Sunday’s Gospel Pope Benedict also continued on the theme of charity noting that it was our mission to use our talents for the good of others.
“In today’s Gospel, the parable of the talents, Jesus invites us to reflect with gratitude on the gifts we have received and to use them wisely for the growth of God’s Kingdom. May his words summon us to an ever deeper conversion of mind and heart, and a more effective solidarity in the service of all our brothers and sisters. “
After reciting the Marian prayer the Holy Father had a number of special greetings in a number of languages.
In German, the Pope referred to Sunday’s beatification of the priest and martyr Carl Lampert in Dornbirn, who was killed as he put it "in the dark time of National Socialism."
Speaking in Italian the Pope Benedict also noted it was World Diabetes Day and prayed for those stricken by this illness.
Giving greetings in Polish the Holy Father recalled that on this November 13th the church in Poland was remembering the Day of Solidarity for the persecuted church which this year is asking for prayers in particular for the church in Sudan.
Drawing his address to a conclusion the Pope speaking in French invited the faithful to pray for his forthcoming visit to Benin and urged solidarity with those who work for peace, justice and reconciliation on continent of Africa.
AMERICA: USA : FEATURED UNIVERSITY : UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS IN TEXAS
| |
EUROPE: ITALY : ALFONSO FUSCO NEARS CANONISATION WITH MIRACLES
Over the years, the sisters from that congregation have collected information on roughly 100 alleged miracles of the Blessed Italian. The writings will be made into a book in the future.
It will include the alleged healing of a child who suffered from malaria in Zambia. Even though the boy's mother wasn't Catholic, she asked a nun to pray for her son.
Mother Lina Patano
Suore Battistine (Italy)
“That sister called on all nuns from that community to pray for the boy's healing. They prayed during the afternoon and also in the evening. The boy was in a coma, but one day he woke up and told his mom 'Feed me, I'm hungry.' When the doctor got there, he said he couldn't explained what happened scientifically.”
The book will include other possible miracles that range from physical healings to overcoming moral difficulties.
Blessed Fusco was born in 1839 in Angri, which is located in southern Italy. At the age of 11 he decided to be a priest to help others. Once he was ordained his first assignment was to help underprivileged children from his hometown.
The priest was known for walking along the streets of his town, looking for the poor and offering them help. He would offer them food and education. From this mission, the Congregation of St. John the Baptist was born.
Mother Lina Pantano
Suore Battistine (Italy)
"At one point he felt a deep responsibility for the poor children of his hometown. There were many of them because parents would take off and go to work, leaving the kids out on the street. Then he said: 'If these kids grow up without an education or support, they will bring down society. But if I help them, educate them and guided them, will be the strength and happiness of society."
Despite some difficulties he managed to carry out his work successfully.
Currently, the congregation has 800 sisters in 17 countries. The congregation is devoted primarily to the education and care of the youth. Soon, it will open yet another convent and support center in Romania.
AUSTRALIA: CARDINAL PELL HONORED BY CAMPION COLLEGE
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese REPORT
11 Nov 2011
His Eminence Cardinal Pell with George Weigel
Forty four years of friendship linked two great Catholic figures who were both honoured at a night hosted by Campion College on Tuesday 8 November in The Stranger's Room of NSW Parliament House.
The dinner for 130 special guests featured Professor George Weigel as guest speaker and saw His Eminence Cardinal Pell receive an award by the Polish Ambassador in Australia, Andrzej Jaroszynski for his support to Polish Catholic immigrants.
George Weigel and Cardinal Pell owe their decades-long association to a shared passion for the renewal of Catholic culture and the importance of an education in liberal arts, especially for the young.
Weigel, Senior Fellow of the US Ethics and Public Policy Centre, a Catholic theologian and one of America's leading public intellectuals is the author of over twenty books, including the bestselling biography of Pope John Paul II, Witness to Hope.
He gave a dinner address entitled "Saving the 21st Century: Why Catholics Count".
Weigel gave a powerful metaphor of Western civilisation as a "product of Jerusalem, Athens and Rome - a stool with three legs". He went on to explain that the Judeo-Christian heritage of Jerusalem, the philosophers of Athens and the rule of law of Rome have contributed to the highest ideals inherent in The West, namely the defence of human rights and democracy.
Two Campion graduates, Olivia Meese and
Michael Mendieta with George Weigel centre
Weigel noted that in modern times we see The West under attack by post modernist relativism, the deification of reason and all the ensuing consequences. He called for education in the faith as an antidote to this malaise.
"The rebirth of The West will come from creative minorities like the Catholic Church who must lead with the Gospel radical truth of the human race" he said.
Calling for a renewal in liberal arts education, Weigel drew attention to the great work of Campion College in providing students the opportunity to study history, literature, philosophy and theology in an environment of faith and excellence.
Given Weigel's intricate association with the papacy of John Paul II, there were appropriate nods to the great Pope throughout the evening: the Polish ambassador's presence, the support of Cardinal Pell for the Polish Community and Weigel's account of some of the intimate encounters he had with the late Pope.
Speaking of Pope John Paul II's witness of the value of human suffering, Weigel said, "The last 2 months of his life were his last encyclical. He invited the entire world into his suffering, which was in fact the suffering of Christ".
Relating a story of when he was working as a Vatican analyst for American news organisations, he explained the bemusement of some of the television stations at the vision from the Vatican of the Pope John Paul II watching his last stations of the cross at the Colosseum on Good Friday. The angle was from behind, not showing the Holy Father's face, but only his back and the crucifix he was holding.
Weigel addresses dinner guests
at NSW Parliament House
"I said to them 'You've missed the point. The Pope is saying, don't look at me, look at Jesus Christ'" he said.
Delivering an impressive vote of thanks was Campion College graduate, Olivia Meese who spoke with great eloquence about the education she received which not only formed her academically, but strengthened her faith to the degree that she was inspired to take on the difficult ethical life issues of the medical field. She is now a second year medical student of Notre Dame University in Sydney.
The Schola of Campion College entertained guests throughout the evening as wine flowed from an award winning Catholic winemaker from Murrumbateman. The owner of Clonakilla wines, Tim Kirk explained that his faith inspired him to become an expert in his field and he has "been blessed" with worldwide recognition of his Shiraz Viognier as one of the greatest in Australia.
James Power, director of Campion College concluded the night with an appeal for the financial support of education in the liberal arts and donations to Campion College were welcomed.
Campion College is Australia's first and only independent Liberal Arts College. It was founded under the patronage of Edmund Campion, English Jesuit priest and martyr (1540-1581) who courageously defended the faith, was sentenced as a traitor and executed in Tyburn at the age of 41.
The mission of the College is to form future leaders of society and of the Church by a broad program of learning in the liberal arts that integrates the insights of faith and reason. For more information on Campion College see http://www.campion.edu.au/.
http://www.sydney.catholic.org.au/news/latest_news/2011/20111111_547.shtml
ASIA: VIETNAM : PRAYERS FOR MARTYRS OF TODAY
In addition to the 117 martyrs canonised by John Paul II on 16 June 1988, we must remember those who are oppressed and discriminated for their religion, those who proclaim the Word of God. Fr Nguyễn Văn Phượng, vicar of Thái Hà Church, makes an appeal once more against the expropriation of parish land. “We are praying for the dangerous task of seeking justice and truth,” he said.
_1111_-_Redentoristi.jpg)
Hanoi (AsiaNews) – Vietnamese Catholics are currently praying and celebrating Mass in memory of their country’s 117 martyrs, who were canonised by John Paul II on 16 June 1988. The various communities, especially those of Hanoi, are also commemorating today’s martyrs, those who are oppressed, those who lost their job or are discriminated because of their religion, those who pray and work for justice and peace, as well as those who proclaim the Word of God.The latest case is the attack against Thái Hà Church on 3 November, when hundreds of police agents and soldiers broke down the church’s main door, tried to pick a quarrel with the vicar and parishioners present and threatened to kill members of the Redemptorist Order.
The attack came after local authorities tried to force the Redemptorists to give up part of parish land they have owned since 1928 in order to build a water treatment plant for the nearby hospital.
After the attack, the vicar called on the authorities to drop their plans and return the land they had seized from the parish. Between 2008 and 2009, the parish lost 41,455 m2 of the 61,455 it owned. The whole thing ended in a phoney trial that saweight Catholics tried and convicted.
“We agree with the local project to improve the life of the community,” Fr Nguyễn Văn Phượng, vicar to the Thái Hà Parish Church, said. “However, this should not mean looting out congregation.”
“Redemptorists rented Church land to local authorities during the war. The latter used it and now should return it to us and allow us to perform our pastoral and charitable activities for the 20,000 people of this community,” the clergyman explained. “Both Catholics and non-Catholics need the Redemptorists.”
“Our prayers are meant to express our gratitude to God,” Fr Nguyễn noted. “Suffering and persecution help us see the truth. When we endure injustice, we can deal with them by loving our neighbours more.”
“We are all here,” he added, “to pray for Thái Hà Parish, committed to the dangerous task of seeking justice and truth.”
AFRICA: SOUTH SUDAN : NEW HOSPITAL PAVILLION
TODAY'S SAINT: NOV. 13: ST. FRANCIS CABRINI
St. Francis Xavier CabriniVIRGIN, FOUNDRESS
Feast: November 13
Information:
Feast Day:
November 13
Born:
July 15, 1850, Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy
Died:
December 22, 1917, Chicago
Canonized:
July 7, 1946 by Pope Pius XII
Major Shrine:
Chapel of Mother Cabrini High School, New York City
Patron of:
immigrants, hospital administrators
As saint of our own time and as the first United States citizen to be elevated to sainthood, Mother Cabrini has a double claim on our interest. Foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and pioneer worker for the welfare of dispersed Italian nationals, this diminutive nun was responsible for the establishment of nearly seventy orphanages, schools, and hospitals, scattered over eight countries in Europe, North, South, and Central America. Still living are pupils, colleagues, and friends who remember Mother Cabrini vividly; her spirit continues to inspire the nuns who received their training at her hands. Since the record remains fresh in memory, and since the saint's letters and diaries have been carefully preserved, we have more authentic information about her, especially of the formative years, than we have concerning any other saint.
Francesca Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850, in the village of Sant' Angelo, on the outskirts of Lodi, about twenty miles from Milan, in the pleasant, fertile Lombardy plain. She was the thirteenth child of a farmer's family, her father Agostino being the proprietor of a modest estate. The home into which she was born was a comfortable, attractive place for children, with its flowering vines, its gardens, and animals; but its serenity and security was in strong contrast with the confusion of the times. Italy had succeeded in throwing off the Austrian yoke and was moving towards unity. Agostino and his wife Stella were conservative people who took no part in the political upheavals around them, although some of their relatives were deeply concerned in the struggle, and one, Agostino Depretis, later became prime minister. Sturdy and pious, the Cabrinis were devoted to their home, their children, and their Church. Signora Cabrini was fifty-two when Francesca was born, and the tiny baby seemed so fragile at birth that she was carried to the church for baptism at once. No one would have ventured to predict then that she would not only survive but live out sixty-seven extraordinarily active and productive years. Villagers and members of the family recalled later that just before her birth a flock of white doves circled around high above the house, and one of them dropped down to nestle in the vines that covered the walls.
The father took the bird, showed it to his children, then released it to fly away.
Since the mother had so many cares, the oldest daughter, Rosa, assumed charge of the newest arrival. She made the little Cecchina, for so the family called the baby, her companion, carried her on errands around the village, later taught her to knit and sew, and gave her religious instruction. In preparation for her future career as a teacher, Rosa was inclined to be severe. Her small sister's nature was quite the reverse; Cecchina was gay and smiling and teachable. Agostino was in the habit of reading aloud to his children, all gathered together in the big kitchen. He often read from a book of missionary stories, which fired little Cecchina's imagination. In her play, her dolls became holy nuns. When she went on a visit to her uncle, a priest who lived beside a swift canal, she made little boats of paper, dropped violets in them, called the flowers missionaries, and launched them to sail off to India and China. Once, playing thus, she tumbled into the water, but was quickly rescued and suffered only shock from the accident.
At thirteen Francesca was sent to a private school kept by the Daughters of the Sacred Heart. Here she remained for five years, taking the course that led to a teacher's certificate. Rosa had by this time been teaching for some years. At eighteen Francesca passed her examinations,
Francesca was offered a temporary position as substitute teacher in a village school, a mile or so away. Thankful for this chance to practice her profession, she accepted, learning much from her brief experience. She then again applied for admission to the convent of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, and might have been accepted, for her health was now much improved. However, the rector of the parish, Father Antonio Serrati, had been observing her ardent spirit of service and was making other plans for her future. He therefore advised the Mother Superior to turn her down once more.
Father Serrati, soon to be Monsignor Serrati, was to remain Francesca's lifelong friend and adviser. From the start he had great confidence in her abilities, and now he gave her a most difficult task. She was to go to a disorganized and badly run orphanage in the nearby town of Cadogno, called the House of Providence. It had been started by two wholly incompetent laywomen, one of whom had given the money for its endowment. Now Francesca was charged "to put things right," a large order in view of her youth-she was but twenty-four-and the complicated human factors in the situation. The next six years were a period of training in tact and diplomacy, as well as in the everyday, practical problems of running such an institution. She worked quietly and effectively, in the face of jealous opposition, devoting herself to the young girls under her supervision and winning their affection and cooperation. Francesca assumed the nun's habit, and in three years took her vows. By this time her ecclesiastical superiors were impressed by her performance and made her Mother Superior of the institution. For three years more she carried on, and then, as the foundress had grown more and more erratic, the House of Providence was dissolved. Francesca had under her at the time seven young nuns whom she had trained. Now they were all homeless.
At this juncture the bishop of Lodi sent for her and offered a suggestion that was to determine the nun's life work. He wished her to found a missionary order of women to serve in his diocese. She accepted the opportunity gratefully and soon discovered a house which she thought suitable, an abandoned Franciscan friary in Cadogno. The building was purchased, the sisters moved in and began to make the place habitable. Almost immediately it became a busy hive of activity. They received orphans and foundlings, opened a day school to help pay expenses, started classes in needlework and sold their fine embroidery to earn a little more money. Meanwhile, in the midst of superintending all these activities, Francesca, now Mother Cabrini, was drawing up a simple rule for the institute. As one patron, she chose St. Francis de Sales, and as another, her own name saint, St. Francis Xavier. The rule was simple, and the habit she devised for the hard-working nuns was correspondingly simple, without the luxury of elaborate linen or starched headdress. They even carried their rosaries in their pockets, to be less encumbered while going about their tasks. The name chosen for the order was the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
With the success of the institute and the growing reputation of its young founder, many postulants came asking for admission, more than the limited quarters could accommodate. The nuns' resources were now, as always, at a low level; nevertheless, expansion seemed necessary. Unable to hire labor, they undertook to be their own builders. One nun was the daughter of a bricklayer, and she showed the others how to lay bricks. The new walls were actually going up under her direction, when the local authorities stepped in and insisted that the walls must be buttressed for safety. The nuns obeyed, and with some outside help went on with the job, knowing they were working to meet a real need. The townspeople could not, of course, remain indifferent in the face of such determination. After two years another mission was started by Mother Cabrini, at Cremona, and then a boarding school for girls at the provincial capital of Milan. The latter was the first of many such schools, which in time were to become a source of income and also of novices to carry on the ever-expanding work. Within seven years seven institutions of various kinds, each founded to meet some critical need, were in operation, all staffed by nuns trained under Mother Cabrini.
In September, 1887, came the nun's first trip to Rome, always a momentous event in the life of any religious. In her case it was to mark the opening of a much broader field of activity. Now, in her late thirties, Mother Cabrini was a woman of note in her own locality, and some rumors of her work had undoubtedly been carried to Rome. Accompanied by a sister, Serafina, she left Cadogno with the dual purpose of seeking papal approval for the order, which so far had functioned merely on the diocesan level, and of opening a house in Rome which might serve as headquarters for future enterprises. While she did not go as an absolute stranger, many another has arrived there with more backing and stayed longer with far less to show.
Within two weeks Mother Cabrini had made contacts in high places, and had several interviews with Cardinal Parocchi, who became her loyal supporter, with full confidence in her sincerity and ability. She was encouraged to continue her foundations elsewhere and charged to establish a free school and kindergarten in the environs of Rome. Pope Leo XIII received her and blessed the work. He was then an old man of seventy-eight, who had occupied the papal throne for ten years and done much to enhance the prestige of the office. Known as the "workingman's Pope" because of his sympathy for the poor and his series of famous encyclicals on social justice, he was also a man of scholarly attainments and cultural interests. He saw Mother Cabrini on many future occasions, always spoke of her with admiration and affection, and sent contributions from his own funds to aid her work.
A new and greater challenge awaited the intrepid nun, a chance to fulfill the old dream of being a missionary to a distant land. A burning question of the day in Italy was the plight of Italians in foreign countries. As a result of hard times at home, millions of them had emigrated to the United States and to South America in the hope of bettering themselves. In the New World they were faced with many cruel situations which they were often helpless to meet. Bishop Scalabrini had written a pamphlet describing their misery, and had been instrumental in establishing St. Raphael's Society for their material assistance, and also a mission of the Congregation of St. Charles Borromeo in New York. Talks with Bishop Scalabrini persuaded Mother Cabrini that this cause was henceforth to be hers.
In America the great tide of immigration had not yet reached its peak, but a steady stream of hopeful humanity from southern Europe, lured by promises and pictures, was flowing into our ports, with little or no provision made for the reception or assimilation of the individual components. Instead, the newcomers fell victim at once to the prejudices of both native-born Americans and the earlier immigrants, who had chiefly been of Irish and German stock. They were also exploited unmercifully by their own padroni, or bosses, after being drawn into the roughest and most dangerous jobs, digging and draining, and the almost equally hazardous indoor work in mills and sweatshops. They tended to cluster in the overcrowded, disease-breeding slums of our cities, areas which were becoming known as "Little Italies." They were in America, but not of it. Both church and family life were sacrificed to mere survival and the struggle to save enough money to return to their native land. Cut off from their accustomed ties, some drifted into the criminal underworld. For the most part, however, they lived forgotten, lonely and homesick, trying to cope with new ways of living without proper direction. "Here we live like animals," wrote one immigrant; "one lives and dies without a priest, without teachers, and without doctors." All in all, the problem was so vast and difficult that no one with a soul less dauntless than Mother Cabrini's would have dreamed of tackling it.
After seeing that the new establishments at Rome were running smoothly and visiting the old centers in Lombardy, Mother Cabrini wrote to Archbishop Corrigan in New York that she was coming to aid him. She was given to understand that a convent or hostel would be prepared, to accommodate the few nuns she would bring.
Unfortunately there was a misunderstanding as to the time of her arrival, and when she and the seven nuns landed in New York on March 31, 1889, they learned that there was no convent ready. They felt they could not afford a hotel, and asked to be taken to an inexpensive lodging house. This turned out to be so dismal and dirty that they avoided the beds and spent the night in prayer and quiet thought. But the nuns were young and full of courage; from this bleak beginning they emerged the next morning to attend Mass. Then they called on the apologetic archbishop and outlined a plan of action. They wished to begin work without delay. A wealthy Italian woman contributed money for the purchase of their first house, and before long an orphanage had opened its doors there. So quickly did they gather a house full of orphans that their funds ran low; to feed the ever-growing brood they must go out to beg. The nuns became familiar figures down on Mulberry Street, in the heart of the city's Little Italy. They trudged from door to door, from shop to shop, asking for anything that could be spared—food, clothing, or money.
With the scene surveyed and the work well begun, Mother Cabrini returned to Italy in July of the same year. She again visited the foundations, stirred up the ardor of the nuns, and had another audience with the Pope, to whom she gave a report of the situation in New York with respect to the Italian colony. Also, while in Rome, she made plans for opening a dormitory for normal-school students, securing the aid of several rich women for this enterprise. The following spring she sailed again for New York, with a fresh group of nuns chosen from the order. Soon after her arrival she concluded arrangements for the purchase from the Jesuits of a house and land, now known as West Park, on the west bank of the Hudson. This rural retreat was to become a veritable paradise for children from the city's slums. Then, with several nuns who had been trained as teachers, she embarked for Nicaragua, where she had been asked to open a school for girls of well-to-do families in the city of Granada. This was accomplished with the approbation of the Nicaraguan government, and Mother Cabrini, accompanied by one nun, started back north overland, curious to see more of the people of Central America. They traveled by rough and primitive means, but the journey was safely achieved. They stopped off for a time in New Orleans and did preparatory work looking to the establishment of a mission. The plight of Italian immigrants in Louisiana was almost as serious as in New York. On reaching New York she chose a little band of courageous nuns to begin work in the southern city. They literally begged their way to New Orleans, for there was no money for train fare. As soon as they had made a very small beginning, Mother Cabrini joined them. With the aid of contributions, they bought a tenement which became known as a place where any Italian in trouble or need could go for help and counsel. A school was established which rapidly became a center for the city's Italian population. The nuns made a practice too of visiting the outlying rural sections where Italians were employed on the great plantations.
The year that celebrated the four hundredth anniversary of Columbus' voyage of discovery, 1892, marked also the founding of Mother Cabrini's first hospital. At this time Italians were enjoying more esteem than usual and it was natural that this first hospital should be named for Columbus. Earlier Mother Cabrini had had some experience of hospital management in connection with the institution conducted by the Congregation of St. Charles Borromeo, but the new one was to be quite independent. With an initial capital of two hundred and fifty dollars, representing five contributions of fifty dollars each, Columbus Hospital began its existence on Twelfth Street in New York. Doctors offered it their services without charge, and the nuns tried to make up in zeal what they lacked in equipment. Gradually the place came to have a reputation that won for it adequate financial support. It moved to larger quarters on Twentieth Street, and continues to function to this day.
Mother Cabrini returned to Italy frequently to oversee the training of novices and to select the nuns best qualified for foreign service. She was in Rome to share in the Pope's Jubilee, celebrating his fifty years as a churchman. Back in New York in 1895, she accepted the invitation of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires to come down to Argentina and establish a school. The Nicaraguan school had been forced to close its doors as a result of a revolutionary overthrow of the government, and the nuns had moved to Panama and opened a school there. Mother Cabrini and her companion stopped to visit this new institution before proceeding by water down the Pacific Coast towards their destination. To avoid the stormy Straits of Magellan they had been advised to make the later stages of the journey by land, which meant a train trip from the coast to the mountains, across the Andes by mule-back, then another train trip to the capital. The nuns looked like Capuchin friars, for they wore brown fur-lined capes. On their unaccustomed mounts, guided by muleteers whose language they hardly understood, they followed the narrow trail over the backbone of the Andes, with frightening chasms below and icy winds whistling about their heads. The perilous crossing was made without serious mishap. On their arrival in Buenos Aires they learned that the archbishop who had invited them to come had died, and they were not sure of a welcome. It was not long, however, before Mother Cabrini's charm and sincerity had worked their usual spell, and she was entreated to open a school. She inspected dozens of sites before making a choice. When it came to the purchase of land she seemed to have excellent judgment as to what location would turn out to be good from all points of view. The school was for girls of wealthy families, for the Italians in Argentina were, on the average, more prosperous than those of North America. Another group of nuns came down from New York to serve as teachers. Here and in similar schools elsewhere, today's pupils became tomorrow's supporters of the foundations.
Not long afterward schools were opened in Paris, in England, and in Spain, where Mother Cabrini's work had the sponsorship of the queen. From the Latin countries in course of time came novice teachers for the South American schools. Another southern country, Brazil, was soon added to the lengthening roster, with establishments at Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Back in the United States Mother Cabrini started parochial schools in and around New York and an orphanage at Dobbs Ferry. In 1899 she founded the Sacred Heart Villa on Fort Washington Avenue, New York, as a school and training center for novices. In later years this place was her nearest approach to an American home. It is this section of their city that New Yorkers now associate with her, and here a handsome avenue bears her name.
Launching across the country, Mother Cabrini now extended her activities to the Pacific Coast. Newark, Scranton, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, all became familiar territory. In Colorado she visited the mining camps, where the high rate of fatal accidents left an unusually large number of fatherless children to be cared for. Wherever she went men and women began to take constructive steps for the remedying of suffering and wrong, so powerful was the stimulus of her personality. Her warm desire to serve God by helping people, especially children, was a steady inspiration to others. Yet the founding of each little school or orphanage seemed touched by the miraculous, for the necessary funds generally materialized in some last-minute, unexpected fashion.
In Seattle, in 1909, Mother Cabrini took the oath of allegiance to the United States and became a citizen of the country. She was then fifty-nine years old, and was looking forward to a future of lessened activity, possibly even to semi-retirement in the mother house at Cadogno. But for some years the journeys to and fro across the Atlantic went on; like a bird, she never settled long in one place. When she was far away, her nuns felt her presence, felt she understood their cares and pains. Her modest nature had always kept her from assuming an attitude of authority; indeed she even deplored being referred to as "head" of her Order. During the last years Mother Cabrini undoubtedly pushed her flagging energies to the limit of endurance. Coming back from a trip to the Pacific Coast in the late fall of 1917, she stopped in Chicago. Much troubled now over the war and all the new problems it brought, she suffered a recurrence of the malaria contracted many years before. Then, while she and other nuns were making preparations for a children's Christmas party in the hospital, a sudden heart attack ended her life on earth in a few minutes. The date was December 22, and she was sixty-seven. The little nun had been the friend of three popes, a foster-mother to thousands of children, for whom she had found means to provide shelter and food; she had created a flourishing order, and established many institutions to serve human needs.
It was not surprising that almost at once Catholics in widely separated places began saying to each other, "Surely she was a saint." This ground swell of popular feeling culminated in 1929 in the first official steps towards beatification. Ten years later she became Blessed Mother Cabrini, and Cardinal Mundelein, who had officiated at her funeral in Chicago, now presided at the beatification. Heralded by a great pealing of the bells of St. Peter's and the four hundred other churches of Rome, the canonization ceremony took place on July 7, 1946. Hundreds of devout Catholics from the United States were in attendance, as well as the highest dignitaries of the Church and lay noblemen. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American to be canonized, lies buried under the altar of the chapel of Mother Cabrini High School in New York City.
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE: 33RD SUN. OF ORDINARY TIME/ YEAR A
10A good wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.11The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.12She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.13She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.19She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.20She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy.30Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.31Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
1Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!2You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.4Lo, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.5The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
| 1 Thessalonians 5: 1 - 6 | |
| 1 | But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need to have anything written to you. |
| 2 | For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. |
| 3 | When people say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape. |
| 4 | But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief. |
| 5 | For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. |
| 6 | So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. |
14"For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property;15to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.16He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more.17So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more.18But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.19Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.20And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, `Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.'21His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.'22And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, `Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.'23His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.'24He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, `Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow;25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'26But his master answered him, `You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed?27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.28So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.29For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.30And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.'
